River systems management

• The Swan Canning River system continued to face a range of water quality and ecosystem health challenges in 2021–22. River management initiatives were delivered to protect and enhance the health of the river system, improve understanding of the rivers’ function and optimise land use planning in the Riverpark.

Healthy catchments

• The Swan Alcoa Landcare Program (SALP) provided $281,248 across 22 community groups, to implement 53 catchment restoration projects throughout the Swan Canning catchment. SALP is a grants program administered by Perth Natural Resource Management (NRM) and jointly funded by the department, Alcoa of Australia and the Burswood Park Board.
• Funding of $630,000 was shared among sub-regional NRM groups to coordinate a range of community catchment restoration projects to improve the quality of water entering the river system.
• The department’s Community Rivercare Grants Program provided $350,000 across 17 community groups, to deliver 20 projects that address water quality improvement, foreshore restoration and habitat creation in the Swan Canning catchment. Four key NRM groups received another $125,000 each towards identifying iconic projects within their sub-regions, which will be implemented over the next four years. An additional $150,000 supported the engagement of two community rivercare officers at the Ellen Brockman Integrated Catchment Group and the South East Regional Centre for Urban Landcare.
• Work continued on revegetation and weed control at sites in Lockridge and Mundaring in partnership with Water Corporation’s Drainage for Liveability program.
• Development of the Canning Waterways Restoration Plan commenced, with a working group of representatives from NRM groups and State and local government agencies formed. The plan builds on the 2002 Caring for the Canning plan and recognises the significant management responses achieved since 2002. It will set a long-term vision for the health of the Canning, Southern and Wungong rivers and prioritise issues, strategies and management actions for a five-year period.

Improving river health

• Four oxygenation plants continued to operate and provide oxygen relief to the upper Swan estuary and Canning River above Kent Street Weir. The department assumed responsibility for the oxygenation program in July 2020 and significant repairs and upgrades were made to the two oxygenation plants on the Swan River, to reduce system stress, improve oxygen delivery and reduce power costs.
• The department provided support to the Water Sensitive Cities Transition network, WaterWise Perth Action Plan project working group and sub-regional NRM groups, and technical advice on 32 stormwater management projects.
• Ongoing management and maintenance was conducted on Kent Street Weir and its associated fishway.
• Hydrological and nutrient modelling of the Swan Canning catchment-estuary system continued into 2021–22, with the results to be used to improve and expand on modelling originally undertaken in 2008. This will help inform future revisions to river management strategies and actions.
• Stage two of the performance assessment of the Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary constructed wetland in Bayswater commenced in partnership with The University of Western Australia (UWA), City of Bayswater and Water Corporation. The project aims to optimise the operation and maintenance of the wetland system and provide guidance to asset managers on the design and operation of gross pollutant traps and constructed wetlands in areas influenced by tide. Through this project, approximately 40 cubic metres of sediment that was high in nutrients and metals was intercepted and removed from the wetland’s sediment trap.
• Monitoring and evaluation of the performance of the Nurdi Park living stream and biofilter system commenced in partnership with the City of Canning, Water Corporation and Perth NRM.
• The findings of the Ashfield Flats Hydrological Study were made available on the department’s website.

Riverbank

• More than $1.5 million, including $500,000 provided via the WA Recovery Plan, was distributed to 16 foreshore land managers for 23 foreshore restoration projects throughout the Riverpark. These included foreshore planning, erosion control, revegetation, weed control, river wall construction, enhancing foreshore and river access, widening vegetation corridors and creating native animal habitat.
• Construction of Djirda Miya, the Black Swan Habitat at Sir James Mitchell Park, was completed in partnership with the City of South Perth in August 2021. Djirda Miya (place of the birds) creates and connects waterbird habitat, restores damaged river walls and provides protection against future erosion.
• The Swan Canning Riverpark Urban Forest program commenced, $360,973 was provided to five strategic native tree planting projects across four riverfront foreshore land managers.
• The department continued to invest $250,000 over four years (2019–23) in The Nature Conservancy’s Swan-Canning shellfish reef restoration project. This includes the provision of specialist advice into a technical advisory group.

Investigations into Riverpark values, threats and mitigation

• The Sediment Taskforce, a multi-agency and peak industry group coordinated by Perth NRM, continued to guide activities to reduce building industry sediment entering Perth’s rivers.
• A foreshore condition assessment of the Southern and Wungong rivers, from Wungong Dam to the confluence with the Canning River, was completed. The assessment included drainage channels from Forrestdale Lake to the Wungong River, with the data informing the Canning Waterways Restoration Plan.
• Information on other science projects supporting the understanding of and mitigation of threats to the Swan and Canning rivers can be found under Service 6: Conserving habitats, species and ecological communities in this report.

Boating Management Strategy

• The department continued to deliver the Swan Canning Riverpark Boating Management Strategy and worked with the Department of Transport (DoT) on marine safety matters in the Riverpark. In 2022 the department formally transferred the management of Riverpark mooring assets to DoT.

Land Management Strategy

• The Land Management Strategy for the Southern River in Huntingdale was completed. This initiative helped identify and resolve unlawful structures and activity along the foreshores of the Canning and Southern rivers.

Events, complaints, incidents and compliance activities

• The department responded to 287 complaints and incidents reported within the Riverpark, a decrease on the 298 complaints and incidents reported in the 2020–21 financial year. Reports received included unauthorised development, rubbish dumping, foreshore damage, oil spills and other general observations.
• Three-hundred and eighty-six compliance actions were taken for a variety of offences and a number of successful compliance initiatives were implemented throughout the year. The department continued to work closely with partner agencies to deliver joint compliance outcomes including the annual commercial tour operator information session, Perth Skyworks and cross-authorisation of Riverpark officers.
• Eighty-eight proactive compliance boat patrols were completed, resulting in 626 vessel contacts and a variety of compliance related notices being issued. The majority related to DoT marine safety offences such as exceeding speed limits, lack of safety equipment and skippers not holding approved Recreational Skippers Tickets. Two foreshore vegetation protection signs were installed in the Riverpark to help reduce vegetation damage and educate the public about the value of shoreline vegetation.

Maintaining the Riverpark’s amenity

• The department’s annual program of removing rubbish and dumped materials, reshaping eroded beaches, conducting foreshore protection works and responding to incidents such as fish kills, algal blooms, injured wildlife, hydrocarbon and sewage spills and other pollution events continued.
• No fish kills or algal blooms occurred during 2021–22. More information on the department’s ongoing response to the Alexandrium algal issue can be found under Service 6: Conserving habitats, species and ecological communities and Service 7: Research and conservation partnerships.
• Replacement works for the jetty at Sandy Beach Reserve within the Town of Bassendean were completed in July 2021.
• In collaboration with the Fairy Tern Network and the City of Melville, work was undertaken to improve conditions for successful breeding of the threatened fairy tern (Sternula nereis nereis) at Point Walter Spit. This included temporary fencing, signage, community education initiatives including targeted social media and improving the surrounding vegetation.

River Journeys project

• Work continued to plan, develop and liaise with river foreshore land managers to further implement interpretation nodes as part of the River Journeys project. Planning is underway for nodes at Redcliffe Bridge in Ascot, Banks Reserve in Vincent and along the Burswood foreshore.

Visitor satisfaction

• A face-to-face visitor satisfaction survey, consisting of 250 interviews at 25 foreshores, parks and reserves around the Riverpark was undertaken. Average satisfaction levels were 82.2 per cent, just below the target level of 85 per cent.

New leases

• A new River reserve lease agreement was implemented for the Scotch College boatshed in Freshwater Bay, Peppermint Grove.

