Biodiversity Strategy - Gosford City Council - NSW Government

The Recovery Plan for the species states that the major threat is through habitat reduction
and alteration. On the Central Coast localised threats are fragmentation of habitat and
isolation of populations due to urban development, such as through subdivisions in
suitable coastal habitat that have the potential to disrupt movement, isolate habitat and
remove food sources (NPWS 2003a).
Yellow-bellied Gliders have been identified as being a possible indicator or umbrella
species for effective management of forest-dependent fauna (Milledge et. al. 1991,
Kavanagh 1991, Goldingay and Kavanagh 1993, Kavanagh and Bamkin 1995) quoted in
NPWS 2003. The Recovery Plan states “The presence or absence of such species can
indicate habitat quality for a range of other species or communities and can be targeted
when managing and designing conservation reserves so that greater amounts of habitat
will be provided for species with smaller home ranges (Goldingay and Kavanagh 1991,
Goldingay and Possingham 1995). A further advantage of the Yellow-bellied Glider
as an indicator or umbrella species is that habitat requirements relate to measurable
features of the forest overstorey that are easily mapped (Kavanagh 1991).”
Kavanagh (1991) recommended that large gliders and owls be used as target or indicator
species for forest management and provides three main reasons for this. The first is that
there is not enough time, skilled people or financial resources to produce wildlife habitat
models for all species where they occur. Secondly that some species are more sensitive
than others to management regimes and there is a need to bias reserve considerations in
their favour (ie loss of old growth forest). Thirdly, he cites issues of practical
implementation and the fact that preferred habitat for these species can be readily
mapped.
Survey records and distribution modelling for the Yellow-bellied Glider have been
considerably advanced in Gosford City through a research project that was sponsored by
Council (Hawkins 2004). Surveys undertaken for this project resulted in 16 new presence
and 62 absence sites. This project provided a refined habitat model based on the
vegetation mapping prepared by Bell (2004) and the regional model (Whittle et. al. 2004).
This maps high probability of occurrence and known presence records in the eastern part
of the LGA with major areas being the Bouddi peninsular, Kincumba Mountain and
Katandra Reserve/Wambina Reserve and other areas in Matcham/Holgate. Linkages
between these areas and through to other major habitat areas is considered critical for the
species viability.
Koalas
The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) was identified as a vulnerable species at State level
in. Major threats are habitat loss by clearing and tree dieback, and death and injury by
cars and dog attacks. Records for Koalas in the Gosford LGA are largely within the
Brisbane Water National Park although there are some records in Point Clare, Erina
Heights, Lisarow, Matcham and Kulnura. Recent sightings have been around Patonga
and Pearl Beach, along the National Park boundary to the west in Umina Beach and Woy
Woy and in the Kulnura area but there are other records in the broader peninsular area
(NPWS Atlas data). There is also a recent record at Erina Heights (D. Beckers pers
comm. 2004).
A NSW survey in 1986-87 (Reed et al. 1990) found that Koala distribution was closely
linked to tree species that were restricted to high nutrient soils such as river valleys which
have been extensively cleared for agriculture. A local Koala Survey and Habitat Mapping
project was carried out for Brisbane Water National Park and Popran National Park
(Ecotone 1996). The report stated that the Brisbane Water Koala colony could be
considered to possibly represent the largest coastal population between the Hunter River,
south to the Victorian border and should therefore be regarded as extremely significant.
Biodiversity - Technical Report Page 117