Conondale National Park is 130 km north of Brisbane in the

Sunshine Coast Sunshine Coast may refer to: * Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia **Sunshine Coast Region, a local government area of Queensland named after the region **Sunshine Coast Stadium * Sunshine Coast (British Columbia), geographic subregion of the Br ...

Hinterland near the town of Conondale in the south east

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

bioregion A bioregion is a geographical area, on land or at sea, defined not by administrative boundaries, but by distinct characteristics such as plant and animal species, ecological systems, soils and landforms, Human settlement, human settlements, and ...

.NPRSR, R., 2013
Conondale National Park Management Statement 2013
Retrieved 26 April 2014. The park covers an area of 35,648 hectares protecting large areas of

subtropical rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropical rainforests or ...

, woodlands, wet and dry

sclerophyll forest Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaves, short internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is parallel or oblique to direct ...

including Queensland's tallest tree.ESRI Australia, 2013. Queensland’s tallest tree – and that’s no LiDAR! Esri Aust. The park contains areas of regenerating forest which have been previously logged; areas of forest plantations also border the park. The park is currently managed by the Queensland Government under the

Nature Conservation Act 1992 The ''Nature Conservation Act 1992'' is an act of the Parliament of Queensland, Australia, that, together with subordinate legislation, provides for the legislative protection of Queensland's threatened biota. As originally published, it prov ...

. Since the 1860s the Conondale region has been impacted by

land clearing Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. About ...

for

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

and

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidder, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or trunk (botany), logs onto logging truck, trucksMoran, C.L., Catterall, C., Green, R.J., Olsen, M.F., 2004. Fates of feathered fruit-eaters in fragmented forests 699–712. today the park is a refuge for many species now rare and threatened. Threatened species such as the plumed frogmouth,

giant barred frog The giant barred frog (''Mixophyes iteratus'') is a species of barred frog found in Australia. It occurs from south-eastern Queensland to just south of the Newcastle region in New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) ...

, Conondale crayfish, spotted-tailed

quoll Quolls (; genus ''Dasyurus'') are carnivorous marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea. They are primarily nocturnal, and spend most of the day in a den. Of the six species of quoll, four are found in Australia and two in New Guinea. Anot ...

, Gympie nut and

richmond birdwing butterfly ''Ornithoptera richmondia'', the Richmond birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly that is endemic to Australia. It is the second smallest of the birdwing species, the smallest being ''Ornithoptera meridionalis''. Distribution Historically, ...

have been recorded in the park and are currently targeted for conservation management to mitigate threats to their survival. Species of interest include the southern

gastric brooding frog ''Rheobatrachus'', whose members are known as the gastric-brooding frogs or platypus frogs, is a genus of extinct ground-dwelling frogs native to Queensland in eastern Australia. The genus consisted of only two species, the southern and norther ...

which mysteriously disappeared in 1981 and is presumed

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

.Hero, J.-M., Morrison, C., 2004. Frog declines in Australia: global implications. Herpetol. J. 14, 175–186.

Regional description

The landscape has a rugged topography with gorges,

valleys A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over a ve ...

and a number of

mountains A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

above 700 m with the highest peak being Mount Langley at 868m. Throughout the park there are scenic

waterfalls A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several ...

such as Booloumba Creek Falls, cascades and numerous boulder strewn creeks.NPRSR, n.d. Conondale Range Great Walk - Nature, culture and history WW Document URL http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/great-walks-conondale-range/culture.html (accessed 4.26.14). The Conondale range forms a

catchment A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, th ...

divide between the

Brisbane River The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...

and Mary River with the southernmost

tributaries A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...

of the Mary river forming in Booloumba and Yabba creek.Hughes, J.M., Bunn, S.E., Cleary, C., Hurwood, D.A., 2000. A hierarchical analysis of the genetic structure of an aquatic insect Bungona (Baetidae: Ephemeroptera). Heredity 85, 561–570. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2540.2000.00782.x The park also contains

wetlands A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

of national significance.EHP, jurisdiction=Queensland; sector=government; corporateName=Department of E. and H., n.d. Conondale Range Aggregation DIWA nationally important wetland — facts and maps WW Document URL http://wetlandinfo.ehp.qld.gov.au/wetlands/facts-maps/diwa-wetland-conondale-range-aggregation/ (accessed 4.28.14a). These tributaries are important for the threatened