Statutory assessments

• The department issued 128 approvals for works or activities in the Swan Canning Development Control Area and provided advice on 154 development and subdivision applications that were in, next to, or affecting the Swan Canning Development Control Area. Eight development applications were assessed, and recommendations made to the Minister for Environment under Part 5 of the SCRM Act.
• Twenty-five tourism operator licences and 18 aquatic activity licences were granted on the Swan and Canning rivers, increasing the variety and number of commercial operations within the Riverpark. A further 28 operators were approved to use the foreshore, primarily for events, pop-up installations and food and beverage outlets.
• The department continued to work with Tourism WA to provide advice on key commercial development projects and activities. On behalf of the Swan River Trust, the department assessed and provided advice to the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) on the Tawarri Hot Springs proposal in Dalkeith.
• Support to local and State Government agencies in State Administrative Tribunal matters regarding the Swan Canning River system continued to be provided by the department.

New Riverpark bridge crossings

• Main Roads WA continued construction of five bridge crossings on the Swan and Helena rivers, within the Swan Canning Development Control Area. The duplicated Redcliffe Bridge now spans from Belmont to Bayswater and the department is engaging with the Tonkin Gap Alliance during the remainder of construction to continue to mitigate potential environmental hazards. Advice is also being provided during design development for the post-construction reactivation of the site. Following assessment by the department, the Swan River Trust provided planning and environmental advice to WAPC for the Lloyd Street Bridge project. Development approval was granted in late 2021.

Strategic activities

• As part of the Small Business Development Corporation’s Small Business Friendly Approval Program, the Swan Canning Riverpark was selected for a tourism approval pilot project. Ways to improve the customer experience when applying for approval to operate a tourism business in the Swan Canning Riverpark are being explored.
• A new draft locality planning corporate policy and nine locality plans for the Swan Canning River system were released for public comment. The documents will provide specific locality-based guidance for development proposals. The previously endorsed Perth Water Buneenboro Locality Plan and associated Action Plan are being implemented.
• Amendments are being prepared to the SCRM Act and Swan and Canning Rivers Management Regulations 2007 to streamline the Development Control Area boundary amendment process and clarify the granting of licences and permits to avoid duplication.

Water Sensitive Cities program

• The department contributed to a number of joint State and local government urban development industry and university research initiatives to improve water sensitive urban design and protect the Swan Canning River system and other valuable Western Australian biodiversity and attractions.
• Support continued for the New Water Ways water sensitive urban design capacity building program. Support also continued for the implementation of a water sensitive Perth and Peel through membership of the Water Sensitive Transition Network and delivering actions from the Network’s new Vision and Transition Strategy for a Water Sensitive Greater Perth – Implementation Plan (2022–24).
• The department became a joint partner with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) in the new national Water Sensitive Cities Australia research-to-practice mainstreaming program. This included establishing national and Western Australian projects. The department also became a partner in the next stage of the Waterwise Perth and Peel plan, which is being led by the Minister for Water and DWER.
• The UWA and Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub project – Noongar Water Knowledge in the Djarlgarro Beeliar catchment: Implications for land-use and water planning – continued to receive support from the department in the form of funding and employees’ time.
• The department provided input to the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage on the draft State Planning Policy 2.9 – Planning for Water and associated guidelines and datasets. The department also contributed to the update of the public open space module of the Local Government Guidelines for Subdivisional Development.

Swan Canning River Protection Strategy

The department continued to work with members of the Swan Canning River Protection Strategy (SCRPS) Advisory Group on the implementation of key SCRPS river management actions and reporting to the Swan River Trust.

• The draft SCRPS five-year review was completed in May 2022.

Stakeholder education

The department provided regular stakeholder updates on incidents and continued to contribute to the interagency public education campaign on the Alexandrium algal bloom issue which was ongoing in 2021–22.

Community engagement

The department supported community events including Recfishwest fishing clinics in the Riverpark, Perth Skyworks, a variety of river clean up events, Dolphin Watch Trophy Day and Reel It In Trophy Day yacht races and the Avon Descent, and undertook a variety of community engagement projects to support behaviour change and citizen science initiatives for the Swan and Canning rivers.

Plastic Free Riverpark program

• The program commenced with the employment of a program coordinator and the development of two grant streams to help reduce single use plastic in and around the Swan and Canning rivers.
• The program engaged over 60 businesses and over $20,000 in small grants were awarded to 36 riverfront businesses to participate in behaviour change initiatives including reusable cup library schemes, water refill machines, eco-friendly solution products and customer education.
• The program engaged specialist waste advisor, the Boomerang Alliance, to ensure riverfront businesses were aware of the WA Plan for Plastics and to identify where zero waste practices could be adopted. A total of 28 businesses completed an induction with the Boomerang Alliance.
• Four riverfront local government authorities – the cities of Canning, Melville and Perth, and the Town of East Fremantle – shared $40,000 in program funding to help eliminate single use plastic waste from major community foreshore events that attract over 5000 people. Ten thousand dollars was provided for research by Curtin University and the department’s Rivers and Estuaries Science program to identify priority Riverpark drains where single use plastics and microplastics enter the rivers.

River Guardians program

• The program now has 2817 subscribers and continued to provide RiverWise training, volunteering opportunities and presentations from scientists and behaviour change experts addressing key issues impacting the Swan and Canning rivers.
• River Guardians partnered with Native Animal Rescue, WA Seabird Rescue and Recfishwest to help reduce wildlife entanglements from fishing line.
• Two RiverWise gardening workshops were delivered in Spring 2021. Eighty eight of the 174 participants responded to an online questionnaire which found 70 per cent correctly identified the key take-home messages of using less fertiliser, minimising nutrient run-off and being more waterwise. Two additional RiverWise gardening workshops were held online in Autumn 2022 attracting 126 participants.

Dolphin Watch

• There are now 1583 trained Dolphin Watch volunteers who contributed over 31,000 reports on the Riverpark. The new user-friendly Marine Fauna Sightings app was upgraded to help improve data collected by Dolphin Watch volunteers.

Reel It In

• The Reel It In fishing line bin project now has 71 dedicated fishing line bins at popular jetties, fishing platforms, traffic bridges and foreshores throughout the Riverpark. Project participation included 15 riverfront councils plus Fremantle Ports, Hillary’s Marina, the cities of Joondalup, Wanneroo, Stirling, Rockingham, Bunbury, Mandurah and Albany, the shires of Manjimup, Busselton, Northampton, Shark Bay and Esperance and Rottnest Island. During the year the bins collected over 28km of fishing line, 4450 hooks and sinkers, 2200 bait bags and over 12,000 pieces of general rubbish.
• There are now 93 volunteers who have adopted fishing line bin sites throughout the Riverpark.

Plan for Our Parks

• To date, 467,342 hectares of reserves have been created under Plan for Our Parks (PfOP).
• In November 2021 Wellington National Park was expanded by 7,378 hectares.
• In December 2021, Thundelarra Conservation Park (100,107 hectares) was created in the Midwest Region within Badimia country.
• In April 2022, Warlibirri National Park (15,894 hectares) was created. It covers areas of the Margaret River east of Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley and is jointly managed by the department and Gooniyandi Aboriginal Corporation.
• In partnership with traditional owners and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), the department began extensive public consultation processes for a proposed marine park on the south coast, and the review and expansion of Marmion Marine Park on the Perth coast.
• The department continues to work towards the State Government’s goal of creating five-million-hectares of new national and marine parks and conservation reserves.

Creation of other national parks

• In January 2022, Dryandra Woodland National Park (17,870 hectares) was created, the first national park for the Wheatbelt Region and containing important conservation habitat for the State animal emblem, the numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus).
• In March 2022, a national park at Mungada Ridge (1,031 hectares) was created and is jointly vested with the Bundi Yamatji Aboriginal Corporation and the Conservation and Parks Commission. The creation of this park fulfils a commitment under the Yamatji Nation Indigenous Land Use Agreement.

