A presentation to a symposium of the Linnean Society of NSW in the Blue Mountains, 8th November 2019 by Judy Smith, Peter Smith and Kate Smith

1. Native Fauna of the Greater Blue Mountains
World Heritage Area
Judy Smith Peter Smith
P & J Smith Ecological Consultants
Email: smitheco@ozemail.com.au
Kate Smith
Email: katesmithart@gmail.com
www.bluemountainsfauna.com.au

2. The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area

3. Covers over 1 million hectares or
about one third the area of Belgium.
Extends about 200 km south from
the Hunter Valley to the Southern
Tablelands.
Extends 35 –100 km from Western
Sydney and the Central Coast to
the top of the Great Dividing Range.

4. The GBMWHA is within the
traditional lands of the
Darkinjung, Darug, Dharawal,
Gundungurra, Wanaruah and
Wiradjuri Aboriginal nations.
It encompasses 8 conservation
reserves:
Blue Mountains, Gardens of
Stone, Kanangra-Boyd, Nattai,
Thirlmere Lakes, Wollemi and
Yengo National Parks and
Jenolan Karst Conservation
Reserve.

5. Our World Heritage listing recognises the
area’s outstanding natural values, for example
Eucalypt diversity
(98 species)
Iconic Wollemi Pine Eucalypt forests and woodlands
and other plant communities

6. and also the fauna, which includes vertebrates
and invertebrates, terrestrial and aquatic species

7. How many
native
terrestrial
vertebrate
species occur
in the WHA?

8. We reviewed the following
sources of information:
Wildlife databases
Published and unpublished
reports
NSW National Parks and Wildlife
Service fauna surveys
Bird and frog club newsletters
Museum specimen records
Naturalists records (our own and
others)
Wildlife carers records
Writings of early explorers,
travelers and guides
Sub-fossil records from Jenolan
Caves
and found:

9. 432 native terrestrial vertebrate fauna
species have been reliably recorded in the
GBMWHA since European settlement:
68 mammals
254 birds
74 reptiles
36 frogs

10. The 254 birds include:
• 61 bird families
• 29 honeyeater species
• 18 parrot species
• 1/3 of all Australian birds

11. The 68 mammals include:
• 2 monotremes
• 1 platypus
• 1 echidna
• 29 marsupials
• 8 dasyurids
• 3 bandicoots
• 1 koala
• 1 wombat
• 1 pygmy-possum
• 3 wrist-winged gliders
• 2 ringtail possum and
greater glider
• 1 feathertail glider (?2)
• 2 brushtail possums (?3)
• 2 potoroos and bettongs (?4)
• 5 macropods
• 37 placentals
• 9 rodents
• 27 bats
• 1 dingo

12. The 74 reptiles
include:
• 1 freshwater turtle
• 51 lizards
• 5 dragon lizards
• 5 geckos
• 3 snake-lizards
• 35 skinks
• 3 goannas
• 22 snakes
• 1 python
• 2 tree snakes
• 16 front-fanged
snakes
• 3 blind snakes

13. The 36 frogs include:
• 18 tree frogs
• 10 southern ground frogs
• 8 limnodynastid ground frogs
• the last two families are
unique to Australia

14. Where does each of the 432 species
occur, when was it last recorded?

15. We compiled a
checklist showing:
- the reserves in which
each species occurs
- the date of the last
record per reserve

16. Some species, like the Eastern Yellow Robin, are
represented by more than one subspecies.
The identity of some species in the
GBMWHA is still uncertain – we do not
know if this possum is a Mountain Brushtail
Possum or a Short-eared Brushtail Possum
(need measurements). It is not the
widespread Common Brushtail Possum.

17. Every species in the GBMWHA is intrinsically
valuable. We also have many species with
special conservation significance:
73 species are listed as threatened at
national or state level including:
28 mammals
34 birds
4 reptiles
7 frogs
12 bird species are protected under
international migratory bird agreements
(BONN Convention, CAMBA, JAMBA
and ROKAMBA)

18. An extraordinarily high number of species within the GBMWHA are at the edge of
their range and contribute substantially to the genetic variability of their species.
These include
• 1/3 of the mammals (20 species)
• 1/10 of the birds (29 species not
including vagrants)
• 1/2 of the reptiles (37 species)
• 3/4 of the frogs (25 species)

19. Why is there such outstanding faunal
diversity in the World Heritage Area?
Vast area; lots of wilderness; diverse
fauna habitats in close proximity with
varied elevations, microclimates,
geologies, soils, topographies and fire
histories; influenced by surrounding
more fertile lands.
Location at convergence of
• Moist coastal areas to the east
• Dry western slopes
• Cold southern tablelands
• Warm northern sub-tropics

20. Examples of trends in the
fauna
• For 25 species we could find no
recent (post-1999) records
• 9 mammals are probably now
locally extinct
• The 6 frogs most closely
associated with rainforest and
wet sclerophyll forest are all now
rare
• Recent decliners include the
threatened Greater Glider and
Flame Robin and the not yet
threatened Dusky Antechinus
and Pink-tongued Lizard
• Recent increasers include the
threatened Powerful Owl and
Sooty Owl and the unthreatened
Bar-shouldered Dove and
Australian Brush-turkey

21. In October 2019 we published a
book about the native fauna of the
GBMWHA
Judy, Peter and Kate Smith
www.bluemountainsfauna.com.au

22. Conclusion
The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area is home to a
remarkably diverse native terrestrial vertebrate fauna of
international significance, about which there is still a lot to learn.
There is much to celebrate next year on the 20th anniversary of the
Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage listing (29 November 2000).