Mary river cod The Mary River cod (''Maccullochella mariensis'') is a species of temperate perch native to the coastal Mary River system of southern Queensland, Australia. Mary River cod are one of Australia's most endangered freshwater fishes and are nota ...

which has declined in these creeks. The region has a

sub-tropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones immediately to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 3 ...

climate with a mean annual rainfall of 1,500 mm, the majority of rainfall occurs seasonally in summer (December–March) usually with heavy downpours and winters generally cold and dry with occasional frosts.Innis, G., 1989. Feeding Ecology of Fruit Pigeons in Subtropical Rainforests of South-Eastern Queensland. Wildl. Res. 16, 365–394. Major vegetation types include a mix of complex notophyll vine forest, sub-tropical rainforest,

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

bangalow palm ''Archontophoenix cunninghamiana'' – commonly known as Bangalow palm, king palm, Illawarra palm or ''piccabeen palm'' – is a tree in the palm family Arecaceae, which is endemic to the east coast of New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. ...

forests,

wet sclerophyll Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaves, short Internode (botany), internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is parallel or ...

and dry sclerophyll forest with rainforest occurring mainly at higher altitudes and along watercourses.Hughes, J.M., Bunn, S.E., Kingston, D.M., Hurwood, D.A., 1995. Genetic Differentiation and Dispersal among Populations of Paratya australiensis (Atyidae) in Rainforest Streams in Southeast Queensland, Australia. J. North Am. Benthol. Soc. 14, 158. doi:10.2307/1467731 Black-breasted Button-quail male inskip

History

The Conondale region served as an important area for both the Jinibara and

Kabi Kabi The Kabi Kabi people, also spelt Gubbi Gubbi, Gabi Gabi, and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people native to South Eastern Queensland. During the Australian frontier wars of the 19th century, there were several mass killings of ...

traditional owners Native title is the set of rights, recognised by Australian law, held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups or individuals to land that derive from their maintenance of their traditional laws and customs. These Aboriginal title rig ...

, it was an important pathway and resource gathering area for food such as the bunya pine ''Araucaria bidwillii'' which occurs in the park and remains culturally significant to Indigenous peoples, Indigenous people today. European settlement occurred from 1860 onwards seeing gold mining, farming and logging occur in the region,Smith, G.C., Hamley, B.J., Lees, N., 1998. An Estimate of the Plumed Frogmouth "Podargus ocellatus plumiferus" Population Size in the Conondale Ranges WW Document URL http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=668756953042077;res=IELNZC (accessed 4.16.14). timber trees logged included Toona ciliata, red cedar ''Toona ciliata'', Eucalyptus pilularis, blackbutt ''Eucalyptus pilularis'' and tallowood ''Eucalyptus microcorys''. By the early 1900s state forests were declared and logging of remnant forests was gradually replaced with the establishment of hoop pine plantations. The national park was established in 1977 after lobbying by conservationists over proposed logging of pristine areas of the Conondale ranges which would have impacted on Drainage basin, catchments and endangered species such as the plumed frogmouth,Roberts, G., Ingram, G., 1978. Marbled Frogmouth in the Conondale Range, South-eastern Queensland. Emu 78, 41–42. the park now encompasses over 35,000 ha providing opportunities for recreation such as bushwalking, camping, four wheel driving, horse riding and bird watching Many parts of the region have been re-vegetated by private landowners and Landcare (organisation), Landcare groups.