Tourism and accommodation

• The department continued to support the tourism industry through the impact of COVID-19 by completing implementation of the State Government’s licence fee waivers and rent relief initiatives.
• New tourism proposals continued to be assessed and progressed in parks around Western Australia. These included the grant of a lease for a new ropes course at Gloucester Tree near Pemberton and a competitive process to identify a new tourism opportunity in Wellington National Park associated with the Collie Adventure Trails initiative.
• The department continued liaison with proponents on concepts received under the Market-Led Proposals Policy, for a ropes course at Gnangara Park, nature-based tourism accommodation in Porongurup National Park and self-contained eco-accommodation at two yet to be confirmed sites.
• Additional improvements were made to licensing processes for commercial events and filming.
• A program of cultural talks – Discover the Dreaming – began in partnership with Aboriginal tour operators and will be expanded in parks around the State.

Recreation and trails

• Work was carried out on a number of trail projects funded through the WA Recovery Plan, 2021 election commitments and the department’s capital works program, including:
  • Collie Adventure Trails
  • Dwellingup Adventure Trails and Dwellingup Gap Trails
  • Great Southern Adventure Trails
  • John Forrest National Park walk and cycle trails
  • Goat Farm and Kalamunda Circuit mountain bike trails
  • Wooditjup mountain bike trails near Margaret River
  • Nannup mountain bike trails
  • Bibbulmun Track and Munda Biddi Trail facilities, campsites and trail sections.

The department continued implementing the:

• Eight and a half-million dollar, three-year Dwellingup Adventure Trails initiative jointly funded with the Shire of Murray through the Australian Government’s Building Better Regions fund and the $2.7 million State Government election commitment, Dwellingup Gap Trails. Works completed in 2021–22 included:
  • sealing the main tourist road through Lane Poole Reserve
  • constructing the 21km Dwellingup Town Trails network
  • upgrading the Marrinup and Turners Hill mountain bike networks.
• Ten-million dollar, four-year Collie Adventure Trails and $3.1 million Collie Tourism Readiness and Economic Stimulation initiatives in partnership with the Shire of Collie. Works carried out in 2021–22 included:
  • constructing the five-day, four-night Wiilman Bilya Walk Trail around Wellington Dam, including the new Kaniyang Wiilman suspension bridge over the Collie River
  • expanding and upgrading Wellington Dam carpark
  • building 15km of mountain bike trails at Wellington National Park
  • upgrading 14km of mountain bike trails at Mount Lennard
  • constructing the 10km Westralia loop trail in Westralia Conservation Park near Collie
  • completing the Wagyl Biddi Drop Zone and Skills Park
  • developing digital and on-site wayfinding and interpretation material.
• Fifteen-million dollar Great Southern Adventure Trails initiative. Works completed in 2021–22 included:
  • upgrading Castle Rock Walk Trail, Porongurup National Park
  • constructing a new dual-use trail in William Bay National Park
  • extending and upgrading the trail in Harewood Forest, near Denmark
  • starting an upgrade of Bald Hill Walk Trail, in Torndirrup National Park.
• The department also continued to work with key recreation bodies to develop and implement strategic planning initiatives.

Improving facilities

• As part of the WA Recovery Plan, $9.81 million was invested upgrading existing visitor access and facilities. Works completed in 2021–22 included:
  • upgrading Fitzroy Crossing and Dwellingup work centres
  • upgrading the homestead precinct at Thundelarra Conservation Park
  • improving and adding visitor facilities at Shell Beach, Shark Bay World Heritage Area
  • adding new visitor facilities at Dales Campground, Karijini National Park
  • upgrading access roads at Dunn Rocks, Cape Le Grand National Park, and along the Nyinggulu (Ningaloo) Coast
  • upgrading and expanding carparking, and adding new visitor facilities, at Redgate Beach and Rabbit Hill, Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park
  • upgrading river access stairs at Honeymoon Pool, Wellington National Park
  • adding a winter enclosure on Penguin Island, Shoalwater Islands Marine Park
  • upgrading restrooms at Gloucester Lodge, Yanchep National Park
  • replacing boardwalks at Lake Goegrup Nature Reserve and Herdsman Lake Regional Park.
• As part of 2021 election commitments, $4.63 million was invested upgrading existing visitor access and facilities. In 2021–22, significant progress was made on:
  • a boat gangway and floating jetty at Danggu (Geikie Gorge) National Park
  • designing a new Park Hub and associated infrastructure at John Forrest National Park
  • new accessible paths at the Goat Farm, Greenmount National Park and Lake Kepwari, near Collie.
• Using department capital funds, the department upgraded or replaced visitor facilities in various parks and reserves including:
  • dual-use paths at Kalgoorlie Arboretum
  • visitor facilities at Dick Perry and Wilbinga reserves
  • a suspension bridge over the Murray River
  • a second carpark at Castle Rock, Porongurup National Park
  • new jetties at East Wallabi and Beacon islands, Houtman Abrolhos Islands National Park
  • Collie Scenic Drive, as part of the Collie-Preston roads upgrades project.

• Works using department capital funds also commenced on:
  • strut replacements at the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk
  • a new visitor centre in Purnululu National Park
  • improving visitor facilities and access at Nyinggulu (Ningaloo) Coastal Reserves
  • a new campground and recreation area at the northern shore of Lake Kepwari.
• The department continued managing its 34,500km road network, with works in 2021–22 including:
  • sealing the main tourist road in Lane Poole Reserve
  • replacing 11 old timber bridges with pre-cast concrete modular bridges.

Management planning

• Two Conservation and Land Management Act 1984 (CALM Act) management plans were released for implementation:
  • Kalgulup Regional Park management plan 2021
  • Wheatbelt Region parks and reserves management plan 2021.
• Two proposed amendments to CALM Act management plans were released for public comment:
  • Walpole Wilderness and Adjacent Parks and Reserves management plan 2008
  • Murujuga National Park management plan 2013.

Aboriginal Ranger Program

• The department continued to strengthen 24 Aboriginal ranger organisations, investing the remaining $6 million of the $20 million Aboriginal Ranger Program election commitment made in 2017.
• A delivery framework was developed for the $50 million expansion of the program, which was a 2021 election commitment. Funding will be delivered through three streams over four years, targeted at ranger groups in varying stages of development and operation. The streams will support:
  • new and emerging groups through the $14 million Development Fund
  • established groups under the $22.8 million Expansion Fund
  • innovative projects and pilots with a partnership focus through the $7 million Innovation Fund.
• Four-million dollars from the expanded program was allocated to boost program coordination and capacity building at the regional level, and another $2.2 million is being directly invested into rangers under joint management projects for the Badimia conservation reserves and Thundelarra Conservation Park.
• An expert advisory group was established to co-design the $50 million expansion and provide ongoing guidance during its implementation.
• The department launched the first funding round under the Expansion Fund (Round 4), which resulted in $22.8 million being allocated across 14 ranger programs statewide. This funding will support 57 full-time equivalent positions for up to four years.
• The Minister for Environment approved one-off funding under the Innovation Fund for the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council to deliver the Metropolitan Noongar Ranger Program pilot project over 18 months. This is the first project funded in the metropolitan area under the Aboriginal Ranger Program.
• The department completed its three-year evaluation of social outcomes from the program. Findings highlighted the significant positive impact the program has had on individuals and Aboriginal communities, especially women in remote communities.

