Eriocaulon australasicum

Since European settlement in southern Australia there has been widespread clearing of native vegetation and draining of swamps (Benson 1991, Sutter 2010, Bradshaw 2012). The potential habitat for this species would have been greatly reduced and it may have been more widespread and common than current records suggest (Sutter 2010). In the medium to long term this species may be threatened by climate change. It only occurs in seasonally inundated wet habitats and it is likely to need water to allow germination of seeds from the soil seed bank. Since 2000 there has been lower than average levels of rainfall in Victoria (ABOM 2016) and there is predicted to be a continued decrease in rainfall in south eastern Australia which could cause less frequent inundation of these seasonal habitats and reduce habitat availability for this species (Sutter 2010).

The Murray River on the border between Victoria and NSW is affected by grazing livestock, salination and competition from introduced weedy species. This species has only been found once on the Murray river in around 1883 and has not been seen since so it could have been affected by the increased salination (DSE 2009) and is presumed extinct at this locality (Smith and Smith 1990).

Grazing and trampling by sheep and competition from weedy species are likely to threaten the South Australia subpopulation which is found on private land. This subpopulation was found to be in a poor condition in 1987 (DSE 2009, Sutter 2010). Grazing by livestock was affecting the subpopulation at Little Desert National Park and boundary fences were repaired to protect the habitat (Sutter 2010). It is not known if grazing by rabbits or native animals would also affect this species at this site (DSE 2009). Soil disturbance by recreational vehicles was reported in the Pilliga wetlands and Little Desert National Park which may disrupt soil seed banks (Bell et al. 2012). In the latter a road was realigned to limit the disturbance from vehicles but further damage was reported in 2008 (DSE 2009).

The majority of this species population is found within four protected areas; Meereek Flora reserve, Grampians National Park, Little Desert National Park and Pilliga National Park, and at Back Creek Travelling Stock Reserve (government land reserved for use by travelling livestock). There are two ex situ seed collections held at the Victorian Conservation Seedbank and at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

This species is listed as threatened or endangered on several federal and state lists. Across the whole of Australia it is listed as endangered on the Commonwealth Environment Protections and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. In Victoria it was listed as endangered in 2005 on the Advisory List of Rare or Threatened Vascular Plants in Victoria and as a threatened species in May 2015 in the Victoria Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (DELWP 2015). In NSW it was listed as endangered, possibly extinct in 1999 on the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act, however this was before the two recent subpopulations were discovered in the state.

As this species has been listed as endangered there was a national recovery plan established in 1999 and an updated plan in 2010 setting out objectives for the recovery of this species (Sutter 2010). Victoria also has an Action Statement for this species (DSE 2009). Objectives in both recovery plans include surveys of all populations, studying the life history of the species, identifying potential habitat, controlling grazing threats, identifying problem weedy species, establishing ex situ seed collections and raising awareness of the species (DSE 2009, Sutter 2010). Conservation actions to protect the species so far include adding boundary fencing to remove grazing and realigning a track to avoid vehicle disturbance at the Little Desert National Park, surveys of existing sites and ex situ seed conservation (Sutter 2010).