1.3.2.1 Description


1.3.2.1.1 Introduction to assets by subgroup, class and data source

The total number of ecological water-dependent assets in the PAE of the Arckaringa subregion is 1845 (from a total of 2239 ecological assets in the asset list). Of the water-dependent assets, 1027 assets are vegetation features, 730 assets are surface water features and 88 assets are groundwater features (Table 7). Most of the vegetation features are groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) and most of the surface water features are wetlands, wetland complexes or swamps. Of the ecological assets, 1719 assets were assessed as dependent on surface water and 1448 assets were assessed as dependent on groundwater. Of these assets, 396 assets were assessed as dependent or possibly dependent on surface water alone, 122 assets were assessed as dependent or possibly dependent on groundwater alone, and 1327 assets were assessed as dependent or possibly dependent on both surface water and groundwater.

Table 8 summarises the ecological assets and their water dependence according to database source. Maps of the distributions of the key data sources are shown in Figure 12 to Figure 17. Total assets cover a large proportion of the 82,505 km2 area of the Arckaringa PAE, giving confidence that the asset register is a thorough basis for the assessment of potential impacts of coal resource developments during later stages of the BA. In some datasets, at least some large assets intersect with only a small part of the Arckaringa PAE and extend far beyond the boundaries of the PAE. This is most strongly the case for the Water Asset Information Tool (WAIT) database, in which Great Artesian Basin (GAB) groundwater aquifers, recharge beds and dependent ecosystems extend to the west, south and east far beyond the boundary of the Arckaringa PAE.

Table 7 Summary of ecological assets within the preliminary assessment extent (PAE) of the Arckaringa subregion, according to asset subgroup and class


Subgroup

Asset class

Number of water-dependent assets

Number of assets dependent on surface water

Number of assets dependent on groundwater

Groundwater feature

Aquifer, geological feature, alluvium or stratum

88

12

88

Surface water feature

Floodplain

14

14

1

Lake, reservoir, lagoon or estuary

65

65

51

Marsh, sedgeland, bog, spring or soak

145

102

143

River or stream reach, tributary, anabranch or bend

86

86

38

Waterhole, pool, rockpool or billabong

111

111

111

Wetland, wetland complex or swamp

309

304

291

Vegetation

Groundwater-dependent ecosystem

1001

1000

712

Habitat (potential species distribution)

26

25

13

Total

1845

1719

1448

Data: Bioregional Assessment Programme (Dataset 1)

Table 8 Summary of ecological assets in the preliminary assessment extent (PAE) of the Arckaringa subregion, according to asset data source


Dataset

Number of water-dependent assets

Number of assets dependent on surface water

Number of assets dependent on groundwater

Australian Hydrological Geospatial Fabric

15

15

4

Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD)

13

13

8

A directory of important wetlands in Australia (DIWA)

3

2

3

Great Artesian Basin Groundwater Recharge

5

4

5

National atlas of groundwater dependent ecosystems (subsurface)

63

63

37

National atlas of groundwater dependent ecosystems (surface)

814

813

551

Birds Australia Important Bird Areas (IBA)

3

3

1

Northern Territory – Lake Eyre Basin - Wetlands Mapping

1

1

0

Queensland Lake Eyre Basin Rockholes and Waterholes in Queensland – Indigenous

1

1

1

SA Lake Eyre Basin Aquatic Ecosystems Mapping and Classification

55

55

0

SA Wetland Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem Classification

351

351

351

Threatened species listed under the Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act)

9

8

3

Threatened ecological communities listed under the EPBC Act

1

1

1

WAIT SA Arid Lands

511

389

483

Total

1845

1719

1448

Data: Bioregional Assessment Programme (Dataset 1)

Figure 12

Figure 12 Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD) assets in the Arckaringa preliminary assessment extent (PAE)

Data: Bioregional Assessment Programme (Dataset 1)

Figure 13

Figure 13 A directory of important wetlands in Australia (DIWA) assets in the Arckaringa preliminary assessment extent (PAE)

Data: Bioregional Assessment Programme (Dataset 1)

Figure 14

Figure 14 Great Artesian Basin groundwater recharge assets in the Arckaringa preliminary assessment extent (PAE)

Data: Bioregional Assessment Programme (Dataset 1)

Figure 15

Figure 15 Map of Birds Australia Important Bird Areas (IBA) assets in the Arckaringa preliminary assessment extent (PAE)