Volunteer and community engagement

• At 30 June 2022, there were 12,402 volunteers registered with the Parks and Wildlife Service. Of these, 6241 contributed 871,784 hours to 217 volunteer projects across the State including campground hosting, collecting seeds, clearing weeds, wildlife rehabilitation, animal surveys, terrestrial and marine plant surveys and track, trail and park maintenance.
• In 2021–22 the department registered 1626 new volunteers and created 10 new volunteer projects, including Know Your Patch, Friends of Hawkesvale Nature Reserve, Turquoise Coast Flora Surveys and a Marine Debris Program. The department also continues to work closely with numerous ‘Friends of’ and four-wheel-drive groups, major wildlife rehabilitation centres and other community-based organisations.
• The Campground Host Program had 299 volunteers at 62 sites, helping visitors and conducting maintenance.
• Volunteer recognition funding provided more than 1100 volunteers with uniforms, 292 volunteers with specialist training including first aid, wildlife awareness and weed identification. Six-hundred and fifty volunteers across 27 groups in all regions received funding to update worn tools or purchase equipment to make their tasks more efficient, while more than 250 volunteers benefitted from funding for recognition events.
• The Wildcare Helpline’s 22 volunteers contributed 6500 hours answering approximately 10,000 calls related to sick or injured native wildlife, while approximately 1627 wildlife rehabilitation volunteers provided 398,000 hours of care for native wildlife.
• The State Government began the new $2 million Accessible Parks WA initiative in partnership with Nature Play WA and Break the Boundary. In April 2022, Nature Play WA launched the Every Kid in a Park project, which aims to connect children with disabilities to the Western Australian conservation estate. Break the Boundary is working to investigate options to develop two regional hubs for people with disability to access trail networks.
• Redeveloped and launched the Explore Parks WA website and the Park Stay WA campground booking system.

World and National Heritage management

• The department continued to work in partnership with the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation to prepare a World Heritage nomination for the Murujuga Cultural Landscape. The nomination remained on track for submission to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre before the 1 February 2023 deadline.

Biodiversity conservation legislation, policy and strategic programs

• The department continued to provide advice on species, ecosystems, wetlands and risks to the conservation of threatened species and ecological communities to inform regulatory processes for key State Government initiatives and major resource developments of economic importance to Western Australia. These included bauxite mining expansion, lithium mining and processing, water for food, salt and potash, hydrogen and renewable energy, oil and gas developments, and major infrastructure including Metronet, the Morley to Ellenbrook Line, Mitchell Freeway and Tonkin Highway extensions, Bunbury Outer and Albany Ring roads, East Keralup Regional Development, the State Football Centre and Kemerton Industrial Estate.
• An additional 14 frontline approvals assessment officers and two reform officers were recruited to enable the department to meet the demand for timely assessments and approvals. This investment supports the department in the delivery of Streamline WA initiatives and ongoing approvals reform.
• The first iteration of Dandjoo, the State’s new biodiversity data sharing platform, was built ahead of its launch in the new financial year. It will deliver biodiversity data to the Commonwealth’s Biodiversity Data Repository and establish a new approach to biodiversity data management in Western Australia, making it easy for users from all sectors to share, discover, and use data.
• The department partnered with the Western Australian Museum to modernise the management of taxonomic information about Western Australian fauna, to enable a timely and automated exchange of information between the department and museum.

Threatened and important animals

• The numbers of threatened animals remained unchanged since the 2020–21 report, with 249 threatened animal species (57 critically endangered, 58 endangered and 134 vulnerable), 23 extinct animal species, 88 specially protected animal species (seven conservation-dependent, seven otherwise in need of special protection and 74 migratory) and 219 species on the department’s priority fauna list.
• There were 305 records of sightings, captures or evidence of threatened and priority animals added to the Threatened and Priority Fauna database.
• Following their successful translocation in 2021 to a remote location east of Albany, critically endangered western ground parrots (Pezoporus flaviventris) continued to be monitored and further translocations were undertaken in 2022.
• Monitoring of the effects of Eradicat® baiting on the specially protected red-tailed phascogale (Phascogale calura) populations continued in Tutanning Nature Reserve in the Wheatbelt using tree mounted remote cameras. Ongoing monitoring will help inform future feral cat management in phascogale habitat.
• Surveys and monitoring were undertaken for numerous threatened and priority animals, including heath mouse (Pseudomys shortridgei), chuditch (Dasyurus geoffroii), western ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis), snubfin dolphin (Orcaella heinsohni), purple-crowned fairy-wren (Malurus coronatus), northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus), golden bandicoot (Isoodon auratus), golden-backed tree-rat (Mesembriomys macrurus), brush-tailed rabbit-rat (Conilurus penicillatus) and greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis).

Threatened and important plants

• At 30 June 2022, there were 429 extant threatened plant species (160 critically endangered, 140 endangered and 129 vulnerable), 15 listed as extinct and 3411 taxa on priority flora list.
• A total of 858 populations, comprising 388 species of threatened and priority plants, were surveyed or monitored, and 71 new populations of threatened plants and 197 new populations of priority plants were located. Of the 2287 records added to the Threatened and Priority Flora database, 458 were for new populations.
• The WA Herbarium collection increased by 11,317 specimens, bringing the total number of specimens held to 833,034. A total of 625 names were added to the WA Plant Census.
• Names for 46 taxa were published in the WA Herbarium journal Nuytsia.
• The WA Herbarium is migrating to a new collections management system and 86,086 specimen records were edited as part of preparatory names curation and data cleaning.
• A total of 130 seed collections of conservation significant species were banked at the WA Seed Centre, which now holds seed collections of 386 threatened plant and 890 priority plant species. The department continued to provide technical advice and assistance for projects involving seed collection and use. Collections of nine critically endangered, three endangered, and one priority species were withdrawn from the seed bank and germinated for use in department translocation projects.
• Spatially explicit analysis of patterns of occurrence of threatened and data deficient flora across the Southwest Australian Floristic Region was undertaken, allowing for identification of flora conservation hotspots to support conservation planning.
• The latest iteration of the WA Herbarium’s web application Florabase was launched, providing new features, including greater access to specimen data, improved mapping, and an enhanced search capacity.
• The department contributed to the new edition of the Australian Soil and Land Survey field handbook by providing definitions of vegetation attributes consistent with remote sensing approaches.
• A seven-year investigation of temporal changes in critically endangered Ptilotus densities and the impacts of weed control on Ptilotus at Greater Brixton Street Wetlands provided information to guide management actions of this species.

Threatened ecological communities

• At 30 June 2022 there were 65 extant ecological communities listed as threatened through a non-statutory process (20 critically endangered, 17 endangered and 28 vulnerable), and four listed as collapsed. Another 390 ecological communities were on the priority list.
• Two meetings of the Threatened Ecological Community Scientific Committee were held and final comments were provided regarding assessing the threat rank for 65 extant and three collapsed ecological communities. International Union for Conservation of Nature listing criteria was used in preparation for consideration for listing under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC Act).
• New information was added to the Threatened and Priority Ecological Communities database for 548 occurrences of Threatened Ecological Communities (TECs) and Priority Ecological Communities (PECs) distributed across the State. Surveys were completed in 61 occurrences of TECs and PECs throughout the State.
• To help combat Phytophthora dieback, aerial spraying with phosphite was completed for two TECs and two PECs in the South Coast Region.
• Draft survey and identification methods were compiled for 65 TECs and released for public comment for three months on the department’s website.
• Surveys and reports were completed for 650 hectares of vegetation on private land for consideration for inclusion in the reserve system, dependent on conservation values and the presence of TECs.
• Department monitoring data and other information on 12 Western Australian TECs and three PECs featured in the Global Ecology and Biogeography publication about fire-related threats to ecosystems.
• Camera hydrological monitoring and geochemical data for the Mandora mound springs TEC helped identify groundwater sources sustaining the springs and assess their resilience to climatic changes and water availability.

