Commonwealth of Australia
 
Inclusion of ecological communities in the list of threatened ecological communities under section 181 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EC 123)
 
 
I, TONY BURKE, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, pursuant to paragraph 184(1)(a) of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, hereby amend the list referred to in section 181 of that Act by:
 
including in the list in the endangered category
Scott River Ironstone Association
as described in the Schedule to this instrument.
                                              
 
 
 
 
Dated this 30th day of April 2013
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TONY BURKE
Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
 
SCHEDULE
 
Scott River Ironstone Association
 
The Scott River Ironstone Association ecological community occurs as disjunct patches within the Southwest Botanical Province of Western Australia associated with restricted areas of skeletal soils overlying ironstone. All known occurrences of the ecological community are found on the Scott Coastal Plain within the Warren bioregion. 
The vegetation of the Scott River Ironstone Association ecological community is generally heathland or low to tall shrubland, with dominant species depending on the degree of waterlogging. Known occurrences are often dominated by Melaleuca preissiana (moonah), Hakea tuberculata, Kunzea micrantha or Melaleuca incana subsp. Gingilup (grey honey-myrtle). The understorey is generally dominated by the sedge-like herb Loxocarya magna. Many occurrences (except the wetter/swampier or more closed shrubland patches) have a diverse annual flora that includes Stylidium spp. (trigger-plants), Centrolepis spp., Schoenus spp. (bog-rush) and Brizula spp. There may be some emergent tree species such as eucalypts and a variety of orchid species may be present.
The soils of the ecological community are generally very shallow, and the ironstone substrate can occur as a mosaic with other substrates, resulting in pockets or patches of deeper soil. Outcropping of ironstone rocks in the ecological community is common.
During the winter months, the ecological community typically experiences numerous waterlogging events. The depth and length of inundation varies between occurrences of the ecological community, with some having very little or no standing water and others having obvious pools of water. Soils typically dry out quickly at the beginning of the dry season.