Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2019L00153:body:0:p25
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2019L00153
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 68148–71225

robustness difficult to achieve, and raises the likelihood of isolated negative impacts, such as weed invasion and feral animals degrading the patch to such an extent that it loses its ability to operate as a functioning component of the landscape.

3.3      Structural and component complexity
Biodiversity requires heterogeneity of ecological community structure and of the component flora, fauna, soil and water attributes. These requirements for heterogeneity apply from the smallest patch to the scale of landscapes, because a mosaic of habitats and microhabitats is needed to meet the array of species' and ecosystem functions.
The loss of component species/guilds and ecosystem services are a threat to ecological communities. Consequently, the recovery of such components needs to be considered in any recovery program (SERA 2015). Maximising the structural and floristic heterogeneity of patches and revegetation plantings will enhance the number of component species likely to benefit, although such active revegetation can be expensive and labour intensive, and opportunities for passive revegetation (e.g. fencing or restricting access) need to be explored as a way of augmenting this activity (SERA 2015). Protecting remnants from encroaching developments and building resilience into patches will be critical to the survival of Littoral Rainforest. Retaining or restoring the ecological community structure to include structural layer species, provides the best opportunity for natural resilience and patch survival. Fauna are another essential component of a functioning ecosystem that needs to be included in any restoration process or activity; it is important to ensure restoration activities take a holistic approach to the restoration of key ecosystem components (Doerr et al. 2010; SERA 2015).
Fine-scale mapping of Littoral Rainforest shows that patches can be divided into three functional categories based on frequency of inundation: "leading edge", "buffer" and refugia" (Murphy et al., 2016). Leading edge areas are classified as those areas exposed to inundation frequently (up to 100 year Average Recurrence Interval (ARI)) and often comprise the vegetation closest to the foreshore, in depressions behind the foreshore or in low-lying areas behind sand dunes. Leading edge vegetation can provide invaluable ecosystem and climate adaptation services in the form of protection from the impacts of storm surges, severe weather events and sea level rises. The conservation of these areas should be prioritised, particularly when they are providing critical ecosystem services to local communities. Management and planning activities should focus on restoring areas that have been degraded following inundation events, to increase the rate of recovery, and ensuring leading edge vegetation has room to retreat, where available, in the face of sea-level rise (Murphy et al., 2016).
Buffer areas are classified as those that experience inundation of moderate frequency (200-1000 year ARI) and are generally located behind the leading edge or other coastal