Managing threats

• The department reviewed the Cane Toad Strategy for Western Australia 2014–19 and prepared the Cane Toad Strategy for Western Australia 2021–26. It will continue to focus on mitigating the impact of cane toads (Rhinella marina) on native wildlife, while continuing community engagement and quarantine strategies. Research continued into taste aversion therapy of northern quolls, goannas (Varanus species), freshwater crocodiles (Crocodyllus johnstoni) and other threatened and specially protected taxa.
• Phosphite was applied to 141 hectares of Montane Heath and Thicket TEC, Montane Mallee Thicket PEC, Kwongkan TEC, Banksia coccinea shrubland, Melaleuca striata and Leucopogon flavescens Heath PEC and occurrences of 15 threatened flora (including 11 critically endangered) species. Backpack application of phosphite for dieback control was undertaken on highly susceptible species such as Lambertia echinata subsp. occidentalis and Banksia nivea subsp. uliginosa within the critically endangered Shrublands on Southern Swan Coastal Plain Ironstones (Busselton area) TEC.
• The department continued to administer the system for registering dieback interpreters and monitoring standards of interpretation. In 2021–22 there were 24 registered interpreters (17 employed by the department and seven in the private sector).
• Desktop checks of 258 activities and nine field checks were undertaken to monitor dieback management of disturbance activities.
• An online version of the Green Card course in dieback and plant biosecurity awareness and basic management was completed by 522 students, with a further 22 students completing the face-to-face version of the course. The Dieback Management Planning course was delivered to 22 students in Walpole and Bunbury.
• Surveillance was undertaken for myrtle rust in the East Kimberley in collaboration with the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. Germplasm for species considered to be susceptible to myrtle rust was also collected.
• The department expanded investigations of tolerable fire intervals in sensitive plant species, finding that the juvenile period correlates with environmental productivity and that predicted climatic changes are likely to lead to longer juvenile periods. The models developed predict how minimum tolerable fire intervals may change across space and time.
• Research was conducted to develop and refine on-ground and remote sensing approaches to survey and mapping of fine-scale variation in fire severity. This improves reporting of fire impacts and prescribed burning outcomes.
• Operations to prioritise, review and manage priority environmental weeds continued throughout the State, including through collaborative efforts with traditional owner and community groups.
• The Mimosa pigra eradication program on the eastern shores of Lake Argyle continued, managed by the department’s Aboriginal Rangers for Reserve 31165 project.
• Wild dog management continues in collaboration with recognised biosecurity groups to ensure a coordinated landscape-wide approach to minimising the impact of wild dogs on agricultural and pastoral production.
• Trials of the Felixer grooming traps for controlling feral cats continued.
• Field trials were completed to assess the effectiveness of a grass-selective herbicide, fluproponate, to control African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) and assess any off-target native vegetation impacts.
• In cooperation with landholders, installation of strategic fencing, mustering and aerial culls of cattle, donkeys, camels, horses and pigs were undertaken to maintain and protect the cultural and natural values of parks and reserves throughout the Kimberley Region.
• The department improved its fire history knowledge in the Great Western Woodlands to inform fire management of long unburnt woodland environments with high biodiversity values.
• Ongoing management actions were undertaken including fencing, signage, feral and pest animal control, weed mapping and control, hydrological investigations, monitoring, revegetation, dieback control, rubbish removal and fire management to protect threatened and priority animal and plant populations and ecological communities across the State.

Western Shield

• The Western Shield wildlife recovery program continued to implement broadscale fox and feral cat control for native animal conservation across a network of sites. Approximately 3.75 million hectares of department-managed and adjoining lands across Western Australia were baited as part of the core program involving the use of approximately 592,000 fox baits and 656,000 Eradicat® feral cat baits. Regular monitoring of baited areas continued to track the recovery of native species.
• The number of volunteers who have used the Western Shield Camera Watch web page to help classify a significant number of remote camera images is now at over 10,000.
• A total of 24 sites were monitored for native fauna using Western Shield methods. In addition, Western Shield and associated programs monitored 22 sites for predators.

Wildlife sanctuaries and translocations

• Genomic analyses on wild and translocated populations of threatened and specially protected species, including boodie (Bettongia lesueur), rufous hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes hirsutus), golden bandicoot, black-flanked rock wallaby (Petrogale lateralis lateralis), Gilbert’s potoroo (Potorous gilbertii), woylie (Bettongia penicillate ogilbyi), Shark Bay mouse (Pseudomys fieldi) and chuditch informed translocation planning and metapopulation management.
• The department worked with Perth Zoo on the wild release of five endangered numbats, 36 endangered dibblers (Parantechinus apicalis) and 73 critically endangered western swamp tortoises (Pseudemydura umbrina).
• A program to rear vulnerable orange-bellied frogs (Geocrinia vitellina) and critically endangered white-bellied frogs (Geocrinia alba) led to the release of 107 white-bellied and 40 orange-bellied frogs to supplement wild populations near Margaret River. Additionally, 68 populations and sub-populations of frogs were monitored and UWA utilised this dataset to define the species’ habitat requirements and model abundance to assist with the selection of future translocation sites. One new white-bellied frog translocation site was established and six new sub-populations discovered on a newly acquired property near Karridale.
• Trial translocations of western swamp tortoise to two locations near East Augusta were undertaken in anticipation that climate change will improve habitat to the south and cause existing northern sites to become drier and less suitable.
• Monitoring of critically endangered woylies and endangered numbats at Dryandra Woodland National Park continued to show positive trends in recovery following integrated fox and feral cat control.
• Perup Sanctuary continued to support robust populations of woylies and critically endangered western ringtail possums and show signs of breeding.
• Control of foxes and relocations of quenda (Isoodon fusciventer), both predators of western swamp tortoise, to urban and peri-urban sites continued in collaboration with local governments and Friends groups at Ellenbrook and Twin Swamps nature reserves.

Marine Science

• The department’s marine monitoring program collected data and reported on the condition of, and pressures on, key ecological values in Western Australia’s marine reserves. Surveys were conducted at Walpole and Nornalup Inlets, Ngari Capes, metropolitan Perth, Jurien Bay, Shark Bay, Ningaloo, Montebello and Barrow Islands, Eighty Mile Beach and the inshore Kimberley marine parks. Baited Remote Underwater Video data from the program contributed to a major national collaborative study that examined marine reserve fish assemblages in relation to management zoning.
• Along with biological surveys, research continued to address key management-related knowledge gaps regarding ecological processes and key pressures in marine reserves. Key achievements included a study describing coral assemblages in temperate marine parks and an exploration of novel techniques to monitor fish assemblages at Jurien Bay Marine Park. Research also continued at Ningaloo Marine Park to investigate the influence of environmental conditions on algal diversity and abundance and to quantify the value of this habitat to fishers.
• The presence of toxins and plastics in turtles was investigated and turtle growth rates were estimated.
• Studies of the influence of heat stress induced seagrass fragmentation on fish diversity and abundance is underway at Monkey Mia in the Shark Bay Marine Park.

