Cabbage Tree Island

John Gould Nature Reserve New South Wales
IUCN category Ia (strict nature reserve)
John Gould Nature Reserve
Nearest town or city	Shoal Bay
Coordinates	32°40′54″S 152°14′04″E / 32.68167°S 152.23444°E / -32.68167; 152.23444Coordinates: 32°40′54″S 152°14′04″E / 32.68167°S 152.23444°E / -32.68167; 152.23444
Area	30 ha (74 acres)
Managing authorities	NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
See also	Protected areas of New South Wales

Cabbage Tree Island, also known as the John Gould Nature Reserve, is a protected nature reserve and uninhabited continental island lying 1.4 km (0.87 mi) off the mouth of Port Stephens on the coast of New South Wales, Australia.^[1] The 30 ha (74-acre) reserve and island is named for the Cabbage-tree Palms in the two gullies on the island's western side which are the nesting site of Goulds petrel. It is the principal breeding site of the nominate subspecies of the threatened Gould's petrel and, with the nearby Boondelbah Island where there is also a small colony, has been classified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area.^[2] Both Cabbage Tree and Boondelbah Islands are gazetted nature reserves under the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Act, so protecting the island's habitat from land uses incompatible with nature conservation. Access is only permitted for scientific and conservation purposes.^[3]

Description

Cabbage Tree Island is a small and rugged island, about 1 km (1 mi) long, on a north-south alignment, by 480 m (1,570 ft) wide. It rises abruptly to a height of 123 m (404 ft). The tree vegetation includes, as well as the cabbage-tree palms, deciduous and sandpaper figs, native plums, and bird-lime trees.^[3]

Cabbage Tree Island, NSW, west side

Gould's petrel conservation management

Gould's petrel in flight

The petrels nest mainly in natural rock crevices among the rock scree of two gullies on the western side of the island, but also in hollow fallen palm trunks, beneath mats of fallen palm fronds and in cavities among fig tree buttresses. They breed in colonies with the nests often less than 1 m (3 ft) apart. Before significant active management of the island commenced, the breeding population was in decline. One major contributing factor was the presence of rabbits which largely destroyed the understorey vegetation of the island and prevented its regeneration.^[3]

The removal of the sheltering understorey vegetation by rabbits led to increased exposure of the ground-nesting petrels and predation by pied currawongs and Australian ravens. It also led to increased mortality following entanglement of the birds with the sticky fruits of the bird-lime trees which fell to the ground rather than being caught in the understorey.^[3] By 1992 there were fewer than 250 breeding pairs of Gould’s petrel nesting on the Island, fewer than 20% of the pairs were producing fledglings, fewer than 50 young were being produced each year, and adult mortality exceeded 50 birds each year.^[3]

Remedial management from 1992 onwards has included the eradication of rabbits on the island in 1997/98 and the removal of bird-lime trees from petrel nesting habitat, as well as the culling of currawongs and ravens. After a few pairs of Gould's petrels were discovered on Boondelbah Island in 1995, 1.5 km (1 mi) to the south, a translocation program was implemented to supplement the new breeding site with fledglings from Cabbage Tree. By 2004/05 it was estimated that the breeding colony on Cabbage Tree Island had increased to 2,500 individuals comprising 1,000 breeding pairs, that an average of 300 fledglings are produced annually, that 50% of pairs are producing fledged young, and average adult mortality is less than ten birds a year.^[3]^[4]

References

↑ "Cabbage Tree Island". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
↑ "IBA: Cabbage Tree and Boondelbah Islands". Birdata. Birds Australia. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Gould's Petrel (Pterodroma leucoptera leucoptera) Recovery Plan (PDF). Department of Environment and Conservation (PDF) (Sydney: Government of New South Wales). 2006. pp. 3–4, 15, App. 2, App. 4. ISBN 1-74137-784-6.
↑ "Gould's Petrel", Ockham's Razor

Nature reserves of New South Wales, Australia

Central NSW	Abercrombie Caves Arakoola Avisford Barton Binnaway Boomi Boomi West Borenore Caves Boronga Brigalow Park Budelah Careunga Coolbaggie Copperhannia Dapper Donnybrook Dural Eugowra Freemantle Gamilaroi Girralang Jenolan Caves Kemps Creek Kirramingly Koorawatha Kuma Macquarie Marshes Midkin Munghorn Gap Narran Lake Pilliga Planchonella The Rock Tollingo Turallo Wambool Weetalibah Winburndale Woggoon Wongarbon Yaegl Yarringully

