CASTLEREAGH, AGNES BANKS AND WINDSOR DOWNS NATURE RESERVES PLAN OF MANAGEMENT NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service March 1999 Published by: Office of Environment and Heritage 59 Goulburn Street, Sydney NSW 2000 PO Box A290, Sydney South NSW 1232 Phone: +61 2 9995 5000 (switchboard) Phone: 1300 361 967 (OEH and national parks enquiries) Fax: +61 2 9995 5999 TTY users: phone 133 677, then ask for 1300 361 967 Speak and listen users: phone 1300 555 727, then ask for 1300 361 967 Email: [email protected] Website: www.environment.nsw.gov.au Report pollution and environmental incidents Environment Line: 131 555 (NSW only) or [email protected] See also www.environment.nsw.gov.au ISBN 0 7310 7637 0 First published in March 1999; reprinted May 2019 with changes to maps. This plan of management was adopted by the Minister for the Environment on 5th March 1999. Acknowledgements: This draft plan of management was prepared by Ian Turner with assistance from staff from the North Metropolitan District and the Planning Unit of the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Photograph of Windsor Downs Nature Reserve by Graeme Mitchell. Crown Copyright 1999 Use permitted with appropriate acknowledgement. ISBN 0 7310 7637 0 FOREWORD Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves are located in western Sydney in an area bounded by Windsor and Richmond in the north, the Hawkesbury River to the west, Penrith to the south and South Creek in the east. Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves are particularly important because they are located on the Cumberland Plain. The vegetation and soil types of the Cumberland Plain are very different from those of the surrounding sandstone plateaus. The nature reserves protect some of the largest and most ecologically intact remnants of the extensive open forests and woodlands which once covered the Cumberland Plain and dominated western Sydney. Each nature reserve protects different plant species and associations including a number of threatened and poorly conserved species. Parts of Castlereagh Nature Reserve and Windsor Downs Nature Reserve support Cumberland Plain Woodland, a vegetation association which has been listed as an Endangered Ecological Community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act. The unique and restricted sand deposits of Agnes Banks Nature Reserve support a different woodland community which is not known to occur elsewhere and contains species which are usually found on coastal sand deposits. The diverse vegetation of the nature reserves provides habitat for a variety of native animals, especially birds. Many of the bird species are more typical of the those found on the western slopes and plains of New South Wales than of Sydney. The nature reserves also provide valuable habitat for reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. Part of Castlereagh Nature Reserve is listed on the Register of the National Estate because it provides habitat for a rare jewel beetle. This plan of management provides for the protection of these important nature reserves and their promotion for education and scientific research. Disturbed areas will be rehabilitated, and introduced plants and animals will be controlled and eliminated. Use of Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves will be restricted to low impact day use. Information signs will be erected on the reserve boundaries and fencing undertaken where necessary to reduce uncontrolled access to the reserves. Pam Allan Minister for the Environment TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE NO. FOREWORD 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. MANAGEMENT CONTEXT 2 2.1 Nature Reserves in NSW 2 2.2 Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves 2 2.2.1 Location and Regional Context 2 2.2.2 Importance of Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor 5 Downs Nature Reserves 3. OBJECTIVES OF MANAGEMENT 8 3.1 General Objectives for Nature Reserves 8 3.2 Specific Objectives for Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves 8 3.3 Overall Strategy 8 4. POLICIES AND FRAMEWORK FOR MANAGEMENT 9 4.1 Natural and Cultural Heritage 9 4.1.1 Geology, Landforms and Soils 9 4.1.2 Native Plants and Animals 12 4.1.3 Introduced Plants and Animals 16 4.1.4 Fire Management 18 4.1.5 Aboriginal Heritage 22 4.1.6 Historic Heritage 23 4.2 Use of the Nature Reserves 25 4.2.1 Environmental Education, Interpretation and Public Use 25 4.2.2 Research 28 4.2.3 Management Operations 28 5. PLAN IMPLEMENTATION 32 6. SELECTED REFERENCES 35 MAP OF AGNES BANKS NR 36 7. MAP OF CASTLEREAGH NR 37 MAP OF WINDSOR DOWNS NR 38 1 1. INTRODUCTION The National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 requires that a plan of management be prepared for each nature reserve. A plan of management is a legal document