Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2025L00287:reg:3:p70
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2025L00287
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 3 (pt 70/276)
Character Range: 280125–283119

Steering Committee. The review assessed progress in meeting objectives and delivering actions of the previous plan, and developed a series of conclusions and recommendations to be considered when drafting the new plan.

3.1.1        Progress in meeting objectives
The overall goal of the previous Norfolk Island Region Threatened Species Recovery Plan (Director of National Parks 2010) was to secure and improve the conservation status of the Norfolk Island Region's threatened species through an integrated program of habitat protection and improvement, threat abatement, and public awareness and involvement. The plan had eight objectives, and during the ten years the plan was in force, a variety of management activities relevant to those objectives were undertaken.

Objective 1: To reduce the impact of existing weeds on biodiversity

Management actions

    * Weed control was conducted in the Norfolk Island National Park and in public reserves, complemented by planting native species, to restore native vegetation.
    * Weed control and planting on Phillip Island was conducted with a focus on improving the condition of native vegetation and reducing the spread of aggressive weeds such as African olive.
    * Some private landowners conducted effective weed control on their own land.

Outcome

From a spatial perspective, the area managed represented only a small proportion of the total area affected by weeds. Removal of weeds from some areas in the national park and public reserves is one of the factors that has contributed to observed increases in many threatened plant species, though the direct impact of this management action is difficult to quantify as it cannot clearly be uncoupled from the impact of other management actions. Experimental testing of the impact of weed removal plots compared with unmanaged plots on Norfolk Island has shown that red guava supresses recruitment of native plant species, and its removal allows for forest regeneration (Dann et al. 2023).

Objective 2: To improve the condition and extent of native vegetation and vegetation remnants

Management actions

    * Restoration activities were undertaken to revegetate denuded areas and areas cleared of weeds with native vegetation.
    * The Norfolk Island National Park's nursery complex was significantly upgraded and expanded, enabling a much-increased level of native plant propagation.
    * Plants from the nursery were planted in the national park, in public reserves, and as part of restoration work on other public land, with excess stock made available to the public for planting on private land. Between December 2018 and September 2021, 11,000 plants (mostly threatened species) were planted in the national park and public reserves, at the Kingston and Arthur Vale Historic Site, and on private land.

Outcome

Assessing progress towards this objective is challenging as specific baseline data and indicators were not identified. However, the weeding and planting activities