1. pets
2. birds

Photographer: Liz Blair
BRIGALOW
INTRODUCTION
All part of a Community
Ecological communities are groups of plants, animals and other
organisms that naturally occur together. The structure and
composition are determined by environmental factors such as
climate, landscape position, soil, aspect and altitude.
While a particular ecological community will vary in structure and
composition across its range, there are common elements that
clearly identify one ecological community as distinct from another.
Ecological communities also exist in different condition ‘states’,
each with defining characteristics. States range from high quality to
degraded with several in between.
Management affects the state of a community and depending on
the type of management action, can cause a community to make a
‘transition’ to a better or worse state.
Brigalow
Brigalow is the name given to the threatened ecological community
Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla dominant and co-dominant). This
community occurs on clay soils and is characterised by an overstorey
dominated by Brigalow or with Brigalow as a co-dominant with
other species such as Belah (Casuarina cristata) or Bimble box
(Eucalyptus populnea).
Unfortunately, large areas of this community have been cleared
across our catchment and remaining fragments are listed as
endangered. Several threatened flora and fauna species use
Brigalow as habitat.
Brigalow is listed as a threatened ecological community under both
the Australian Government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and the NSW Threatened Species
Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act). Activities which affect the condition
or extent of Brigalow may require consent or approval.
Where does the community occur?
Although remnants of Brigalow can be found across north-west New
South Wales, the largest patches are distributed south and west of
Narrabri and north-east of Moree. Most of the remaining stands of
Brigalow are in south-east Qld.
Specifically, Brigalow occurs
on the north-west slopes and
plains in the Brigalow Belt
South Bioregion, with outliers
in the Darling Riverine Plains
and Nandewar bioregions.
Managing and enhancing biodiversity on your
land helps build a resilient landscape that balances
production and conservation
Description
Identification
Brigalow structure ranges from open woodland to forest, with a canopy dominated by, or
including, Brigalow trees (Acacia harpophylla). The height of Brigalow will vary from 9 to 25
metres depending on mean annual rainfall.
Brigalow usually has an understorey with a high diversity of shrub species and a sparse
ground layer. In lower rainfall areas, with more widely spaced trees there will be a denser
ground layer of grasses, chenopods and herbs. Mistletoe (particularly Amyema quandang) is
a common and important component of Brigalow communities.
Species commonly occurring as a co-dominant with Brigalow include: Eucalyptus populnea
(Bimble box), E. pilligaensis (Pilliga box) and Casuarina cristata (Belah).
Brigalow is associated with gilgaied, heavy cracking clay or clay-loam soils.
Brigalow trees will vigorously resprout from root suckers if the above-ground parts are
removed or damaged. The community can include dense stands of regrowth with a
developing canopy.
Where it is mainly found
Brigalow is found on public and private land, usually on deep alluvial, gilgaied clay soils. The
community is usually found on plains, alluvial floodplains or low rises.
What is not Brigalow?
For Brigalow patches to fit the definition of the community protected under the EPBC Act,
they must be larger than 0.5 ha and have less than 50% exotic perennial groundcover.
Not all vegetation communities with Acacia harpophylla are the Brigalow ecological
community. This species also occurs in Semi-evergreen Vine Thicket and Weeping Myall
Woodland, which are both threatened ecological communities.
Photographer: David Carr
Profile drawing of Brigalow community
Plants of Brigalow
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DOMINANT CANOPY SPECIES
GROUNDCOVER SPECIES
Acacia harpophyllaBrigalow
Casuarina cristataBelah
Eucalyptus populnea subsp. bimbil Bimble box
Acacia cambageiGidgee
Aristida leptopoda
White speargrass
Austrostipa aristiglumis
Plains grass
Boerhavia dominiiTarvine
Dichanthium sericeum
Queensland blue grass
Enteropogon acicularis
Twirly windmill grass
Marsilea spp.Nardoo
Salsola kali
Soft rolypoly
Sclerolaena diacantha
Tangled copperburr
Sclerolaena tricuspis
Giant redburr
Solanum parvifolium
Small-leaf solanum
Vittadinia cuneataFuzzweed
Austrodanthonia bipartita
Wallaby grass
Austrostipa scabra subsp. scabra Speargrass