Rivers and Estuaries Science

• The Swan Canning Estuarine Response Model was updated and used to support water quality improvement planning. The model was coupled to a catchment model to simulate water and nutrient generation in the Swan Canning estuary and to understand estuarine response to flows and nutrients. It was also used to compare historic data on prawns, dolphins, fish communities and the movement of acoustically tagged fish. This will assist in determining the drivers in the patterns observed in the biological datasets.
• The department continued to deliver weekly water quality monitoring at 41 sites throughout the estuary and fortnightly monitoring at 33 sites within the catchment.
• The annual monitoring of seagrass and fish communities was completed and the 2019–20 estuarine and 2019 catchment data reports were made available on the department’s website. Interactive online reporting is being developed to improve data analysis and reporting.
• River incident responses involved investigations of flooding and fish kills and weekly updates were provided to key stakeholders on the levels of the harmful algae Alexandrium between spring and autumn.
• Progress was made towards developing a locally relevant environmental DNA reference library of freshwater fish and crayfish species, and in partnership with UWA, a pilot project is being undertaken to develop DNA monitoring of the Canning River to detect the movement of both native and feral fish.
• Key Performance Indicators were determined for water quality, seagrass, fish communities and oxygenation over a five-year period in the Swan Canning River Protection Strategy.
• Juvenile bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) were tagged and acoustically tracked within the Swan Canning Riverpark. This will improve understanding of the residency time and movement of juvenile sharks, the habitats used within the estuary and responses to changes in environmental conditions.
• As part of the State Government’s 2021 election commitment of $2 million over four years, the department established the Swan Canning Riverpark Habitat Creation Project. This allows for new research and the construction of in-water artificial habitat, with the aim of enhancing biodiversity, attracting fish and improving water quality. It includes a funding commitment that is intended to support expansion of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Mussel Reef Restoration Project, to which the department provides specialist advice through a Technical Advisory Group.

Wetlands

• Toolibin Lake experienced a winter fill event for the first time in nearly 40 years. High resolution topographic data was acquired and a hydrological monitoring program was developed in collaboration with the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, to assist in refining management triggers and actions. Responses of wetland fauna to the filling event were monitored and the department continued delivery of the Toolibin Lake Catchment Recovery Plan, including the planting of 39,000 seedlings around the catchment.
• Research to understand how groundwater supports mound springs at Walyarta (Eighty Mile Beach Ramsar site) continued through the monitoring of surface water hydrology around selected springs. This will help to identify different spring sites and understand the longevity of spring flow. The approach is transferable to other springs and will help assess their resilience to changes in climate.
• Work continued with the CSIRO in trialling different geophysical methods to map and assess sediment and groundwater salinity in the Greater Brixton Street Wetlands. The results provide information on the geochemical condition of root-zone sediments that support rare flora and fauna and will help inform their management. 
• The department continued to operate the diversion weir at Lake Mealup that is part of the Ramsar-listed Peel-Yalgorup wetlands, to manage water levels for important waterbird habitat and reduce acidification of the lake bed.
• Research to understand the factors associated with the climate change driven acidification of peat wetlands in the Muir-Byenup System Ramsar site was completed. This was achieved with support from the National Landcare Program Phase Two via South West Catchments Council and investigated how changes in climate altered the geochemistry and water holding capacity of the peat within four wetlands. Results will be important for fire management around peat wetlands.

Forest science

• Analyses of the second round of sampling from FORESTCHECK sites were completed and proposed for publication. Trials of the benefit of environmental DNA and metabarcoding for monitoring fauna and soil biota in the jarrah forest continued.
• Examination of the vulnerability of forest ecosystems to climate change in terms of structure, composition regeneration and functioning continued using drought-affected and bushfire-affected forest study sites in the Yarloop fire scar.
• Monitoring and investigations into areas of forest vegetation density decline, using remote sensing trend maps and on-ground validation examining forest health, site and stand associations and climatic influences, continued in the north and east of the northern jarrah forest and extended to the Collie region.
• The department continued long-term monitoring of the western ringtail possum and other native species in the Greater Kingston area in the Upper Warren region, which supports the largest remaining inland population of the western ringtail possum.

Off-reserve conservation

• The department’s Land for Wildlife program, in partnership with NRM WA, registered 33 new properties, bringing the total area of registered sites managed privately for conservation to 1,048,742 hectares over 2002 properties.
• The Nature Conservation Covenant Program registered 16 new covenants (15 conditional and one voluntary) and is currently negotiating six voluntary and eight conditional covenants. Covenants have been established on 396 titles covering 30,457 hectares, including habitat for threatened species and ecological communities, a Ramsar-listed wetland and registered Aboriginal heritage sites.
• The Urban Nature program collaborated with regional Landcare groups, community groups, local governments and State Government agencies to facilitate best-practice management of urban bushland. This included field days, workshops, restoration trials, the publication of Bushland News to encourage community involvement in bushland conservation and maintenance of the ‘Find a conservation group’ app to assist people to volunteer.
• Support was provided to Karajarri Rangers to carry out camera surveys of rocky outcrops for black-flanked rock-wallaby and northern quoll within Walyarta Conservation Park and the adjoining Karajarri Indigenous Protected Area.
• The department and Nyangumarta Rangers completed a survey for black-flanked rock-wallabies in a population within the Nyangumarta Indigenous Protected Area that was first recorded in 2018. Genetic material was taken to assist with clarifying taxonomy for this population.

Sustainable use of natural resources

• The Management Plan for the Commercial Harvest of Kangaroos in Western Australia 2019–23 continued to be applied to ensure the sustainable commercial harvest of western grey and red kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus and Macropus rufus) in Western Australia. Quotas will continue to be set for each management region.
• The management of commercial flora harvesting continued to be regulated under the Management of Commercial Harvesting of Protected Flora in Western Australia 2018–23, which was also approved by the Australian Government.
• Improved management protocols are being developed for the ecologically sustainable use of wild growing sandalwood (Santalum spicatum).

Licensing and Ministerial authorisation

• Under the BC Act, the department issued 5893 licences to take, collect, keep and breed, deal in, trap, import or export native animals, and 775 licences to collect, supply, deal and process native plants, including sandalwood. A further 183 licences were issued to either scare, destroy, trap or relocate nuisance wildlife or dangerous wildlife and wildlife causing damage.
• Also under the BC Act, Ministerial authorisation is required for the take and disturbance of threatened species (plants and animals) and the modification of TECs. There were 176 (including seven amendments) fauna authorisations and 179 (including 22 amendments) flora authorisations granted.

Strategic partnerships

• The department completed several projects in partnership with the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Northern Australian Environment Resources Hub, Environs Kimberley and Indigenous Rangers, and also in collaboration with the NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub projects. As a partner in the newly established NESP Resilient Landscapes Hub, the department is helping to shape project development for this 10-year program.
• The Rangelands Restoration project continued at Matuwa (Lorna Glen former pastoral station). Reintroduced populations of bilby, brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), rufous hare-wallaby, golden bandicoot and boodie continued to be monitored. Martu Traditional Owners and the department continued to jointly manage this property on the Matuwa Kurrara Kurrara (MKK) Indigenous Protected Area for conservation and cultural purposes.
• Ongoing Rangeland Restoration activities, with support from the Tarlka Matuwa Piarku Aboriginal Corporation, the MKK Rangers and Desert Support Services, included introduced predator control, prescribed burning outside the enclosure and genetic assessments of translocated populations. This program is supported by offset funding from the Chevron-operated Gorgon project.
• The North West Shelf Flatback Turtle Conservation Program partnered successfully with local Aboriginal groups such as the Ngarluma Aboriginal Corporation and the Nyamba Buru Yawuru Limited to conserve flatback turtles (Natator depressus).
• Research associated with environmental offset programs from the Pluto and Wheatstone gas developments continued. Fieldwork associated with the final major sub-project of Pluto offset on primary productivity and energy transfer between marine ecosystems, is continuing.

Biological and environmental surveys

• Waterbird monitoring was undertaken at Ramsar sites in the department’s South West and South Coast regions. This included quarterly monitoring at the Muir-Byenup System Ramsar wetlands with funding from South West Catchments Council. The Lake Warden and Lake Gore Ramsar sites were surveyed in 2021 with funding from South Coast NRM and monthly monitoring in the Vasse-Wonnerup Ramsar wetlands continued as part of a cooperative arrangement with DWER in conjunction with the Vasse Taskforce.