Ecological significance of Conondale National Park

Flora

Two thirds of the original vegetation in the Conondale region has been cleared including large areas of rainforest leaving a mosaic of cattle pastures, cropland, remnant forests and hoop pine plantations. Extensive areas of remnant forests remain in gullies and steeper parts of the Conondale ranges including large areas of un-managed regrowth. The national park protects significant areas of remnant vegetation including sub-tropical rainforest, wet and dry sclerophyll forest including remnant stands of bunya pine ''Araucaria bidwillii'', hoop pine ''Araucaria cunninghamii'' including extremely tall stands of flooded gum ''Eucalyptus grandis'' and brush box ''Lophostemon confertus''. Queensland's tallest tree a ''Eucalyptus grandis'' was recently discovered in the park in 2013 and stands at 73 metres tall. In total there are thirty one different vegetation types including extensive Palm vine forests, thirteen are listed as ‘of concern’ including gallery rainforests (notophyll vine forests) and semi-evergreen vine thickets which are listed as endangered. A total of 796 plant species are recorded in the park, twelve species are listed as endangered, vulnerable or near threatened. Notable threatened species include the gympie nut ''Macadamia ternifolia'' now listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List and listed vulnerable in Queensland and nationally.Environment, D. of the, 2009a
Southern macadamia species recovery plan
Retrieved 25 April 2014. The brush sophora ''Sophora fraseri'' and ''Bosistoa transversa'' are listed nationally as Vulnerable and occurs in semi-evergreen vine thickets, it is threatened by changing fire regimes and competition from weeds.

Richmond birdwing butterfly recovery program

Conondale National Park is considered a critical site for the survival of the richmond birdwing butterfly ''Ornithoptera richmondia'' which is listed as vulnerable in Queensland, the park also has significant stands of the richmond birdwing vine ''Aristolochia praevenosa'' a species of critical priority for the butterfly.Sands, D.P.A., New, T.R., 2013. Conservation of the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly in Australia, 1st ed. Springer, Dordrecht. The vine is crucial in the Biological life cycle, lifecycle of the butterfly which occurs predominantly in rainforests along waterways, it is a food source for the larval stage of the butterfly's lifecycle and is the only plant the female butterfly will lay its eggs on. Threats include the exotic dutchmans pipe ''Aristolochia elegans'' which the female butterfly is attracted to and will lay her eggs on, however the leaves are fatal to the butterfly larvae. Extensive public education and conservation programs are underway in Queensland with cultivation, planting, control of weeds and ecological monitoring occurring.