Chloris truncata
Windmill grass
Einadia nutans
Creeping saltbush
Jasminum lineare
Desert jasmine
Paspalidium caespitosum
Brigalow grass
Sclerolaena birchii
Galvanised burr
Sclerolaena muricata
Black rolypoly
Solanum esurialeQuena
Sporobolus caroli
Fairy grass
Zygophyllum glaucum
Pale twinleaf
MISTLETOES
Amyema cambagei
Needle-leaf mistletoe
Amyema linophyllaMistletoe
Amyema quandang
Grey mistletoe
Dendropthoe glabrescens
Orange mistletoe
ASSOCIATED CANOPY SPECIES
Acacia pendulaMyall
Alectryon oleifolius subsp. canescens Western rosewood, Bonaree
Eucalyptus pilligaensis
Pilliga box
Eucalyptus largiflorens
Black box
MID-STOREY SPECIES
Acacia excelsaIronwood
Apophyllum anomalum
Warrior bush
Capparis lasianthaNepine
Carissa ovata
Currant bush
Ehretia membranifolia
Peach bush
Eremophila desertiTurkeybush
Enchylaena tomentosa
Ruby saltbush
Geijera parvifloraWilga
Notelaea microcarpa
Native olive
Pittosporum angustifoliumButterbush
Santalum lanceolatum
Sandalwood
Acacia stenophylla
River cooba
Atalaya hemiglaucaWhitewood
Capparis mitchellii
Wild orange
Citrus glauca
Wild lime, Desert lime
Elaeodendron australe
Red olive plum
Eremophila mitchelliiBudda
Flindersia maculosaLeopardwood
Myoporum montanum
Western boobialla
Owenia acidula
Colane, Gruie, Emu apple
Rhagodia spinescens
Thorny saltbush
Vachellia farnesiana
Mimosa bush
4
Photo Key:
1 Grey mistletoe – Leah Mackinnon
2 Belah – Greg Steenbeeke
3 Brigalow (tree) – Greg Steenbeeke
4 Western rosewood – David Carr
5 Brigalow (flowers) – Greg Steenbeeke
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Animals of Brigalow
BIRDS
Parrots
Rainbow lorikeet
Scaly-breasted lorikeet
Swift parrot ˜
Musk lorikeet
Little lorikeet ˜
Australian king-parrot
Red-winged parrot
Eastern ringneck p
Superb parrot ●
Eastern rosella
Pale-headed rosella
Red-rumped parrot
Turquoise parrot ˜
Blue bonnet
Budgerigar
Cockatoos
Sulphur-crested cockatoo
Little corella
Glossy black-cockatoo ˜
Red-tailed black-cockatoo ˜
Cockatiel
Galah
Ground feeding and low nesting birds
Emu
Bush stone-curlew ˜
Australian bustard ˜
Painted button-quail p
Brown quail
Stubble quail
King quail
Button-quail p
Red-chested button-quail p
Spotted quail-thrush p
Tawny grassbird p
Little grassbird
Rufous songlark
Ground feeding birds
Crested pigeon
Common bronzewing p
Diamond dove p
Peaceful dove
Bar-shouldered dove
White-browed babbler p
Grey-crowned babbler ˜
White-winged chough
Apostlebird
Southern whiteface
Superb blue-wren
Splendid wren
Variegated wren
Red-browed finch
Diamond firetail ˜
Double-barred finch
Aerial feeding birds
Little woodswallow p
Dusky woodswallow p
Masked woodswallow p
White-browed woodswallow p
White-breasted woodswallow p
Welcome swallow
Fairy martin
Tree martin p
Fork-tailed swift ¢
White-throated needletail ¢
White-backed swallow
Restless flycatcher
Leaden flycatcher p
Grey fantail
Willie wagtail
Dollarbird
Rainbow bee-eater ¢
Medium to large bush birds
Fan-tailed cuckoo
Brush cuckoo
Pallid cuckoo
Shining bronze-cuckoo
Black-eared cuckoo p
Horsfield’s bronze-cuckoo
Channel-billed cuckoo
Common koel
Laughing kookaburra
Sacred kingfisher
Red-backed kingfisher p
Ground cuckoo-shrike
Black-faced cuckoo-shrike
White-bellied cuckoo-shrike p
Grey shrike-thrush
Crested bellbird
White-winged triller p
Cicadabird
Red-capped robin p
Hooded robin ˜
Eastern yellow robin p
Jacky winter
Eastern shrike-tit p
Golden whistler p
Rufous whistler
White throated treecreeper
Brown treecreeper
Eastern spinebill p
Spiny-cheeked honeyeater
Red wattlebird
Blue-faced honeyeater
Yellow-throated miner
Noisy miner
White-naped honeyeater
Brown-headed honeyeater p
Black chinned honeyeater ˜
Yellow-faced honeyeater
Singing honeyeater
White-plumed honeyeater
Fuscous honeyeater
Painted honeyeater ˜
Black honeyeater
Brown honeyeater
Striped honeyeater p
Olive-backed oriole p
Magpie-lark
Pied butcherbird
Grey butcherbird
Pied currawong
Australian magpie
Torresian crow
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MAMMALS
Little crow p
Little raven p
Australian raven
Small bush birds
White-browed scrubwren p
Speckled warbler ˜
Western gerygone
White-throated gerygone
Striated thornbill
Yellow thornbill
Weebill
Buff-rumped thornbill
Yellow-rumped thornbill
Chestnut-rumped thornbill p
Inland thornbill
Varied sittella ˜
Silvereye
Mistletoebird
Spotted pardalote
Striated pardalote
Birds of Prey
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Collared sparrowhawk
Brown goshawk p
Spotted harrier ˜
Black kite
Square-tailed kite ˜
Whistling kite
Little eagle ˜
Wedge-tailed eagle
Black-shouldered kite
Black falcon p
Brown falcon
Nankeen kestrel
Australian hobby
Peregrine falcon
Nocturnal birds
Barn owl
Southern boobook
Barking owl ˜
