The future of Shrubby Samphires and Slender-billed Thornbills in the Green Adelaide region (and hopefully beyond) has been enhanced by the Board of Green Adelaide approving Shrubby samphire: A local recovery plan, developed by Peri Coleman and Faith Coleman, Delta Environmental Consulting.
Shrubby samphire (Tecticornia arbuscula) is a tall samphire occurring in the temperate saltmarsh ecological community around southern Australia, an ecological community defined as Vulnerable under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
Shrubby samphire stands are known to be key habitat for the Slender-billed Thornbills (Acanthiza iredalei rosinae). The Slender-billed Thornbill (also known as Samphire Thornbill) species is classed too as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act and also under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972.
In 2014 and 2017 significant dieback events occurred that affected the population of shrubby samphire across southern Australia and this Recovery Plan looks at what has happened since to Shrubby samphires, and Slender-billed Thornbills, and how their habitat can be protected.
Three strategies for recovery are identified in this plan:
- reducing environmental impacts caused by people, e.g. global sea level rise
- creating new coastal retreat zones, and
- active revegetation.
The plan sees a small window of opportunity to 2030-2034 (when sea levels are likely to exceed the baseline Sea Level Rise trend) to maximise retreat opportunities for shrubby samphire, using “blue carbon” (carbon and storage offsets) approaches to protect and manage appropriate sites in the upper Gulf St Vincent area.
Torrens Island, the Gawler River delta and Buckland Park Lake, the River Light delta, Baker Creek at Webb Beach and, potentially the Crown lands of the Dry Creek salt fields, are possible areas to improve coastal retreat opportunities.
Locally as citizen scientists we can contribute to the implementation of the Plan e.g. via a proposed monitoring program for the Slender-billed Thornbills, that will include Torrens Island, and adding observations to a current iNaturalist project monitoring Shrubby Samphires and climate change.
Contributions to iNaturalist currently show we have Shrubby Samphire on Torrens Island, at Mutton Cove, North Haven and St Kilda and a sighting of a Slender-billed Thornbill north of St Kilda. (Note: there’s many more sightings of Slender-billed Thornbills north of Port Gawler). Add to our understanding and recording of these Vulnerable species to contribute to their survival.
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