Edgbaston Reserve (Queensland, Australia): Managing endemic species in a desert spring complex

Authors: Upton, Lara*1

Year: 2015 (xlvii)

Abstract

Located in Central Queensland, Edgbaston Reserve protects the Edgbaston Spring complex. This complex comprises over 100 springs discharged from the Great Artesian Basin, one of the largest underground water reservoirs in the world covering over 1.7 million square kilometers. The springs act like isolated aquatic islands in the desert and are rarely more than five centimeters deep. The Edgbaston Complex is described as Australia’s most ecologically diverse network of inland springs, and are listed as nationally endangered by the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. Two species of fish, eleven species of snail, and one species each of crustacean, flatworm, and spider reside exclusively in Edgbaston springs. The critically endangered Red-finned Blue-eye, Scaturiginichthys vermeilipinnis, was first discovered in the springs in 1990. Only four populations were identified at the time, but a captive breeding program over the next five years successfully increased their population to seven springs. Listed as vulnerable, the Edgbaston Goby, Chlamydogobius squamigenus, has long been ecologically separated from other desert Goby species but retains common features, such as the ability to breath air when the springs dry. Populations of both species are threatened by the invasion of non-native Eastern Mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki, which spread through the flat, expansive landscape via overland flooding. The eradication of this common threat, observed globally across native fish management, remains a holy-grail for conservation programs in Australia and the U.S. Conservation efforts have focused on three key strategies: the chemical removal of Gambusia, which proves difficult in the complex and marshy habitat; captive breeding of Red-finned Blue-eye, which has met with some success but requires ongoing funding and resources; and barrier fencing around Gambusia-free springs, which, while effective at excluding Gambusia, impedes natural dispersal and re-colonization. Despite the drawbacks, this hands-on management is crucial to the species’ persistence. As with desert fishes in the American Southwest, conservation requires support from land-owners and Federal and State Government legislators.