Spotted nightjar p
Australian owlet-nightjar
Tawny frogmouth
Introduced
Feral pigeon
Spotted turtle-dovep
4
Terrestrial (land dwelling)
Yellow-footed antechinus p
Common dunnart p
Water-rat (streams)
Narrow-nosed planigale
Fat-tailed dunnart
Eastern grey kangaroo
Common wallaroo
Red-necked wallaby
Black-striped wallaby ˜
Swamp wallaby
Spotted-tailed quoll ˜
Short beaked echidna
Arboreal (tree dwelling)
Koala ˜
Feathertail glider p
Sugar glider p
Squirrel glider ˜
Common brushtail possum p
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Bats
Microbats
Gould’s wattled bat
Chocolate wattled bat
Little pied bat ˜
Lesser long-eared bat
Gould’s long-eared bat
Greater long-eared bat ˜
Inland broad-nosed bat
Little broad-nosed bat
Little forest bat
Hairy-nosed freetail bat ˜
Southern freetail bat
Inland freetail bat
White-striped freetail-bat
Yellow-bellied sheathtail-bat ˜
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Megabats
Little red flying fox
Grey headed flying fox ˜
Introduced
European cattle
Goat
Dingo
Domestic dog
Fox
Deer
Horse
Cat
Brown hare
Rabbit
House mouse
Black rat
Pig
PHOTO KEY:
1. Glossy black cockato – Phil Spark
2. Red tailed black cockatoo – Iestyn Taylor
3. Diamond firetail – Iestyn Taylor
KEY:
4. Bush stone curlew – Phil Spark
˜
Species, population or community listed as vulnerable or endangered under the EPBC and/or TSC Act
¢
Species listed as migratory under the EPBC Act
6. Common dunnart – Phil Spark
p
Species identified as present or returning to vegetation communities in good condition
7. Squirrel glider – Phil Spark
5. Yellow footed antechinus – Phil Spark
REPTILES
Dragons
Skinks
Jacky lashtail
Nobbi lashtail
Eastern two-line dragon p
Burn’s dragon
Eastern water dragon
Eastern bearded dragon
Long-tailed earless dragon p
Turtles
Eastern snake-necked turtle
Broad shelled snake-necked turtle p
(western streams and wetlands)
Murray short-necked turtle (major streams)
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Two-clawed worm-skink
Five-clawed worm-skink ˜
Shiny-palmed shinning skink
Cream-striped shinning skink
Unspotted yellow-sided ctenotus
Robust ctenotus
Cunningham’s spiny tailed skink p
Tree-crevice skink
Broad-banded sand-swimmer
South-eastern slider
Wood mulch-slider
Eastern robust slider
Tree-base litter-skink
Common dwarf skink
South-eastern morethia skink
Shingleback lizard
Common bluetongue
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Snakes
Eastern small-blotched python p
Murray-Darling carpet python p
Green tree snake p
Yellow-faced whip snake
De Vis’s banded snake
Red naped snake
Grey snake p
Pale-headed snake ˜
Mulga snake
Spotted black snake
Red-bellied black snake
Eastern brown snake
Eastern shovel nosed snake p
Variable black-naped snake
Curl snake
Eastern bandy-bandy p
Goannas
Sand monitor
Black-tailed monitor p
AMPHIBIANS
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Ephemeral dams, ponds & wetlands
Frogs & froglets
Short-footed frog p N
Water-holding frog
New Holland frog
Rough frog
Striped burrowing frog
Green tree frog
Eastern dwarf tree frog
Broad-palmed frog
Peron’s tree frog
Desert tree frog
Eastern sign-bearing froglet
Common eastern froglet
Sloane’s froglet ˜
Bullfrog
Long thumbed frog
Ornate burrowing frog
Salmon striped frog
Spotted marsh frog
Northern banjo frog p N E
Painted burrowing frog
Blind snakes
Prong-snouted blind snake
Robust blind snake
Blackish blind snake
Proximus blind snake
Brown-snouted blind snake p
Geckos
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Box-patterned gecko p
Tessellated gecko p
Eastern stone gecko
Eastern spiny-tailed gecko p
Dubious dtella
Varied dtella
Prickly gecko
Robust velvet gecko
Thick-tailed gecko p
Legless lizards
Patternless delma
Excitable delma p
Burton’s snake-lizard
Lace monitor
KEY:
Toads & toadlets
Holy cross toad p
Wrinkled toadlet
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PHOTO KEY:
˜
Species, population or community listed as vulnerable or endangered under the EPBC and/or TSC Act
¢
Species listed as migratory under the EPBC Act
p
Species identified as present or returning to vegetation communities in good condition
8
Burn’s dragon – Phil Spark
9
Green tree snake – Alex Dudley
10
Eastern bandy bandy – Phil Spark
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Northern banjo frog – Alex Dudley
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Holy cross toad – Alex Dudley
Threats and Management
Photographer: Greg Steenbeeke
Threats
Management
Brigalow communities are threatened with extinction or continued
decline from both historical and current sources. The area of
Brigalow has declined by more than 90% since European settlement,
primarily due to clearing for cropping.
