Strategic Management Prospects v4.0 Species Forecast Report created on 05 February, 2024
A Species Forecast Report is a summary of currently available information, the predicted 50-year outlook for the species, and potential pathways to recovery through species-specific and landscape-scale actions.
The report collates data from a range of sources including the Victorian Biodiversity Atlas, Strategic Management Prospects (SMP), Specific Needs Assessments, Threatened Species Action Statements, the Genetic Risk Index, and the IUCN Common Assessment Method.
Species Forecast Reports are intended to be used in conjunction with SMP and other spatial outputs in NatureKit, and Action Statements where relevant.
For more information on Species Forecast Reports, SMP and other biodiversity decision support tools, including user guides, visit Choosing actions for nature webpage on the DEECA website.
| Taxon ID | 503463 |
| Scientific name | Trochocarpa clarkei |
| Common name | Lilac Berry |
| Group | Dicotyledons |
| FFG status | Endangered |
| EPBC status |
Dense, often decumbent shrub to c. 30 cm high, andplusmn; rooting at nodes; branchlets puberulent. Leaves mostly spreading, oblong-elliptic, 3-11 mm long, 1.2-3.5 mm wide, obtuse to subacute, glabrous, flat, lower surface paler with 3-7 subparallel veins; margins plane to slightly recurved, serrulate. Flowers bisexual, in dense c. 5-11-flowered spikes, mostly axillary on old wood, occasionally terminal; bracts, bracteoles and sepals obtuse; bracts 1-1.6 mm long; bracteoles 1-2 mm long; sepals ovate, 2-3 mm long; corolla urceolate-campanulate, with 5 dense tufts of spreading and deflexed hairs closing the throat of the tube; tube maroon in upper half, green below, 2.5-4 mm long, inflated; lobes maroon, 2-3 mm long, glabrous to minutely papillose; anthers much exserted; ovary usually 10-locular, style 2-2.5 mm long. Fruit depressed-globose, c. 7-8 mm long, bluish-purple, separating into 10 (rarely fewer) pyrenes. Flowers Nov.-Mar. (Albrecht 1996). Being closely related to Epacris spp., the taxon is likely to be pollinated by bees (Armstrong 1979) and birds, especially honeyeaters (Ford et al 1979). There is no known mechanism for long-distance dispersal. Vital attribute data suggest that this taxon can resprout after fire (details of seedling recruitment unknown), it is tolerant of establishment in mature vegetation, takes 5 years to reach reproductive viability, and as a medium-lived perennial lives for 10-50 years. Seeds persist in the soil for 50+ years. In undisturbed habitat where fire is infrequent, plants are expected to live to old age, so Generation Length is likely to be at the older end of the lifespan range (30-60 years)
The taxon is endemic to Victoria, and restricted to alpine and subalpine areas, locally common in areas bounded by e.g. Lake Mountain, Baw Baws, Snowy Range, Mt Cobbler, Mt Wellington, The Pinnacles, but not extending into the higher, north-eastern ranges (e.g. Bogong High Plains, Cobberas mountains).
The taxon usually grows near rocks or in sheltered areas under Snow-gums (Albrecht 1996). It is often found on the margins of Sphagnum bogs, especially on the Baw Baw plateau, which has a more maritime climate with higher summer precipitation than other alpine areas in Victoria (Shannon and Morgan 2007).
No genetic risk information is currently available.
The Habitat Distribution Model (HDM) layer shows the modelled distribution of habitat for Lilac Berry in Victoria. Red shading indicates areas of habitat with relatively higher suitability, compared with yellow shaded areas. HDMs are developed by combining Victorian Biodiversity Atlas (VBA) occurrence records for the species with a range of environmental variables to predict where the most suitable habitat for the species is in Victoria. Species may not always occupy areas of suitable habitat. Threatening processes (prior or ongoing) and disturbance regimes (e.g. fire, timber harvesting) may stop species from occupying otherwise suitable habitat for periods of time. Management actions often focus on currently occupied areas, however management of unoccupied areas can also be important to allow populations to re-establish.
No Habitat Distrabution Model is currently available.
No Species Forecast data is available because Lilac Berry is not yet included in our decision-support tools.
A Species Forecast is the estimated likelihood of a species being present in 50 years time. The data for Species Forecasts is drawn from DEECA’s decision support tools, Strategic Management Prospects and Specific Needs Assessments.
Many species benefit from the management of widespread threats, such as weeds and pests, and the benefit of these landscape-scale actions to ~4,200 species is modelled in Strategic Management Prospects. In addition to landscape-scale actions, some species also need actions that improve or protect habitat at certain sites, such as nest boxes or hollow logs, or actions to improve certain populations, such as gene mixing or translocation.
As part of a continuous improvement program for our decision-support tools, we are working to expand the scope of actions modelled in Strategic Management Prospects, and to build the dataset of species benefits from location-specific and population-specific actions.
We can use this data to consider how different actions may benefit a species and examine how different types of on-ground management may contribute to a species’ recovery in 50 years, to develop a Species Forecast.
No Species Forecast data is available because Lilac Berry is not yet included in our decision-support tools.
The benefit data in SMP can be used to consider what the Lilac Berry’s prospects are if the landscape scale management actions in SMP are implemented.
No Species Prospects figure is available becuase Lilac Berry is not yet included in SMP.
For more information on the decision support tools, products and underlying data used in this report, and how the data is collected and developed into products, please visit the following links:
These links include information on how to provide data and feedback into these products.
The Species Forecast Reports will be updated periodically to reflect changes and improvements in the products and tools that inform them (e.g., following updates to SMP).
As the data contained in Species Forecast Reports is drawn from multi-species datasets, it is not currently possible to incorporate species-specific information or feedback directly.
For help or further information get in touch by visiting Choosing actions for nature webpage on the DEECA website.
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