Hunter and Mid North Coast	Awabakal Baalijin Back River Bagul Waajaarr Bandicoot Island Bird Island Bollanolla Boonanghi Boondelbah Boorganna Bowraville Bretti Brimbin Bugan Burning Mountain Bushy Island Camels Hump Camerons Gorge Cedar Brush Coocumbac Island Coolongolook Cooperabung Creek Coramba Corrie Island Coxcomb Darawank Fifes Knob Fishermans Bend Gads Sugarloaf Ganay Garby Goonook Hexham Swamp Jaaningga Jagun Jasper John Gould Juugawaarri Karuah Kattang Khappinghat Khatambuhl Killabakh Killarney Kooragang Koorebang Kororo Lake Innes Limeburners Creek Little Broughton Island Macquarie Mernot Mills Island Moffats Swamp Monkerai Monkeycot Moon Island Moonee Beach Mount Seaview Muttonbird Island Ngambaa North Rock One Tree Island Pambalong Pee Dee Pulbah Island Queens Lake Rawdon Creek Regatta Island Running Creek Seaham Swamp Seal Rocks Skillion Snapper Island Stormpetrel Talawahl The Castles The Glen Tilligerry Tingira Heights Tomalla Towibakh Valla Wallabadah Wallamba Wallaroo Wallis Island Weelah Willi Willi Caves Wingen Maid Wingham Brush Worimi Yahoo Island Yarravel Yessabah

New England Tablelands	Aberbaldie Ashford Caves Bluff River Bolivia Hill Booroolong Burnt-Down Scrub Deer Vale Demon Duval Georges Creek Gibraltar Guy Fawkes River Imbota Ironbark Jobs Mountain Linton Little Llangothlin Mann River Melville Range Mother Of Ducks Lagoon Mount Hyland Mount Mackenzie Mount Yarrowyck Muldiva Ngulin Serpentine Severn River Stony Batter Creek The Basin Tuggolo Creek Watsons Creek Yina

Northern Rivers	Andrew Johnston Big Scrub Ballina Banyabba Billinudgel Boatharbour Booyong Broken Head Brunswick Heads Bungabbee Byrnes Scrub Captains Creek Chambigne Chapmans Peak Clarence Estuary Cook Island Couchy Creek Cudgen Cumbebin Swamp Davis Scrub Flaggy Creek Gumbaynggirr SCA Hattons Bluff Hayters Hill Hogarth Range Hortons Creek Iluka Inner Pocket Julian Rocks Koukandowie Limpinwood Little Pimlico Island Marshalls Creek Moore Park Mororo Creek Mount Neville Mount Nullum Muckleewee Mountain Munro Island North-West Solitary Island North Obelisk North Solitary Island Numinbah Richmond River Sherwood Snows Gully South West Solitary Island Split Solitary Island Stotts Island Susan Island Tabbimoble Swamp Tallawudjah Tuckean Tucki Tucki Tweed Estuary Tyagarah Ukerebagh Uralba Victoria Park Waragai Creek Wilson Wilsons Peak Woodford Island Wooyung

Outback NSW	Big Bush Boginderra Hills Buddigower Cocopara Goonawarra Gubbata Ingalba Jerilderie Kajuligah Kemendok Lake Urana Langtree Ledknapper Loughnan Morrisons Lake Mutawintji Narrandera Nearie Lake Nocoleche Nombinnie Pucawan Pulletop Quanda Round Hill Tarawi The Charcoal Tank Yanga Yathong

South Coast and Highlands	Araluen Badja Swamps Bamarang Barren Grounds Barrengarry Bees Nest Bell Bird Creek Belowla Island Bermaguee Bimberi Binjura Black Andrew Black Ash Bobundara Bogandyera Bondi Gulf Bournda Broulee Island Brundee Swamp Brush Island Burnt School Burra Creek Burrinjuck Cambewarra Range Cecil Hoskins Clarkes Hill Comerong Island Coolumbooka Coornartha Courabyra Cullendulla Creek Cuumbeun Dananbilla Dangelong Devils Glen Downfall Eagles Claw Egan Peaks Ellerslie Five Islands Flagstaff Memorial Good Good Goorooyarroo Gungewalla Hattons Corner Illawong Illunie Ironmungy Jerralong Jingellic Joadja Kangaroo River Kybeyan Meringo Merriangaah Montague Island Mount Clifford Mount Dowling Mudjarn Mullengandra Mundoonen Myalla Nadgee Nadgigomar Narrawallee Creek Nest Hill Ngadang Nimmo Numeralla Oak Creek Parma Creek Paupong Queanbeyan Quidong Razorback Robertson Rodway Saltwater Swamp Scabby Range Scott Stony Creek Strike-a-Light Tabletop Tapitallee Tinderry Tollgate Islands Triplarina Ulandra Undoo Wadjan Wanna Wanna Wee Jasper Wiesners Swamp Wogamia Wollondilly River Woollamia Worrigee Wullwye Yanununbeyan Yaouk Yatteyattah

Sydney and surrounds	Agnes Banks Berkeley Bird Island Castlereagh Central Gardens Cockle Bay Dalrymple-Hay Dharawal Evans Crown Gulguer Lion Island Long Island Manobalai Mulgoa Muogamarra Newington Pelican Island Pitt Town Rileys Island Royal National Park Spectacle Island Towra Point Wallumatta Wamberal Lagoon Wambina Windsor Downs

Protected areas of New South Wales

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, April 04, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.

Cabbage Tree Island

Description

Gould's petrel conservation management

See also

References