Data: Bioregional Assessment Programme (Dataset 1)

Figure 16

Figure 16 Threatened ecological communities listed under the Commonwealth's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 in the Arckaringa preliminary assessment extent (PAE)

These are polygons representative of the combined area of assets. Data: Bioregional Assessment Programme (Dataset 1)

Figure 17

Figure 17 Water Asset Information Tool (WAIT) database assets for South Australia, and equivalent Geofabric database assets for the Northern Territory, within the Arckaringa preliminary assessment extent (PAE)

Data: Bioregional Assessment Programme (Dataset 1)

1.3.2.1.2 Threatened ecological communities

Only one ecological community listed under the EPBC Act occurs in the Arckaringa PAE. Management plans indicate that ‘The community of native species dependent on natural discharge of groundwater from the Great Artesian Basin threatened ecological community’ depends eponymously on groundwater. Assessment data based on all satellite imagery data layers provides independent corroboration that this ecological community is water dependent. Most of these discharge springs occur to the west and south of Kati Thanda – Lake Eyre, with the Dalhousie Springs group lying further north, between Oodnadatta and the NT–SA border (Figure 16).

1.3.2.1.3 Habitats of threatened species

Of the 19 species listed as threatened under the EPBC Act and occurring in the Ackaringa PAE, 9 species were assessed to rely upon water-dependent habitats, with 6 species dependent on surface water, 1 species dependent on groundwater and 2 species dependent on both surface water and groundwater (Table 9). Application of the precautionary principle means that any species that is ‘possibly’ dependent on water in excess of incident rainfall is determined to be water dependent and its habitat is included in the register of water-dependent assets. One of the three EPBC Act-listed species that are at least partly dependent on groundwater (Eriocaulon carsonii) is exclusively associated with ‘The community of native species dependent on natural discharge of groundwater from the Great Artesian Basin threatened ecological community’. For the other two species (both egrets), evidence for dependence on groundwater or surface water is much less clear cut. The species occur across a wide range of community types that are more commonly ephemeral rivers, creeks, swamps and floodplains than permanent waterbodies. Groundwater may contribute to the water supply in some of these community types, through contributions to subsurface baseflow in rivers and creeks, or to soil water in swamps and floodplains. In all these community types, determination of absolute dependence on water in excess of rainfall (i.e. flows down drainage lines and across floodplains) cannot be made with complete confidence, and in all cases the precautionary principle has been applied to assess these species’ habitats.

Table 9 Water-dependent threatened species listed under the Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and within the preliminary assessment extent (PAE) of the Arckaringa subregion

Although examples of individual species are listed, bioregional assessments consider the potential impact to the habitat of species not individual species per se.


Scientific namea

Common name

Dependence upon surface water

Dependence upon groundwater

Comments

Acacia latzii

Latz's Wattle

Possible

No

Occurs on shallow gravelly soils in small watercourses, gullies and rocky slopes

Ardea alba

Great Egret

Yes

Possible

Occurs in a wide range of wetland habitats, including freshwater and saline, permanent and ephemeral, open and vegetated

Ardea ibis

Cattle Egret

Yes

Possible

Occurs in a wide range of wetland habitats, including freshwater and saline, permanent and ephemeral, open and vegetated

Calidris acuminata

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Yes

Unlikely

Occurs in lagoons, swamps, lakes, dams, waterholes, soaks, bore drains and bore swamps, saltpans and hyper-saline salt lakes

Eleocharis papillosa

Dwarf Desert Spike-rush

Yes

No

All records are from ephemeral wetlands, predominantly freshwater and semi-saline swamps

Eriocaulon carsonii

Salt Pipewort

Unlikely

Yes

Great Artesian Basin springs are the only habitat of this asset species

Macrotis lagotis

Greater Bilby

Possible

No

Historically associated with drainage systems, salt lake systems and other alluvial areas

Notoryctes typhlops

Itjaritjari

Possible

No

Few data on the habitat preferences of the Itjaritjari; may occupy sandy river flats where aeolian dunes occur nearby. River flats may be rich in food resources for the Itjaritjari

Pandion haliaetus

Osprey

Yes

No

Mostly found in coastal areas, but occasionally travel inland and utilise lakes and waterholes for foraging

Data: Bioregional Assessment Programme (Dataset 1)

aTypology and punctuation are given as they are used in the legislation.

Last updated:
9 January 2019