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Invertebrate Conservation Issue Introduction: Invertebrate species conservation in Victoria Alan LYen' and TRNew- 'PrimaryIndustriesResearchVictoria,621 BurwoodHighway,Knoxfield,Victoria3156 ' Email:[email protected]) -DepartmentofZoology,LaTrobeUniversity,Victoria3086 This dedicated issue of The Victorian have inspired the pioneering and establish- Naturalist is about invertebrates, that mas- ment ofthe discipline ofinvertebrate con- sive variety ofanimal life so important in servation in Victoria), to demonstrate sustaining ecosystems, yet disregarded by recent increases in knowledge and man- most people, to whom the need for their agement related to their conservation conservation and very existence is not needs. The species listed so far are but a apparent. Without invertebrate participa- tiny fraction ofpossible deserving candi- tion in processes such as pollination, dates. Someofthe speciesdiscussedbelow decomposition and recycling, as predomi- are not yet listed for formal conservation nant members offood webs, and as con- significance, and exemplify the variety of trollers of pests in crop and commodity possible future requirements. Unlike the protection, the world would differ greatly major vertebrate groups, for which FFG from that which we see and use, and schedules ofthreatened species are rela- human interests would be compromised tively complete, the listed invertebrates are severely. An earlier special issue ofthis simply those for which some case ofneed journal (Yen and New 1995) gave a broad has been made and adjudged valid. perspective of invertebrate conservation Numerous vast groups ofinsects and oth- needs in Victoria, and this issue examines ers are not represented by listed species. more recent progress with greater focus on This does not reflect lack of equivalent individual speciesandtheirneeds. Someof needbutsimply lackofcapabilitytoevalu- these species have been studied for many ate their conservation status, and lack of years, and summaries oftheirconservation specialists versed in the biology ofthose programs are given; others are more novel creatures. The inevitable wider conse- and indicate the continuing need and quence is that invertebrate conservation expansion of interests in invertebrate con- has been progressed mainlyby attention of servation inthe state. members to a few ‘well-known’ groups, Invertebrates were amongst the earliest amongst which butterflies are paramount, nominated candidates for scheduling as and (more rarely) through the zeal ofindi- threatened species under the Flora and vidual proponents for members of less Fauna GuaranteeAct 1988 (FFG), andthe familiargroups. ecologically diverse trio of the Giant Elsewhere in the world, two other con- Gippsland Earthworm, the Hemiphlebia trasting perspectives on how bestto pursue Damselfly and the Eltham Copper invertebrate conservation occur. First, in Butterfly were an important collective parts ofthe northern temperate zone, pre- flagship in demonstrating the great variety dominantly in the United Kingdom and ofinvertebrate ecology to people to whom parts ofwestern continental Europe, taxo- such animals were strangers, and to whom nomic,biological anddistributional knowl- their conservation and wider evolutionary edge ofmany invertebrate groups is suffi- importance were novel (Yen et al. 1990). cientforfinelyhoned species-focusedcon- Since then, a considerable variety of servation programs based on very detailed insects, snails, freshwatercrayfish andoth- knowledge as a foundation for effective ers have been added to the FFG schedules, management and recovery (Stewart and so that (at 20 July 2006) 71 invertebrates New 2007). Programs on the British but- are listed for attention in the state. This terflies, for example, draw on well over a special issue presents short accounts of century of collector interest and detailed some ofthese species (mainly those which historical records of incidence and abun- Vol. 124 (4) 2007 193 Invertebrate Conservation Issue dance, which allow trends in distribution appraise the needs and priorities for a and abundance to be found and interpreted whole invertebrate group in Australia. (see Asheretal. 2001). Similar exercises w'ould be feasible for Second, the vast diversity of inverte- dragonflies and damselflies, and a few brates overmuch ofthetropics renders any select groupsofother invertebrates, but the such equivalent focuson individual species conclusions by Butcher and Doeg (1995) very difficult, because of poor taxonomy that "Current information on aquatic inver- (with most species undescribed), pooreco- tebrates in Victoria is insufficient for most logical understanding and. as importantly, approaches to conservation’ and "While a the lack ofresident expertise and potential few species of conservation significance support for conservation in relation to the have been identified, concentration on the needs of burgeoning human populations single-species approach will leave many (Lewis and Basset 2007). Australia mani- others open to further decline’ are equally fests an intermediate position: our butter- true formostterrestrial taxa. flies. and some other insects, are indeed The act oflisting a species under FFG, or reasonably well-known through hobbyist equivalent legislation elsewhere, implies interests, but most other invertebrate concern for its future usually because of groups remain more intangible as the evident decline in abundance or distribu- province ofvery limited interest by few tion, including loss from sites changed by people. Whereas the need for conservation human activities, and commonly accompa- ofmany a fly, snail or worm may be real, nied by definition ofthe ‘threats’ causing the transfer of'a name on a list' to a prac- such concerns. It is relevant to emphasise tical and successful management program here that simple ‘rarity’ is not alone evi- for such species is an enormous step, par- dence forconservation need. Vastnumbers ticularly when based on very limited ofinvertebrate species are indeed "rare’, in knowledge. However, and as emphasised some combination of occurring in low in a majoroverviewofnon-marine inverte- numbers, or in very limited areas, and in brate conservation needs in Australia (Yen being ecologically specialised. However, and Butcher 1997), the vast diversity of many such species are not "threatened’, invertebrates ensures that only a tiny pro- and may continue to thrive unless condi- portion of species can ever be considered tions change. Many are known from only individually. For most, the only practical single sites, or very few such places, but avenue to their