Calochilus cupreus

It is estimated that over 90% of the species' suitable habitat has been cleared within the species' former distribution in the past 100 years. The Copper Beard-orchid was described as locally common near McLaren Vale in 1918 (Bates 2011). However, despite active searching, the species has not been relocated at this location and the McLaren Vale subpopulations are now considered extinct due to clearing of habitat for agriculture (Bates 2007, DENR 2009). Therefore, at least two subpopulations at McLaren Vale have been lost within the last 90 years. Hence the species' total population trend is decreasing and this decline continues to occur in the last remaining subpopulation of the species in Aldinga Scrub Conservation Park, in the absence of clearing for agriculture. In 2012 and 2013, only 34 plants emerged and flowered in Aldinga Scrub Conservation Park (J. Quarmby pers. comm. 2014). In 2014, following the species’ habitat being damaged by a fire truck attending to a small bushfire that occurred in the park, only 13 flowering plants were recorded; and in 2015 only one flowering plant was identified (NOSSA 2016). However, there are insufficient data to indicate if the decline occurred within an appropriate three generation period (estimated to be 45 years) and whether the population size reduction was substantial, severe or very severe. While the number of flowering plants recorded in surveys has declined, the total population size is likely to remain between 90–100 mature individuals.