that outlines how the area will be managed in the years ahead. The procedures for the adoption of a plan of management for a nature reserve are specified in the Act: - where a plan of management has been prepared, the Director-General is required to refer the plan to the National Parks and Wildlife Advisory Council for its consideration and advice; - the Director-General is required to submit the plan to the Minister, together with any comments or suggestions of the Advisory Council; and - the Minister may adopt the plan without alteration or with such alterations as the Minister may think fit, or may refer it back to the Director-General and Council for further consideration. Once a plan of management has been adopted by the Minister, no operations may be undertaken within Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves except in accordance with the plan. A number of additions have been proposed to Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves. If added, these lands will be managed in accordance with the objectives and policies identified in this plan of management. Although not a requirement under the Act, this plan of management was placed on public exhibition from 12th June until 14th September 1998. A total of 15 submissions which raised 12 issues were received on the plan. All comments received were carefully considered by the National Parks and Wildlife Advisory Council. The submissions and the recommendations of the Council were in turn considered by the Minister for the Environment before adopting this plan of management for Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves. Additional information or enquires about the nature reserves or this plan of management may be obtained from the Service’s Hills Sub-District Office, which is located in Scheyville National Park, or by telephone on (045) 723 100. 2 2. MANAGEMENT CONTEXT 2.1 NATURE RESERVES IN NSW Reserving areas to include nature conservation as a general purpose was introduced to Australia with the establishment of Royal National Park in 1879. Nature reserves in New South Wales arose out of fauna reserves. Fauna reserves in New South Wales were first established under the Fauna Protection Act 1948. Under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1967 fauna reserves were reclassified as nature reserves. The 1967 Act has since been replaced by the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. Under the 1974 Act, nature reserves are areas of special scientific interest containing wildlife or natural environments or natural phenomena. The purpose of nature reserves are defined in the Act as: (a) the care, propagation, preservation and conservation of wildlife; (b) the care, preservation and conservation of natural environments and natural phenomena; (c) the study of wildlife, natural environments and natural phenomena; and (d) the promotion of the appreciation and enjoyment of wildlife, natural environments and natural phenomena. Nature reserves differ from national parks which include as a major objective the provision of opportunities for outdoor recreation. The value of nature reserves lies in their role as refuge areas where natural processes, phenomena and wildlife can be studied, maintained and conserved. 2.2 CASTLEREAGH, AGNES BANKS AND WINDSOR DOWNS NATURE RESERVES 2.2.1 Location and Regional Context Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves are located on the western rim of the Cumberland Plain, which is a sub-section of the broader Cumberland Basin. The Cumberland Plain lies between the Macdonald Ranges to the north, Woronora Plateau to the south, Hornsby Plateau to the east and the Blue Mountains Plateau to the west. It consists of low lying, gently undulating country with low hills on Wianamatta Group shales and sandstones and Tertiary alluviums (Bannerman and Hazelton, 1990). 4 Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves protect an important component of the remaining five percent of Cumberland Plain native plant and animal associations which once dominated western Sydney. Over 90% of the native vegetation which once covered the Cumberland Plain has been cleared and only around 1.5% of what remains is reserved in existing national parks, nature reserves or other protected areas (NPWS, 1997). In contrast, there are a large number of national parks and reserves on the surrounding Sydney sandstone including Blue Mountains National Park, Wollemi National Park, Marramarra National Park, the Nattai Reserve System and the majority of Cattai National Park. The pressure to further develop the Cumberland Plain for urban, commercial and industrial uses, agriculture and mining will place increasing emphasis on the protection and management of existing reserves and the dedication of additional conservation areas in western Sydney. Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves are located within a 100 square kilometre area bounded by Windsor and Richmond in the north, the Hawkesbury River to the west, Penrith to the south and South Creek in the east. The nature reserves are within the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment area and are covered by Sydney Regional Environmental Plan No. 20 (Hawkesbury-Nepean). Castlereagh Nature Reserve Castlereagh Nature Reserve, which is 495 hectares in size, was dedicated in 1995. It is situated at Llandilo, approximately 10 km north-east of Penrith in the Parishes of Castlereagh and Londonderry, and is within the Penrith Local Government Area. The nature reserve was formerly Castlereagh State Forest and managed as a production forest from 1917 to 1988, then as a demonstration forest from 1988 to 1995. It is bounded by The Northern Road and Llandilo Road with rural properties to the south and south-west and the Castlereagh Waste Management Centre to the north (refer page 37). Agnes Banks Nature Reserve Agnes Banks Nature Reserve, which is 114 hectares in size, was dedicated in 1982. It is situated at Agnes Banks, approximately 5 kilometres south-west of Richmond, in the Parish of Castlereagh. It is also within the Penrith Local Government Area. Agnes Banks Nature Reserve is bounded by Rickards Road to the west, vacant Crown Land to the south and east, and private freehold land to the north. A small area of private land adjacent to the northern boundary of the nature reserve is subject to a Permanent Conservation Order under the NSW Heritage Act 1977, while other lands to the north are subject to active mining leases. Sand and gravel extraction has occurred throughout much of the Agnes Banks sand deposits. Around 90 percent of the aeolian dunes at Agnes Banks have been extracted over the last 30 years with the nature reserve containing much of the remaining unaltered sand deposit. 5 Windsor Downs Nature Reserve Windsor Downs Nature Reserve, which is 332 hectares in area, was dedicated in 1990. It is situated approximately 3.5 kilometres south of Windsor between the suburbs of Bligh Park and Berkshire Park in the Parish of St. Matthew. It is within the Hawkesbury Local Government Area. Windsor Downs Nature Reserve is bounded by Richmond Road, Sanctuary Drive, residential and rural-residential areas of Bligh Park and Windsor Downs Estate and vacant Crown land (refer page 38). The area which is now Windsor Downs Nature Reserve was owned and managed by the Riverstone Meatworks for cattle grazing for over 100 years until the mid-1980s. During that time the land was also used for firewood collection and other informal forestry operations. Considerable urban development has occurred in the area surrounding the nature reserve since the mid 1980s. 2.2.2 Importance of Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves are particularly important because they are located on the Cumberland Plain. The vegetation and soil types of the Cumberland Plain are very different from those of the surrounding sandstone plateaus. The relatively fertile soils, proximity to Sydney and flat to undulating topography resulted in the Cumberland Plain being one of the first areas in Australia to be extensively cultivated. After 200 years of development, only isolated pockets of native woodland and open forest remain. Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves are significant for their natural and cultural heritage values, education and scientific use and for public appreciation and enjoyment. Natural Heritage Conservation Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves are ‘island remnants’ of differing and comparatively unaltered Cumberland Plain geology, landforms and native plant and animal populations. They are indicative of the diversity of the Cumberland Plain which has been significantly altered by human activities in the last 200 years. Whilst the three nature reserves are located on an underlying bed of Wianamatta sandstones and shales, complex patterns of erosion and deposition have resulted in different soils and native plant and animal communities in each area: * Castlereagh Nature Reserve contains a geographically restricted substrate of Tertiary alluvials producing clays, sand and gravel; * Agnes Banks Nature Reserve comprises a relic aeolian sand formation which only occurs in a small area near Agnes Banks; and 6 * Windsor Downs Nature Reserve is located on Tertiary alluviums producing relic red podsolic soils of the Londonderry clay which are characteristic of a broad area of the Cumberland Plain. The nature reserves are some of the largest and most ecologically intact remnants of the once extensive open forests and woodlands which covered the Cumberland Plain. The nature reserves are of appreciable botanical significance when placed in a regional and state context. Each nature reserve protects