security is to protect the may need only a hectare or less ofsuitable habitatstheyfrequent. habitat in order to persist - small habitat We have deliberately limited this issue to areas that could not support an effective representative terrestrial and freshwater population of larger animals such as most invertebrates in Victoria, simply because vertebrates. Such sites may indeed merit many ofthese are better known than many monitoring to detect any threats that arise, oftheirmarinecounterparts, andnot in any but it is usually not feasible (otherthan by way to diminish the importance ofmarine improved buffering ofimportant habitat to invertebrates orthe need to conserve them. prevent loss and degradation) to plan to Animals such as butterflies, dragonflies, protect them from chance events such as and some moths and beetles, are far better wildfire or flooding. The more focused known, so that their conservation needs basis for conservation concern is ‘threat’, and priorities can be assessed more realis- not least because detection and definition tically, on a scale of "secure’ to "critically ofthreat(s) dictates a path to constructive endangered’ toreflecturgencyofthe atten- management through threat removal and tion needed. Allocating invertebrates con- ameliorativemeasurestoconservethepop- vincingly to a particular category ofthreat ulation or species affected. Site (broadly, is a complex task, but necessary as a physical habitat) security is the foundation means to give priority to the most needy ofthis; without a ‘place to live’ a species species in a work climate in which support or population is doomed. Simply safe- is inadequate for all needs to be met. Only guarding a site does not guarantee conser- for butterflies has a national Action Plan vation, however, and continuing manage- been formulated (Sands and New 2002) to ment is commonly needed to sustain the 194 The Victorian Naturalist Invertebrate ConservationIssue resources and conditions needed by any understanding conservation needs for a particularspecies. Thisparagraph exempli- variety ofVictoria’s threatened (or pre- A fies the twin conservation paradigms dis- sumed threatened) invertebrates. further tinguishedbyCaughley (1994), namely(1) paper exemplifies how a Victorian institu- the ‘small population paradigm’ for which tion is supporting wider invertebrate con- conservation concerns arise simply from servation within Australia through a cap- the population being small, and so subject tive breeding programme of the Lord to adverse genetic effects such as inbreed- Howe Island Stick Insect - the only non- ing andthepossible effects ofhabitat limi- Victorian species included, but one to tation, so that the population could be whose well-being State expertise is con- extirpated by a single catastrophe, and (2) tributing significantly. These cases include the ‘declining population paradigm’ for some species that have attracted attention which the causes ofdecline (i.e. threats) over the last 20 years. Collectively these defineparametersformanagement. accounts demonstrate changing attitudes to Invertebrate conservation concerns in invertebrates in Australia, and the ways in Victoria exemplify both these schools of which objective scientific evidence isplay- thought. A number of species have been ing important roles in formulating conser- listed under FFG simply because they are vation protocols. The consequences of rare, someofthemnarrowrangeendemics, FFG listing, noted by Clunie and Reed but with little specific evidence ofthreat. (1995) include (1) protection from take, an The number ofdiscrete populations is one action with verymixed benefits for conser- ofthe criteria incorporated into the World vation (Greenslade 1999); (2) construction Conservation Union’s categories of threat. of an Action Statement, to elaborate on Otherspecies aretrulythreatened,predom- whatisknownandwhatneedstobeknown inantly through loss of(or major changes to ensure long-term survival in the wild ; to)theirhabitats andcriticalresources. The (3) moves to protect habitat and critical initial actoflisting suchpoorly-understood resources from further despoliation and species under FFG ideally leads to accu- loss; (4) becoming foci for funding, com- mulation of knowledge that, in turn, monlywithadditional supportbyformation reveals either (T) that management for ofcommunity groups; (5) elevated public greater ecological understanding, threat profile through a variety ofadvisory and amelioration and recovery is needed, and mediaexposure; and(6) obligationstocon- definition ofthe specific components ofa sider the species in planning decisions for convincing management plan, or (2) that land or water management. In these steps, the initial concerns were misplaced and some ofthe invertebrates listed for conser- that the species is more abundant, wide- vation protection under FFG have become spread and/orsecurethan earliersupposed. some ofthe best-known non-pest inverte- The latter, as well as successful manage- brates inthe State. Forothers, no such plan ment leading to demonstrated recovery, is currently possible. The above ‘conse- may be grounds for delisting the species, quences’ are all evidentinthe exampleswe not least to refocus support for more summarise here. Collectively they help to deserving taxa on the list. Two other advance wider knowledge ofthe conserva- grounds fordelisting ataxon, both rare but tionneedsoftheseintriguinganimals. noted here for completeness, are (1) ifthe Many uncertainties and challenges species is known to have become extinct, remain. The over-arching effects offuture for example through monitoring ofthe last climate change have as yet been scarcely or only known population, and (2) iftaxo- defined, for example, but may markedly nomic changes reveal itnotto be adistinc- influence the vulnerability ofmany inver- tive entity, but synonymous with a non- tebrate species (including a variety of threatened taxon. However, isolated or alpine region endemics) that already sur- other ‘significant’ populations may still be vive in only small areas ofmarginally suit- eligible forconservationattention. able habitat that may be changed dramati- In this issue ofThe Victorian Naturalist, callywithinafewdecades. authors have been invited to review and comment on the status ofand progress to Vol. 124 4 2007 195 ( ) Invertebrate Conservation Issue References Stewart AJA and New FR (2007) Insect conservation AsherJ. Warren M. Fox R. Hardy I\ JelTcoateG and in temperate biomes: issues, progressand prospects. 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FemaleGolden Sun-mothSynemonplana. Photograph suppliedbyLucyGibson. 196 The Victorian Naturalist