Scleria mackaviensis

This species is adapted to a wide range of habitats, many of which are endangered and have been altered for agriculture and pasture. The species most commonly occurs in areas of low human footprint. Threats to plant species in the region include continued clearing, conversion and fragmentation of native vegetation, altered fire regimes, pasture improvement practices, invasive weeds e.g., Parthenum hysterophous, Cinanomum camphora and Lantana camara, overgrazing, construction of dams and irrigation schemes, water pollution and issues with sewage disposal and trampling by tourists. However these may not present direct threats to the species. This species tolerates a wide range of environmental stresses e.g., drought, fire with less than 30% mortality when subject to 100% leaf scorch, strong wind and frost and actually benefits from grazing from macropods or livestock (i.e., grazing increase), being more abundant in constantly grazed areas (Fensham and Skull 1999). The species is often found on disturbed sites such as campsites, schoolgrounds, roadside ditches and tracks and also grows on sites invaded by weeds such as Pteridium esculentum. The spreading rhizome habit allows the taxon to resprout basally after disturbance (Sanderson et al. 2002, McIntyre et al. 2003, Williams 2005, specimen data).

The taxon does not benefit from any legal protection as it is common in its range. The area where the taxon occurs benefits from some form of protection e.g., Ramsar convention, Conservation Parks, National Parks and Nature Reserves where actions are taken to minimize the impact of the potential threats to the local flora.