Quantifying and mitigating the barrier effect of roads on the movement and dispersal of wildlife. In fragmented landscapes, wildlife need to move between habitat patches to exchange genes, increase the size of declining populations and recolonise areas were animals have become extinct. For many species, roads may act as barriers that prevent or limit dispersal, potentially isolating some habitats. In this study, we aim to quantify the extent to which major highways in regional Australia form a ....Quantifying and mitigating the barrier effect of roads on the movement and dispersal of wildlife. In fragmented landscapes, wildlife need to move between habitat patches to exchange genes, increase the size of declining populations and recolonise areas were animals have become extinct. For many species, roads may act as barriers that prevent or limit dispersal, potentially isolating some habitats. In this study, we aim to quantify the extent to which major highways in regional Australia form a barrier to the movement of mammals and invertebrates. We will then test the effectiveness of measures that may facilitate safe crossing by measuring their rate of use, reduction in road kill and increase in population viability. This information can then be used to construct major roads that are more environmentally sustainable.Read moreRead less
A Bayesian framework for metapopulation dynamics of species in endangered communities: integrating demographic, environmental and genetic data. Biodiversity conservation is a spatial and temporal problem. Populations change in time, constrained by the structure and spatial division of their habitat. This study will develop a tool that can be used to assess the influence of environmental fluctuations and landscape heterogeneity on the persistence of endemic species in the mound springs of the Gr ....A Bayesian framework for metapopulation dynamics of species in endangered communities: integrating demographic, environmental and genetic data. Biodiversity conservation is a spatial and temporal problem. Populations change in time, constrained by the structure and spatial division of their habitat. This study will develop a tool that can be used to assess the influence of environmental fluctuations and landscape heterogeneity on the persistence of endemic species in the mound springs of the Great Artesian Basin. Using a Bayesian framework to integrate data from diverse sources, we will develop models for the biodiversity impacts of groundwater withdrawal and climate change in central Australia. These tools are essential for management of this ecosystem, which has been listed as an 'endangered community' under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354789
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Networking environmental science to achieve integrated management of Australian terrestrial biodiversity in an era of environmental change. Human activities impact Australian ecosystems profoundly and compound natural complexity by superimposing environmental changes. Thus, understanding, conserving and enhancing Australian biodiversity demands interdisciplinary research and management strategies. These activities lack overarching strategic coordination, being conducted mainly by groups with fo ....Networking environmental science to achieve integrated management of Australian terrestrial biodiversity in an era of environmental change. Human activities impact Australian ecosystems profoundly and compound natural complexity by superimposing environmental changes. Thus, understanding, conserving and enhancing Australian biodiversity demands interdisciplinary research and management strategies. These activities lack overarching strategic coordination, being conducted mainly by groups with focused interests. We will develop a Network uniting the skills, resources and energies of excellent and productive researchers and managers of natural resources across the relevant disciplines and organizations, and so work synergistically towards the National Research Priority of an Environmentally Sustainable Australia.Read moreRead less
Our rural wealth: using functional responses of native fauna to predict conservation values of agricultural landscapes. The aim of this project is to develop and test a new approach for assessing the conservation value of agricultural landscapes in Australia. It is based on identifying the functional responses of the fauna to the extent and pattern of native vegetation and types and intensity of agricultural land-uses in whole landscapes. Different response types will be interpreted in relatio ....Our rural wealth: using functional responses of native fauna to predict conservation values of agricultural landscapes. The aim of this project is to develop and test a new approach for assessing the conservation value of agricultural landscapes in Australia. It is based on identifying the functional responses of the fauna to the extent and pattern of native vegetation and types and intensity of agricultural land-uses in whole landscapes. Different response types will be interpreted in relation to ecological characteristics of species. We will use this knowledge to predict the status of birds and mammals in novel landscapes in three bioregions, and test the predictions by field studies. This new landscape-level approach will help land managers assess present agricultural environments as well as evaluate scenarios for future changes in land-use.Read moreRead less
How much habitat and what configuration maintains natural levels of connectivity in southeast Australian native birds? Maintenance of biodiversity is fundamental to ecologically sustainable development. This project will deepen our understanding of the consequences of landscape change for native birds and enhance our national capacity to integrate nature conservation and agricultural production. We will contribute to sustainable use of rural landscapes by providing land managers with greater und ....How much habitat and what configuration maintains natural levels of connectivity in southeast Australian native birds? Maintenance of biodiversity is fundamental to ecologically sustainable development. This project will deepen our understanding of the consequences of landscape change for native birds and enhance our national capacity to integrate nature conservation and agricultural production. We will contribute to sustainable use of rural landscapes by providing land managers with greater understanding of (1) how and why landscape change affects bird species diversity and persistence, (2) which components of the landscape can most effectively be manipulated to enhance population survival, and (3) estimating the long-term effects of habitat fragmentation on the population structure and function of species.Read moreRead less
