The conservation reserve system in the South Coast Region of NSW looks impressive, but does it adequately conserve threatened plant species?

The listed threatened plant taxa within the South Coast Region of New South Wales (Helensburgh to Batemans Bay, as designated by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service) are documented. Of the 100 NSW listed taxa, 69 are also listed by the Commonwealth, while two additional taxa are only listed by the Commonwealth. An analysis of the individual taxa and the 62 conservation reserves in the region, found that 30 taxa can with confidence be said to be adequately reserved, while 50 are assessed as inadequately reserved; for the remaining 22 taxa, reservation status is unknown. Examples of challenges for the conservation of threatened plants in the region are examined; these challenges have relevance well beyond the South Coast Region. Managing for individual plant species may be hampered by a lack of basic ecological information; this is particularly so for the rarer species such as orchids. One of the main areas where information is lacking is the response of most species to bushfire. Conservation on private land is becoming an increasingly important and challenging area for plant species conservation as the last large areas of public land are dedicated for one purpose or another. A more co-ordinated approach to conservation on private land may produce improved outcomes for many inadequately reserved taxa