Birds

Podargus ocellatus -Redwood -Queensland-8

Conondale National Park is considered an Important Bird Area (IBA) by Birdlife International with 174 bird species recorded in the park, fourteen species are considered endangered or vulnerable. Notable species include the pale-yellow robin ''Tregellasia capito'', paradise riflebird ''Ptiloris paradiseus'', green catbird ''Ailuroedus crassirostris'', regent bowerbird ''Sericulus chrysocephalus'' and grey goshawk ''Accipiter novaehollandiae'' Australian logrunner ''Orthonyx temminckii''. Threatened birds in the park include the Coxen's fig parrot ''Cyclopsitta diophthalma coxeni'', red goshawk ''Erythrotriorchis radiatus'', glossy black cockatoo (eastern) ''Calyptorhynchus lathami lathami'' and the powerful owl ''Ninox strenua''. The Conondale ranges provides an important northern refuge for populations of eastern bristlebirds ''Dasyornis brachypterus'', a small semi-flightless bird dependent on vegetation cover and sensitive to fire.Bain, D.W., Baker, J.R., French, K.O., Whelan, R.J., 2008. Post-fire recovery of eastern bristlebirds (Dasyornis brachypterus) is context-dependent. Wildl. Res. 35, 44–49. The bird was once common from Victoria to the Queensland but has declined, the species is now listed as Endangered under the IUCN red list of threatened species and listed nationally and in Queensland as endangered.Environment, jurisdiction=Commonwealth of A. corporateName=Department of the, n.d. Dasyornis brachypterus — Eastern Bristlebird WW Document URL http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=533 (accessed 4.16.14b). Park managers are currently identifying and protecting suitable habitat within the national park and implementing the recovery plan for the northern population eastern bristlebirds. The plumed frogmouth ''Podargus ocellatus plumiferus'' is listed as vulnerable in Queensland and was only discovered in the Conondale ranges in 1976 with the national park considered a stronghold for the species. Its habitat is sub-tropical rainforest at high altitudes and estimates of current population in the Conondale ranges are around 800 pairs with less than 2,000 ha of suitable habitat in the region. Current populations are threatened by land clearing, inappropriate fire regimes and climate change.Hagger, V., Fisher, D., Schmidt, S., Blomberg, S., 2013. Assessing the vulnerability of an assemblage of subtropical rainforest vertebrate species to climate change in southeast Queensland. Austral Ecol. 38, 465–475. doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.2012.02437.xSmith, G.C., Hamley, B.J., 2009. Variation in vocal response of Plumed Frogmouth (Podargus ocellatus plumiferus) to call-playback. Emu 109, 339–343. The black-breasted button-quail ''Turnix melanogaster'' is a small ground dwelling bird which inhabits notophyll vine forest or ‘dry rainforests’ Environment, D. of the, 2009b. National recovery plan for the black-breasted button-quail (Turnix melanogaster) WW Document URL http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/national-recovery-plan-black-breasted-button-quail-turnix-melanogaster (accessed 4.25.14).Smyth, A.K., Pavey, C.R., 2001. Foraging by the endangered black-breasted button-quail (Turnix melanogaster) within fragmented rainforest of an agricultural landscape. Biol. Conserv. 98, 149–157. doi:10.1016/S0006-3207(00)00149-X with up to 90% of its habitat has been cleared with less than 2,500 individuals estimated remaining in the wild. The species is listed as vulnerable nationally and in Queensland and is considered near threatened on the IUCN red list.Smyth, A.K., Young, J., 1996. Observations on the endangered Black-breasted Button-quail Turnix melanogaster breeding in the wild. Emu 96, 202–207. The Conondale populations is considered an important population due to the size and location being within a national park. Potorous tridactylus - profile

Mammals

There have been 68 species of mammals recorded in the park with many being uncommon and range restricted such as the yellow-bellied glider ''Petaurus australis'', koala ''Phascolarctos cinereus'', grey headed flying-fox ''Pteropus poliocephalus'', golden-tipped bat ''Kerivoula papuensis''. The rufous bettong ''Aepyprymnus rufescens'' occurs in the park and is the largest of the potoroos, it feeds at night on roots and fungiFrederick, H., Johnson, C., 1996. Social Organisation in the Rufous Bettong, Aepyprymnus Rufescens. Aust. J. Zool. 44, 9–17.McFarland, D., n.d. Systematic vertebrate fauna survey project stage iiB-assessment of habitat quality for priority species in southeast queensland bioregion. occurring in wet and dry sclerophyll forests. Threats include changes to fire regimes, over-grazing and predation by feral animals. The long-nosed potoroo ''Potorous tridactylus tridactylus'' is recorded in the park and is the smallest member of the kangaroo superfamily, it is listed nationally and in Queensland as vulnerable.Environment, jurisdiction=Commonwealth of A. corporateName=Department of the, n.d. Potorous tridactylus tridactylus — Long-nosed Potoroo (SE mainland) WW Document URL http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=66645 (accessed 4.25.14c). Current threats include predation by European foxes and land clearing. The spotted-tail quoll ''Dasyurus maculatus maculatus'' has been recorded in the park and is mainland Australia's largest surviving marsupial and one of three distinct subspecies.Environment, jurisdiction=Commonwealth of A. corporateName=Department of the, n.d. Dasyurus maculatus maculatus (SE mainland population) — Spot-tailed Quoll, Spotted-tail Quoll, Tiger Quoll (southeastern mainland population) WW Document URL http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=75184 (accessed 4.25.14d). The spotted-tail quoll has undergone drastic losses in Queensland with a 50 - 90% reduction in range since European settlement. This is attributed to habitat loss, fragmentation, logging, poison baiting, predators and cane toads, habitat critical to the spotted-tail quoll includes large tracts of undisturbed mature forest.