• Surveys of woylie and the vulnerable quokka (Setonix brachyurus) in Wellington National Park were completed in partnership with the South West Catchments Council. A partnership with the Australian Microbiome Initiative, CSIRO, Flinders University, Reading University, Alcoa of Australia, South32, Iluka and Tronox is underway to survey soil microbiome through post-mining restoration chronosequences.
• The Pilbara identification botanist position at the WA Herbarium continued with funding from Rio Tinto.
• Water quality and ecological health reporting for the Swan Canning Riverpark was undertaken through partnerships with the Fremantle Port Authority, DWER, Murdoch University, UWA and the Chemistry Centre of Western Australia (ChemCentre).
• Baseline surveys of plastic contamination on beaches and in the waters of the Swan Canning Riverpark were completed and detailed sample analysis is underway. Broadscale and preliminary information collected as part of the project was used to support the WA Plan for Plastics and the Plastic Free Riverpark project. The project is a partnership with DWER, Curtin University, UWA and the ChemCentre.
• The department is a contributing partner in the LifePlan project funded by the European Research Council. It is surveying biodiversity at 200 sites globally using advanced monitoring tools (eDNA, metabarcoding, machine learning for audio and camera trap data) and after completing its first-year at Lowlands Nature Reserve, the project moved to Kings Park in 2022.
• Monitoring of fish and benthic communities was undertaken at Jurien Bay Marine Park in collaboration with UWA.
• An assessment of clonality, polyploidy, adaptation to stress and resilience to climate change in seagrass was undertaken with collaborators at UWA and with the support of an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery grant.

Threatened and important animals

• The North West Shelf Flatback Turtle Conservation Program’s annual flatback turtle nesting monitoring continued at beaches on Thevenard and Delambre islands. Research included satellite tracking the movements of adult females from nesting beaches, better understanding the impacts of artificial light on hatchling behaviour, fox predation on turtle hatchlings and eggs, and climate change on marine turtle incubation. In collaboration with traditional owners, data was collected using satellite tags, diary loggers and cameras temporarily attached to flatback turtles as they forage.
• Aerial surveys of Pilbara beaches found more than half showed signs of flatback turtle nesting and most (85 per cent) were on islands.
• Animal translocations to Dirk Hartog Island National Park included 36 dibblers from the breeding program at Perth Zoo and 50 Shark Bay mice from Bernier Island. Populations of vulnerable banded hare-wallabies (Lagostrophus fasciatus), rufous hare-wallabies and Shark Bay bandicoots (Perameles bougainville) continued to increase and expand their extent of occurrence and there was evidence of breeding on the island for Shark Bay mouse, the specially protected greater stick-nest rat (Leporillus conditor) and dibbler.
• The department continued to collaborate with DPIRD and Bush Heritage Australia to improve introduced predator control in fragmented ecosystems in the Fitz-Stirling Landscape, integrating feral cat control into management of conservation reserves and testing the efficacy of Felixer grooming traps for fox control.
• A collaboration with BirdLife WA on the endangered Australasian bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus) continued, with the first successful attempt to trap a bittern and fit a satellite GPS tag. This will assist with understanding usage of wetland habitats by this species.
• The department and the Australian Government, in partnership with BirdLife Australia and Friends of the Western Ground Parrot, undertook the first-year of a wild-to-wild translocation of critically endangered western ground parrots from Cape Arid National Park to Waychinicup/Manypeaks. Monitoring demonstrated some of the founders have persisted 12 months post-release. Intensive management and monitoring of both translocation and source population continues.
• Work began with Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) partners to deliver a project on endangered Australian sea lions (Neophoca cinerea) that will inform the Westport project.
• A collaborative genomics study involving the University of Sydney and Australian Wildlife Conservancy is underway to improve the conservation, recovery and management of the critically endangered woylie.
• A review of progress of the northern quoll research program in the Pilbara was completed with offset funds provided by Roy Hill. The program has significantly improved knowledge of effective survey and monitoring techniques for the species, habitat use at a range of spatial scales, the size, shape and configuration of suitable habitat, the dynamics and structure of the northern quoll population, as well as the threat posed by introduced predators.
• A faecal genotyping approach enabled effective monitoring of vulnerable ghost bats (Macroderma gigas) in the Pilbara, with funds provided by BHP. A similar genotyping approach is under development for the bilby with funding from Roy Hill. An industry funded (Atlas Iron, BHP and Rio Tinto) population genomic analysis of the vulnerable Pilbara leaf-nosed bat (Rhinonicteris aurantia) indicated high levels of gene flow between selected roosts in the Pilbara.

Threatened and important plants

• As part of the Australian Government’s Habitat Bushfire Recovery Program, the department undertook the final 50 post-bushfire surveys of 118 populations of 26 threatened and priority plant taxa in Stirling Range National Park. Fencing and irrigation infrastructure was also installed for seed production areas where approximately 1500 seedlings of 12 critically endangered, one endangered and one vulnerable species, were translocated.
• Partnerships with Rio Tinto and environmental consultancy GHD are underway to address genetic diversity, population structure and taxonomic status of key Pilbara plants.
• The department worked with WAMSI partners to deliver projects on seagrass and benthic habitats that will inform the Westport project. The extent of seagrass habitat is also being determined at Geographe Bay using field and satellite data in conjunction with DWER.
• The Global Innovation Linkage Project, a collaboration with BHP, Rio Tinto, UWA and Greening Australia, was completed with direct seeding machinery designed and tested across a number of mine sites in the Pilbara and south-west of Western Australia.
• Australian Biological Resource Study grants were obtained to mobilise Myrtaceae data for inclusion in the Flora of Australia online platform and examining the taxonomy of southern Australian turf algae.
• An ARC project commenced to investigate the development of advanced biotechnology techniques to conserve species susceptible to myrtle rust, a disease affecting more than 380 Australian taxa in the Myrtaceae family. Partners included Australian and New Zealand universities, government agencies and community groups.
• An ARC linkage project also commenced to unlock the genetic and biochemical potential of kangaroo paws. Research is in collaboration with Edith Cowan University, UWA, University of Queensland, Australian Genome Research Facility and Friends of Kings Park and will involve whole genome sequencing of multiple kangaroo paw species using a novel technique to assess genetic variation and compounds controlling flower colour.
• Long-term monitoring was completed to understand variation in seed production, viability and predation of critically endangered Mason’s Darwinia (Darwinia masonii) in translocated and natural populations with Mount Gibson Iron.
• In collaboration with the Australian Seedbank Partnership and World Wildlife Fund, critically endangered Bussell’s spider-orchid (Caladenia busselliana) seedlings were propagated from seed bank collections made in 1999 that represent plants no longer found in the wild. Collections were also made from wild plants to increase the genetic diversity of material currently represented in ex situ collections.
• A five-year research partnership commenced with the Max Planck Queensland Centre to study extracellular matrices in plants. It focuses on studies of the mechanisms of seed protection and release in the woody cones of Banksia and Hakea in relation to fire and climatic conditions.

