Sage & Pigott: Conservation status of Goodenia 
currently listed as threatened may reflect the relatively 
recent publication of the Flora of Australia in 1992 and 
the paucity of previous work in Western Australia. A 
taxon cannot be upgraded to threatened unless it has 
been thoroughly searched for in the wild by botanists in 
the past five years and been shown to be rare or under 
some threat of extinction (Brown et al. 1998). 
The number of threatened, rare or poorly known 
Goodenia species are shown for the IBRA for Western 
Australia in Fig. 2. The highest numbers occur in the 
species rich South-West Botanical Province, specifically 
the Esperance Plains IBRA, the area of highest diversity, 
survey effort, and habitat destruction and disturbance. 
The Northern Kimberley and the Esperance Sandplains 
IBRA each have eight species of conservation listed taxa. 
This high level of conservation-listed taxa in the 
Northern Kimberley may be due to the bioregion having 
the highest diversity of the Northern province and being 
very poorly collected. Prior to this study, very few 
conservation taxa were known to occur in the Eremaean 
or Northern botanical province, though the majority of 
the newly recommended taxa occur there. 
An estimated 45% of populations of threatened or 
poorly known Goodenia species occur on the conservation 
estate i.e. reserves, national parks and state forest and 
local government reserves (K Atkins, CALM, 
unpublished data). This compares favourably with 37.9% 
for the all of the threatened species in the State (K Atkins, 
CALM, unpublished data). 
The following 25 taxa were added to the CALM Codes 
for Priority Flora listings (see Appendix 1 for a detailed 
account of each taxon) as a result of this study; Goodenia 
berringbinensis, G. brachypoda , G. byrnesii, G. crenata , G. 
gibbosa , G. gloeophylla, G. grandiflora, G. hartiana , G. 
heatheriana, G. janamba , G. kakadu , G. lunata, G. modesta, G. 
omearana, G. pascua, G. salmoriiana, G. purpurascens, G. 
schwerinensis, G. strangfordii, G. suffrutescens , G. sp Lake 
King (M Gustafsson et K Bremer 132) , G. sp Scaddan (C D 
Turley 41VM/1099), G. sp South Coast (A R Annels 
ARA1846), G. virgata and G. varia. 
Discussion 
Threatening processes 
Threatening processes affecting Western Australian 
Goodenia were observed by the authors and other 
botanists. They can often be inferred from the habitats 
the species occur in, the life history strategy and general 
threats to other species as discussed in Brown et al. 
(1998). Critically small remnants are directly threatened 
by degradation and destruction (Coates & Atkins 2001). 
Other threats are introduced weeds, Phytophthora root rot 
disease, and feral and agricultural animal grazing. All 
specifically relate to the highly altered and fragmented 
Goodenia-'rich' Kwongan sand plain heaths of the South- 
West Botanical Province, and except for Phytophthora are 
relevant to the Eremean and Northern Botanical 
Provinces. Overall these processes vary between IBRA 
and the broader Botanical Provinces. 
Rising salinity and water tables is a significant 
problem to the flora of the South-West Botanical Province 
(Brown et al. 1998) and threatens species such as Goodenia 
integerrima (currently listed as threatened by CALM) and 
G. sp Lake King (M Gustafsson et K Bremer 132). Both taxa 
occur in halophytic vegetation on the edge of a few salt 
lakes in the Avon Wheatbelt IBRA (and are therefore 
saline tolerant at some level). 
Phytophthora cinnamomi root rot disease is a significant 
threat to the families Proteaceae, Epacridaceae, 
Papilionaceae and Myrtaceae of the South-West Botanical 
Province (Brown et al 1998). Goodeniaceae in general are 
affected as the family is the sixth highest vascular plant 
family affected by plant pathogens, including 
Phytophthora cinnamomi , rusts and other fungal infections 
(Shearer 1994). The related genera Dampiera and Scaevola 
(Goodeniaceae) are susceptible to Phytophthora species 
infection (Malajckuk & Glenn 1981; McDougall et al. 
2001). Thus species of threatened or poorly known 
Goodenia occurring within the higher rainfall zones of the 
South-West Botanical Province should be treated as 
potentially susceptible to Phytophthora root rot disease. 
Invasive weeds are a major threat in the highly 
fragmented Avon Wheatbelt IBRA. Agriculture has 
altered this bioregion from a vast mosaic of perennial 
vegetation associations to only small remaining 
fragments of native vegetation (Hobbs 1998; Scanlan et al. 
1992). A survey of the relatively undisturbed 
Yilliminning Rock Reserve (east of Narrogin in the 
central Avon Wheatbelt IBRA) found 8% of flora to be 
introduced weeds (Pigott & Sage 1997). Another survey 
found 10% of plant species in Jingaring Nature Reserve 
to be introduced weeds (Obbens et al. 2001). These 
percentages are consistent with relatively undisturbed 
remnants, while highly disturbed remnants contain much 
higher percentages. Generally weeds are difficult to 
remove once introduced, and prevent perennial species 
regenerating (Hobbs & Atkins 1991). This threat is highly 
relevant to the Goodenia-"rich" Avon Wheatbelt IBRA and 
should be addressed in any management regimes for 
threatened or poorly known Goodenia. 
For the Eremaean and Northern Botanical Provinces 
the main threatening process are feral and agricultural 
herbivores that degrade the margins of water bodies, a 
major habitat of Goodenia species. Pickard (1993) states 
that semi-arid ecosystems, such as the margins of water 
bodies, are under threat from current land use practices 
involving domestic and feral herbivores as well as feral 
carnivores. Mining activities may also be a threat, 
especially in the Pilbara where species have small 
distributions or restricted habitats. 
Apparent causes of rarity 
Loss of suitable habitat, through natural or 
anthropogenic processes, for those species that are 
habitat dependent and occur in regions of the greatest 
habitat destruction (such as the South-West Botanical 
Province) may be a cause of rarity in certain Goodenia 
species. Goodenia katabudjar is an example of habitat 
limitation mostly through anthropogenic habitat 
destruction (Cranfield & Sage 1997). This species is 
restricted to upland Jarrah-Wandoo woodland intergrade 
on the central border of the Jarrah Forest and Avon 
Wheatbelt IBRA, which has been cleared over most of its 
known range. Recently discovered and described, this 
species is known from only three populations and is 
under immediate threat from mining activities (Cranfield 
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