different plant species and associations including a number of threatened and poorly conserved species and regionally rare forest associations. Nine threatened plant species and a number of other species considered rare on the Cumberland Plain are found in the reserves. Parts of Castlereagh Nature Reserve and Windsor Downs Nature Reserve support Cumberland Plain Woodland vegetation, a community which has been listed as an Endangered Ecological Community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. The rarity of the Cumberland Plain woodland vegetation found in Windsor Downs Nature Reserve and Castlereagh Nature Reserve, and associated rare plants, resulted in both these areas being listed on the Australian Heritage Commission’s Register of the National Estate. The unique and restricted sand deposits of Agnes Banks Nature Reserve support a different woodland community which is not known to occur elsewhere. The reserve also contains species which are usually found on coastal sand deposits and are at their most westerly known distribution at Agnes Banks. This led to Agnes Banks Nature Reserve and adjoining areas being listed on the Register of the National Estate. It also led to a Permanent Conservation Order being placed over part of the land which is now nature reserve and a small area of adjoining land. The diverse vegetation of the nature reserves provides habitat for a variety of native animals, especially birds. Many of the bird species are more typical of the those found on the western slopes and plains of New South Wales than of Sydney. The regent honeyeater Xanthomyza phrygia, listed as endangered under the Threatened Species Conservation Act, has been recorded in all three nature reserves. Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves are also likely to contain two of the last remaining populations of the red-capped robin Petroica goodenovii in the Sydney Region. The nature reserves provide valuable habitat for reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. The green and golden bell frog Littoria aurea, listed as endangered under the Threatened Species Conservation Act, has been recorded in Castlereagh Nature Reserve. Castlereagh Nature Reserve and Windsor Downs Nature Reserve are also listed on the Register of the National Estate because they provide important habitat and are part of a movement corridor for a unique assemblage of jewel beetles Stigmodera spp., which includes nationally rare and nationally uncommon species. 7 Cultural Heritage Conservation Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves are within the area which was occupied by the Dharug Aboriginal people. Castlereagh and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves have a number of open campsites with surface scatters of stone and isolated artefacts of chert stone tools and flakes. There are no Aboriginal sites recorded for Agnes Banks Nature Reserve, however there are a number of sites in surrounding areas and it is possible that Aboriginal sites are situated under the sand within the nature reserve. The vegetated landscape of Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves demonstrate, by dramatic contrast with the surrounding lands, the changes to the Cumberland Plain wrought by European settlement. The reserves also contain a number of features related to previous use of the reserves for activities such as grazing and forestry. Education and Scientific Use Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves provide a representative benchmark for assessing and appreciating ecological changes which have occurred across a broad area of the Cumberland Plain since European settlement. The native plants and animals have been subject to a range of previous management practices including forestry, cattle grazing and mining. Understanding how the plant and animals of the reserves have responded to previous management practices is important in understanding how they can be best managed in the future. The nature reserves are also a valuable resource for research on threatened plants and animals and other species of conservation significance. The sand deposits in Agnes Banks Nature Reserve provide a record of the deposition sequence of this unique feature. They are capable of providing valuable information on the topography and climate of the area at the time they were formed. Public Appreciation and Enjoyment Castlereagh, Agnes Banks and Windsor Downs Nature Reserves are located within the expanding western suburbs of Sydney. Windsor Downs Nature Reserve has a relatively high level of public use, particularly by children who cycle within the reserve. Castlereagh and Agnes Banks have comparatively low levels of public use. All three reserves have the potential to increase public understanding of the variety and importance of the remaining Cumberland Plain vegetation.