Managing threats

• The Alcoa Foundation is providing three years of funding to the Western Shield program to enhance fox and feral cat management in the northern jarrah forest with the goal to protect and restore the biodiversity of the region.
• The department continued a collaboration with the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council and UWA to develop and implement research projects that will provide an understanding of the hydrological processes supporting the Lake Clifton Thrombolite Communities, and a foundation for a monitoring program.
• Felixir feral cat grooming traps were trialled through collaborative projects with Fortescue Metals Group and Roy Hill in the Pilbara and in the southern jarrah forest with the South West Catchments Council with funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
• The Return to 1616 ecological restoration project at Dirk Hartog Island National Park continued monitoring surveys of vegetation change, extant small vertebrates and weed management.
• The department, Perth NRM and Peel-Harvey Catchment Council continued their work with local friends and Landcare groups through Regional Land Partnerships grants to protect and recover threatened species and ecological communities at Greater Brixton Street Wetlands, Paganoni Swamp at Rockingham Lakes Regional Park, Talbot Road Nature Reserve, Bullsbrook Nature Reserve, Lake Wannamal/Mogumber Nature Reserve and Lowlands Nature Reserve.
• The department collaborated with the Peel Harvey Biosecurity Group, DPIRD, CSIRO, Murdoch University, UWA and community members on a Biocontrol Project to provide recommendations to the Biosecurity Council of WA. The project aims to foster a strategic approach to support the development and implementation of biocontrol agents into weed management programs.
• Work continued with the Northern Biosecurity Group and DPIRD on landscape scale feral pig control and research.
• The department worked with the CSIRO and Ngadju Conservation to map Great Western Woodland age class structure based on integration of on-ground, LiDAR and satellite data.
• Research continued on the fire ecology and management of urban and peri-urban reserves, including Banksia woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain, in partnership with Murdoch University, the cities of Canning and Cockburn and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES). An experimental burn conducted in Kings Park was the first implementation of short fire interval treatments in the project and will be followed up with further survey.
• A project commenced with Peel-Harvey Catchment Council, UWA and DWER to understand inter and intra-annual trends in the salinity of Lake Clifton and how local groundwater dynamics influence the activity of the thromobolite TEC in the Peel-Yalgorup Ramsar site.
• A joint project was undertaken with Murdoch University on the impact of site and drought vulnerability on the quantity of sapwood in jarrah and marri. The sapwood area was higher in marri and jarrah, which might partly explain the different responses to drought seen in these two species, specifically, why marri seems more resistant to drought than jarrah.
• Research collaborations between the department, Murdoch University and Edith Cowan University continued to enhance understanding of Banksia woodlands, including the response of soil biology to prescribed burns and weed control.
• A collaboration with Edith Cowan University and Murdoch University on the impacts of urban remnant size on fungi dispersed by quenda, found that fungal richness was greatest in scats from smaller remnants. This was due to higher mean relative abundance of saprotrophs, pathogens and yeasts. Maintaining digging mammal populations within urban landscapes may assist with dispersal of fungi that facilitate fungal-plant interactions and contribute to ecosystem health.
• A partnership with the University of New South Wales continued to understand the effect of seasonal burning on soil microbial communities in jarrah forest.
• The department continued its partnership with UWA, the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage and the South Australian Department for Environment and Water to investigate changes in bushfire season and the impacts of these changes on ecosystems in southern Australia.
• Participation in the Resilient Reefs initiative – a global partnership for resilience-based management of World Heritage listed coral reefs, continued. The department continued to engage with key stakeholders to develop resilience strategies for Ningaloo Reef in the face of a changing climate.
• A partnership with Murdoch University, DPIRD and the Department of Health is underway to investigate the harmful algae, Alexandrium species including characterising genetics, understanding toxins and their mobility and potential control options.
• Development of a field based environmental DNA detection tool for the invasive redclaw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) in the Pilbara and investigations into their impact on river pool communities began in collaboration with Stantec, Precision Biomonitoring, DPIRD, DWER, Curtin University, Rio Tinto and BHP.
• Wildlife corridor mapping to support landscape biodiversity conservation and enhance and maintain ecological processes was undertaken with the Shire of Mundaring. This information will be used to prioritise protection and management of native vegetation across tenures.
• A collaboration with the 10 Deserts Project – part of the Indigenous Desert Alliance, began to provide information on fire size in relation to the time of year fuel is burned.
• The Woylie Conservation Research Project was completed with the University of Canberra and Parks Australia that found it can be predicted when (but not if) a mammal population is likely to decline after having made a strong recovery after threat mitigation. For example, after introduced predator control.
• Seventeen gamba grass (Andropogon gayanus) plants were found and controlled as part of the Gamba Grass Eradication project at El Questro Station in Durack, which is an ongoing collaboration between the station owners, the department, DPIRD and Kimberley Rangelands and Biosecurity Association (KRBA). The project utilises contractor Raitech Territory Weed Management and receives funds and in-kind support through partner groups.
• The eradication of rubber vine (Cryptostegia madagascariensis) on the southern shores of Lake Argyle continued as part of an ongoing collaborative project between the department, DPIRD and KRBA. Funds and in-kind support were received through partner groups and State NRM grants.

Major plans

• Implementation of the Forest Management Plan 2014–23 (FMP) continued and the End of Term Performance Review of the FMP was compiled and submitted to the Conservation and Parks Commission. The report was published on 30 June 2022.
• Development of the Forest Management Plan 2024–33 commenced. Stakeholder engagement and public consultation was facilitated through meetings, focus groups and an online survey, and information was communicated through the department’s website and newsletters.
• The department completed the review of silvicultural guidelines through the engagement of an independent expert panel, as stipulated in the FMP.
• The third Annual Meeting of Officials was held for the extended WA Regional Forest Agreement in May 2022.
• The department continued to contribute to the ongoing international development of the Montreal Process criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management, including preliminary work towards Australia’s next State of the Forests report due in 2023.
• The department continued to provide technical advice and support to help deliver an interagency initiative for operational trials of ecological thinning in jarrah forests.
• Information on science projects supporting implementation of the FMP can be found in Service 6: Conserving habitats, species and ecological communities within this report.

Forest management

• Technical support for on-ground works and advice was provided to the Forest Products Commission (FPC) for implementation of annual harvest and coupe plans, fire management and forest regeneration activities.
• Projections of native forest timber resources available under the FMP were prepared for the forest products industry.
• Further enhancement of the Disturbance Approvals System (DAS) commenced to enable spatial datasets to auto-populate background and reference items describing the proposed disturbance. At 30 June 2022 the DAS contained 1265 proposals for disturbances ranging from timber harvesting to recreation site development. These include operations submitted by external parties including local government authorities, Telstra, Water Corporation, DWER, Main Roads WA and the FPC.

Forest planning and monitoring

• Revisions to indicative timber harvest plans were prepared for the south-west forest regions to reflect a cessation of harvesting in karri two-tiered forests.
• A total of 383 disturbance activities occurred, with 152 occurring within State forest and timber reserves. Thirty were evaluated and monitored for compliance with the environmental outcomes sought in the FMP. This included 21 soil disturbance and erosion surveys across 19 active native forest coupes (covering 258 hectares and 85km of log extraction track), and 15 tree marking assessments in 13 forest coupes covering 5957 hectares with 90 hectares assessed. Detection and mapping of dieback was undertaken on 29,380 hectares of land managed by the department to help plan and manage disturbance operations and the prioritisation of disease management treatments.
• All mapped old-growth forest on land managed by the department is protected from timber harvesting and associated disturbance. Changes to mapped old-growth forest includes 846 hectares of jarrah old-growth forest, 52 hectares of karri old-growth forest and 46 hectares of wandoo old-growth forest.
• The department analysed the potential locations of 14 new fauna habitat zones and finalised four, which comprise a gross area of 759 hectares. The total number of fauna habitat zones has increased to 153, comprising a gross area of 38,609 hectares (excluding four fauna habitat zones that were subsumed during the year into the expanded Wellington National Park).
• High-resolution, digital aerial imagery was gathered across 202,000 hectares of forest and plantations to monitor and measure areas for timber harvesting, silvicultural outcomes, bushfire recovery and prescribed fire outcomes.
• Programs of strategic-level timber inventory within regrowth karri, regrowth jarrah and areas rehabilitated following mining for bauxite, were undertaken to inform development of the next FMP. A total of 350 plots of varying design were either established or remeasured.
• Extensive redevelopment of stand-level growth simulators for jarrah and karri was progressed to inform the development of the next FMP.