Amphibians

Thirty one species of frogs are known to occur in the Conondale ranges including species of scientific interest, the endangered giant barred frog ''Mixophyes iteratus'' occurs at its northern limit. The endangered fleay's barred frog ''Mixophyes fleayi'' and the vulnerable tusked frog ''Adelotus brevis'' and cascade treefrog ''Litoria pearsoniana'' have also been recorded in the park, the threatened stream frog recovery plan is currently being implemented along with monitoring of these threatened species in the park. EgrandisAlexFCA2

The Conondale region has experienced recent rapid declines in frog populations; the southern gastric brooding frog ''Rheobatrachus silus'' which only became known to science in 1973 and the southern dayfrog ''Taudactylus diurnus'' declined rapidly between 1979 and 1981 with both presumed extinct. Four other species found in the park have also declined. There have been similar declines and disappearances of frogs in north Queensland and Central America under similar circumstances, the causes of these declines in still unknown but several hypotheses have been developed including the possible impact of chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis which has been reported in the region.Environment, D. of the, 2013b. National recovery plan for Stream Frogs of South-east Queensland 2001-2005 WW Document URL http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/national-recovery-plan-stream-frogs-southeast-queensland-2001-2005 (accessed 4.16.14).Environment, D. of the, 2004. Declines and Disappearances of Australian Frogs WW Document URL http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/declines-and-disappearances-australian-frogs (accessed 4.25.14).

Reptiles

There are 54 species of reptiles recorded in the park which include the rough-scaled snake ''Tropidechis carinatus'', lace monitor ''Varanus varius'', land mullet ''Bellatorias major'', carpet python ''Morelia spilota'' and the near threatened challenger skink ''Saproscincus rosei'' which occurs in rainforest but has also been found to occur in high densities in exotic Lantana camara thickets.

Invertebrates

The Conondale crayfish ''Euastacus urospinosus'' only occurs in upland rainforest streams in the Conondale and Blackall, Blackall Range ranges, one of its strongholds is Conondale National Park.Borsboom, A., 1998. Aspects of the biology and ecology of the Australian freshwater crayfish, Euastacus urospinosus (Decapoda: Parastacidae). Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. 119, 87–100. The crayfish burrows in rainforest streams at elevations between 450-550m, the Bundaroo creek system where the crayfish occurs has an absence of historical mining and logging which may account for its continued survival. The species is classified as endangered on IUCN red list with the species being highly range restricted due to climatic intolerances and susceptibility to catastrophic weather events and climate change.IUCN Redlist, n.d. Euastacus urospinosus WW Document UR

(accessed 4.27.14b). Other threats are feral pigs Sus scrofa wallowing and destroying creek bank vegetation and crayfish burrows.

Environmental threats and conservation management

Conondale’s disappearing frogs - chytrid fungus

The southern gastric brooding was discovered in 1973 in the Conondale ranges, it displayed a unique reproductive mode in which the female would ingest the eggs which then complete their development in the mothers stomach.Tyler, M.J., Shearman, D.J., Franco, R., O’Brien, P., Seamark, R.F., Kelly, R., 1983. Inhibition of gastric acid secretion in the gastric brooding frog, Rheobatrachus silus. Science 220, 609–610. doi:10.1126/science.6573024 To survive the tadpoles secreted hormones to inhibit the digestive secretions of the stomach until they are given birth to via the mother's mouth. The species occurred in good numbers in high altitude rocky streams but in 1979 the species declined rapidly and disappeared with no sightings since 1981 despite continued efforts to relocate the species. This coincided with the rapid disappearance of the southern dayfrog which occurred at the same location as the southern gastric brooding frog, there have also been no sightings of the southern dayfrog since 1979 and both species are presumed extinct. There are numerous theories as to why frog species have declined and disappeared, a possible cause is the chytrid fungus ''Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis'' which has been attributed to the decline of 14 montane specialist frogs in undisturbed rainforest habitat.Retallick, R.W.R., McCallum, H., Speare, R., 2004. Endemic Infection of the Amphibian Chytrid Fungus in a Frog Community Post-Decline. PLoS Biol 2, e351. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0020351 Epidemics of the chytrid fungus have also occurred in Eungella National Park in North Queensland around 1985-1986 causing the decline of the Eungella gastric brooding frog ''Rheobatrachus vitellinus''. The fungus is highly pathogenic and rapidly causes the decline and death of the host. In the case of the Eungella gastric brooding frog the population was able to persist and recover however the chytrid fungus still persists in the frog population. The federal government has identified the chytrid fungus as a key threatening process for stream frogs in Australia and has subsequently developed a threat abatement plan for the disease.