Landscape-scale monitoring and adaptive management of woodland birds in the Mt Lofty Ranges. Despite the fundamental role of scientific monitoring in nature conservation, its research importance and potential is widely neglected. There is an urgent need to improve quantitative rigour, particularly to ensure adequate statistical power is achieved when monitoring at a landscape scale. We will apply new analytical tools to the problem of devising a powerful and flexible monitoring regime for a high ....Landscape-scale monitoring and adaptive management of woodland birds in the Mt Lofty Ranges. Despite the fundamental role of scientific monitoring in nature conservation, its research importance and potential is widely neglected. There is an urgent need to improve quantitative rigour, particularly to ensure adequate statistical power is achieved when monitoring at a landscape scale. We will apply new analytical tools to the problem of devising a powerful and flexible monitoring regime for a highly threatened woodland bird community in South Australia. Monitoring will be embedded within a decision-making framework with explicit links to local management agencies. Results will be broadly applicable across agricultural areas of Australia, where bird assemblages are in general decline.Read moreRead less
Sustainable Farms: Tree Regeneration and the Future of Farmland Biodiversity. While many government and community initiatives aim to enhance the sustainability of Australian farming systems, none specifically target the important regional-scale threatening process of tree recruitment failure. Unless this problem is addressed urgently, many farming landscapes may be virtually treeless in the future, with severe negative ramifications for both biodiversity and agricultural productivity. 'Sustainab ....Sustainable Farms: Tree Regeneration and the Future of Farmland Biodiversity. While many government and community initiatives aim to enhance the sustainability of Australian farming systems, none specifically target the important regional-scale threatening process of tree recruitment failure. Unless this problem is addressed urgently, many farming landscapes may be virtually treeless in the future, with severe negative ramifications for both biodiversity and agricultural productivity. 'Sustainable Farms' will have major national and community benefits because it will: (1) identify more sustainable farming practices that are conducive to successful tree recruitment in the future, and (2) raise awareness about a much neglected threat to the sustainability of Australian farming landscapes.Read moreRead less
Models for biodiversity futures for massively altered agricultural landscapes. Problems with soil and water and declines in native biodiversity have been linked to clearance of native vegetation. We consider future landscapes with substantially more native vegetation than at present to deal with these natural resource problems. Plantings will be slow to mature so optimal planning for landscape revegetation must consider how long it will take for the new vegetation to provide suitable habitat, bo ....Models for biodiversity futures for massively altered agricultural landscapes. Problems with soil and water and declines in native biodiversity have been linked to clearance of native vegetation. We consider future landscapes with substantially more native vegetation than at present to deal with these natural resource problems. Plantings will be slow to mature so optimal planning for landscape revegetation must consider how long it will take for the new vegetation to provide suitable habitat, both at patch and landscape scales. We will develop an optimization framework incorporating models of vegetation maturation and biotic responses to aid designs for placement and scheduling of replantings to give the best outcomes for biodiversity management given constraints on amounts of retired area and costs of implementation.Read moreRead less
The conservation of widely distributed species: implications of differences between western and eastern koala populations. Koalas are an iconic species in Australia, generating $2.5 billion in tourist income alone. This project will be a first to test cross-regional variations in koala-habitat relationships, with implications for conservation of other species occupying broad geographical ranges. It will also predict the effect of future climate change on western koala populations living at the ....The conservation of widely distributed species: implications of differences between western and eastern koala populations. Koalas are an iconic species in Australia, generating $2.5 billion in tourist income alone. This project will be a first to test cross-regional variations in koala-habitat relationships, with implications for conservation of other species occupying broad geographical ranges. It will also predict the effect of future climate change on western koala populations living at the margin of their ecological tolerances. It will provide regional natural resource management bodies and state conservation agencies with a sound ecological framework to conserve western koalas in the long term. Regional communities will benefit from involvement by incorporating new conservation knowledge into sub-catchment and property management planning.Read moreRead less
Applying macroecology to assist in the management of Kakadu National Park. The ecological integrity of Kakadu National Park is threatened by fires, weeds, and feral animals. To help tackle these problems, we will develop a cost-effective, culturally appropriate, park-wide monitoring system based on changes in the boundaries of closed forests, woodland and grassland. We will gauge the effect of broad-scale land management interventions, and predict the consequences of future change. The findings ....Applying macroecology to assist in the management of Kakadu National Park. The ecological integrity of Kakadu National Park is threatened by fires, weeds, and feral animals. To help tackle these problems, we will develop a cost-effective, culturally appropriate, park-wide monitoring system based on changes in the boundaries of closed forests, woodland and grassland. We will gauge the effect of broad-scale land management interventions, and predict the consequences of future change. The findings of this study will be transferable to other landscape settings in Australia and overseas. It will contribute to debates about the ecological consequences of current land management practices and how these compare with past Aboriginal land management.Read moreRead less