The main priority is to maintain or increase the extent and condition
of the community. This can be achieved by the following actions.
Clearing – illegal and legal clearing for fence lines and routine
agricultural activities is a significant threat in NSW. It increases the
fragmentation of Brigalow and the impact of other threats such as
fire, grazing and weeds.
Fire – fire can kill above-ground parts, leaving roots to sucker, with
subsequent loss of habitat and delays in flowering and setting seed.
Weeds – invasive pasture grasses such as buffel grass (Cenchrus
ciliaris), green panic (Panicum maximus var megathyrsus) and
Rhode’s grass (Chloris gayana) pose a significant threat to Brigalow
by displacing understorey species, preventing regeneration of trees
and shrubs, and increasing the frequency and intensity of fire.
Mother-of-millions (Kalanchoe tubiflora) and other succulent weeds
can also invade stands and compete with native plants.
Animal damage – domestic, feral and native animals threaten
Brigalow by grazing and trampling plants. Grazing eliminates many
plant species and allows weeds to colonise more easily. Trampling
and animal movement reduces the amount of leaf litter which is
essential habitat for reptile and invertebrate species.
Infrequent seed production – natural regeneration of Brigalow
trees is rare. Rare seed set events need to be followed by high
summer rainfall.
Climate change – is likely to affect distribution and composition of
Brigalow communities and increase the impact of other threats,
particularly fire and weeds.
• It is recommended that you do not clear Brigalow stands,
even under permissible exemptions from the Native Vegetation
Conservation Act.
• Provide long-term protection for Brigalow through Management
Agreements with Local Land Services or Conservation Agreements
with the Office of Environment and Heritage or the Nature
Conservation Trust.
• Establish a weed-free buffer around existing stands to encourage
regeneration of native species from the Brigalow community.
• Control weeds within and near existing stands before they spread.
Repeated treatments may be needed.
• Re-establish Brigalow communities through revegetation on
sites where it previously occurred. Revegetation should aim to
reconnect fragmented stands of Brigalow or to expand the size
of existing stands to more than 1 hectare. Seed can be collected
when available and ripe (from November through to December),
but must be used within 18 months.
• Fence existing stands and exclude domestic livestock. Occasional
light grazing may be used if natives are not flowering or seeding.
• Identify and control feral animals, particularly pigs.
• Note the extent of grazing by native animals and obtain permits
for control if necessary.
• Develop and implement a fire reduction plan.
• If establishing exotic pastures, maintain a wide (500 metre) buffer
of native pasture around Brigalow stands.
• Retain all fallen timber and leaf litter within Brigalow stands as
these are important habitat for some wildlife.
• Retain mistletoe as these provide food sources for birds
and mammals.
ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION:
HOW HEALTHY WOODLANDS WORK FOR YOU
Healthy Brigalow provides a wide range of benefits that are called ‘ecosystem services’.
These include:
• financial benefits
• capture of solar energy
• soil formation and cycling
• nutrient cycling
• water capture, filtration and delivery to water bodies
•pollination
• pest management (such as reducing pest pressure on crops)
• regional climate buffering
• shade and shelter (such as for livestock)
• breakdown and absorption of wastes
• a sense of place
•scenery
FURTHER INFORMATION
Look for “Brigalow” on the EPBC Species Profiles and Threats database (SPRAT) at
www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/index.html
The listing for this community under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act can
be found at
www.environment.nsw.gov.au/determinations/BrigalowEndComListing.htm
Contact the Local Land Services on the contact details below.
Photographer: Greg Steenbeeke
www.lls.nsw.gov.au
1300 795 299
8:30 am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday
Photographer: Greg Steenbeeke