Selection and design of Phytophthora management areas for the conservation of threatened flora in Tasmania Original Research Article

In Tasmania Phytophthora cinnamomi can cause serious disease in heaths, dry sclerophyll forests, moorlands and disturbed rainforests growing below 600 m and receiving more than 600 mm rainfall annually. Before the current research 136 native plant species were known to be hosts for P. cinnamomi. Very few of these plant species are considered threatened by its activities. However, susceptible rare and threatened plants are at the greatest risk. Management areas were selected and designed for the purpose of safeguarding 44 species that appear on state and national lists of rare and threatened plants and are susceptible to and potentially at risk from P. cinnamomi. The selection process and criteria used for selecting management areas are presented. Of the 101 areas surveyed 74 were selected based on their diversity and the aim of selecting three management areas, when possible, for each species. The 61 areas finally selected were based on landscape management criteria as well as species criteria; they contained all 44 target species. There were 109 inclusions of target species in the 61 management areas selected out of a possible 136 in the original 101 areas.