Forestry plantations

The national park borders areas of state forest and hoop pine plantations which are subject to on-going harvesting activities, these pose potential environmental threats to black-breasted button-quail which inhabits areas adjacent to the hoop pine plantations. The plumed frogmouth is sensitive to disturbance and has specialised habitat requirements of pristine forests, there are potential impacts from forest harvesting of native timber in the Conondale region. Additional impacts from forestry operations include increased siltation and erosion from disused roads and tracks may impact water quality. Bush fire at Captain Creek central Queensland Australia

Bush fire at Captain Creek central Queensland Australia

Fire management

Fire has been identified as having impacts on species within the park, studies of the eastern bristlebird indicates it responds well to planned mosaic burning which allows the bird to move into areas of unburnt habitat after fire. Feral animal baiting after fire is also needed as reduced vegetation cover leaves the birds more susceptible to predation from feral cats and foxes.Lindenmayer, D.B., MacGregor, C., Wood, J.T., Cunningham, R.B., Crane, M., Michael, D., Montague-Drake, R., Brown, D., Fortescue, M., Dexter, N., Hudson, M., Gill, A.M., 2009. What factors influence rapid post-fire site re-occupancy? A case study of the endangered Eastern Bristlebird in eastern Australia. Int. J. Wildland Fire 18, 84–95. Species like the black-breasted button-quail and glossy black-cockatoos are also fire sensitive, the ''Eucalyptus montivaga'' community is reliant on fire for maintenance of a healthy understorey. A fire management strategy has been prepared for Conondale National Park with the ''Eucalyptus montivaga'' vegetation community currently being studied for its response to fire.

Climate change

Climate change has been identified as a major threat to flora and fauna around the globe, amphibians have been identified as being particularly susceptible to climate changes. In a recent study identified a number of species in Conondale National Park as Climate change vulnerability, vulnerable to climate change which included the fleay's barred frog, pouched frog, Australian logrunner, challenger skink and plumed frogmouth. A possible cause of rapid declines in frog species could be attributed to climate change and the increase in UV light especially in high altitude regions. The Conondale crayfish which is sensitive to changes in temperature and may be impacted by future changes to climate temperature, the ''Eucalyptus montivaga'' vegetation community may also be particularly susceptible to climate change.Young, P., 2007. 13. The CAR principle of adequacy of the National Reserve System in the context of climate change. Prot. Areas Buffering Nat. Clim. Change 18, 100. Lantana camara flower leaf fruit

Management of pest plants and animals

A pest management strategy is currently being implemented for plant weed species such as lantana ''Lantana camara'', dutchmans pipe, cat's claw creeper ''Macfadyena unguis-cati'' and crofton weed ''Ageratina adenophora'' which threaten species such as the richmond birdwing butterfly, eastern bristlebird and notophyll vine forests. A number of feral animals are impacting native species and degrading habitat, feral animals in the park include cats ''Felis catus'', foxes ''Vulpes vulpes'' and wild dogs ''Canis familiaris'' and pose specific threats to native animal species such as ground dwelling small mammals and birds such as the eastern bristlebird. Feral pigs ''Sus scrofa'' are being managed through on-going trapping, baiting and photo monitoring to reduce threats to species such as eastern bristlebirds, long-nosed potoroos and black-breasted button-quails. Red deer ''Cervus elaphus'' are also impacting on the habitat of frogs and eastern bristlebirds.

References

External links

Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing - Conondale National Park
{{National Parks of Queensland National parks of South East Queensland Protected areas established in 1977 1977 establishments in Australia