Academic literature on the topic 'Remnant vegetation management'

Birds in roadside and remnant patches of vegetation in the Marburg district of south-eastern Queensland were studied from November 1989 to February 1990. Effects of the length, width and height of the tree, shrub and herb layers, and their major components, on the bird community were determined. In all, 43 species of birds were observed in roadside vegetation; 16 of these were abundant and widely distributed. Silvereyes were most frequently observed (240 observations), followed by superb fairy-wrens (59), yellow thornbills (53), double-barred finches (26), red-backed fairy-wrens (25) and Lewin's honeyeaters (20). Apart from silvereyes (20-654 of observations), and superb fairy-wrens on two roads (12 and 13%) and yellow thornbills on one (15%), no other species constituted more than 10% of observations on any road. In all, 48 species of birds were observed in remnant patches of vegetation, 14 in all of them. Rates of detection in remnant patches ranged from 2.7 to 5.3 birds per 5 min compared with a mean maximum rate for roadside vegetation of 1.3. The richness of the roadside avifauna increased significantly (P=0.001) as the volume (length x width x height) of the tree component, especially the softwood species, increased. The diversity of tree species in softwood remnants and the greater canopy density appear to be important factors that enhance the bird community. The number of birds was also correlated (P=0.05) with the volume of brigalow, Acacia harpophylla. The correlation of the volume of woody weeddshrubs with the number of birds was low (P=0.05), and with the number of species not significant, even though woody weeds were a major component of roadside vegetation. Although supporting fewer birds than remnant patches of vegetation, roadside vegetation contributes importantly to conservation of the avifauna in the Marburg district. Some simple management practices, such as maintaining a minimum width of undisturbed vegetation and retaining vegetation diversity, would ensure or enhance the long-term conservation benefits. Opportunities to regenerate softwood remnants could also be taken, particularly to enhance the value, and possibly prolong the life, of the associated remnants of brigalow.

Vegetation classification, survey and mapping provide key information underpinning the implementation of statewide vegetation management legislation and associated policies in Queensland. This paper summarises: (i) the Queensland Herbarium survey and mapping methods and land classification system and its role in vegetation management legislation; and, (ii) the current extent and rate of vegetation clearing by bioregion, sub-region and Broad Vegetation Group; (iii) and the amount of vegetation protected under legislated statewide bioregional and regional ecosystem thresholds. Information also is provided on the pre-clearing and current extent by 18 Broad Vegetation Groups and the area of non-remnant woody vegetation by bioregion. The implications for vegetation management are discussed, along with a comparison of clearing statistics derived from other studies that use different classification and mapping methodologies. The majority of Queensland has relatively continuous native vegetation cover (82% remnant native vegetation remaining in 1999). The productive soils of the southern part of the Brigalow Belt, lowlands in South-east Queensland, New England Tableland and Central Queensland Coast have been, however, extensively cleared with 7–30% of remnant vegetation remaining. Between 1997 and 1999, the annual rate of remnant clearing in Queensland was 4460 km2 of which over 60% occurred in the Brigalow Belt bioregion. A greater proportion of this recent clearing occurred in Broad Vegetation Groups that are associated with less fertile and/or more arid parts of the State compared with pre 1997 clearing. For bioregions and regional ecosystems where past clearing has been extensive, a substantial proportion (50–91%) of the remaining vegetation is protected by bioregional and regional ecosystem thresholds prescribed under statewide legislation and associated policies. For other bioregions and regional ecosystems, other factors such as rainfall, soil and areas of high conservation value are likely to play a larger role in determining the amount of vegetation protected. However, the effectiveness of the Queensland legislation cannot be assessed until regional planning processes have been completed and all criteria addressed.

Australian farmers want to market products as 'clean and green'. Environmental Management Systems (EMS) can help farmers improve their performance and justify 'green claims'. We worked with 12 farm families in southern New South Wales to develop and implement EMS using group learning and report progress towards developing more environmentally acceptable farming systems through increased perenniality and active management of remnant vegetation. Early on in the 3-year project, farmers assessed their environmental performance through development of a self-assessment questionnaire. Some had strong skills in management of remnant vegetation, whereas others were stronger in agronomy. Environmental monitoring tools were developed and tested, enabling farmers to assess on-farm perenniality, leakage (excess water lost) from paddocks and quality of remnant vegetation. Farmers became ready for the formal parts of EMS (environmental review, policy and action plans) half way through the project. The group-learning approach resulted in practice change. Improving farmers' understanding of environmental principles was found to be more important than the EMS process in achieving practice change, but EMS was a useful tool that enabled integration of production and environmental management.

Context The Australian cotton industry has committed to (1) understanding the biodiversity value of remnant native vegetation on cotton farms, (2) funding independent, evidence-based assessments of the industry’s sustainability and environmental performance, and (3) investing in research that reports against recognised sustainability indicators. Aims The present study reports the results of an industry-wide survey to benchmark bird diversity in native vegetation on cotton farms spanning a 1260-km north–south subcontinental gradient from Central Queensland (Qld) to Southern New South Wales (NSW). Methods Between September and November 2014, birds were sampled twice on separate days in 2-ha quadrats (20 min per census) in eight remnant vegetation types as well as in native revegetation at 197 sites on 60 cotton farms spread across the principal cotton-growing zones (Central Qld, Border Rivers, Macquarie and Southern NSW) in inland eastern Australia. Key results We recorded 185 bird species in remnant and planted native vegetation on cotton farms. Species richness of bird communities declined from north to south. Bird community composition was similar in the three southern zones, differing somewhat in the north. The most frequent species were large (>60 g), readily detected landbirds common in agricultural districts, but 26 of the 53 extant species of conservation concern in the study region were also recorded, including 16 species of declining woodland birds. Bird composition, abundance, richness and diversity differed among the nine native vegetation types, with maximal and minimal bird abundance and diversity metrics recorded in river red gum-dominated riparian vegetation and grassland respectively. Conclusions Each remnant vegetation community had a generally distinct bird assemblage, indicating that all vegetation types contribute to regional biodiversity in cotton-growing zones in inland eastern Australia. Appropriate on-farm management of all remnant and planted native vegetation will assist regional biodiversity conservation. Implications For the Australian cotton industry to meet its stated environmental responsibilities, growers should be encouraged to prioritise the conservation management of remnant, riparian and planted native vegetation on cotton farms and the monitoring of bird species as an indicator of regional biodiversity response.

Small patches of remnant vegetation are often considered to have low conservation value. In urban landscapes their value may potentially be higher than in other landscapes because they can be the only representatives of original native vegetation. Despite this potential, many small insectivorous birds that rely on native vegetation demonstrate sensitivities within urban landscapes through reduced numbers or total absence. One reason for this sensitivity may be that remnants are of suboptimal quality, which may be reflected in behavioural changes. Using five insectivorous species that were present (in low numbers) in remnants surrounded by high-density housing, foraging behaviour was examined in relation to vegetation. The proportion of time birds spent on different foraging substrates and plant species was compared with that of conspecifics in continuous vegetation. Canopy and shrub foragers showed minimal behavioural changes. Ground foragers in remnants tended to forage at lower heights than those in continuous vegetation; however, these changes did not appear to reflect a negative effect. These changes were partially explained by structural differences between vegetation in remnants and continuous sites. The number of times a bird attacked prey items was significantly higher in continuous habitat for only two species. Overall, the foraging behaviour of small insectivorous birds in remnants surrounded by high-density housing was not adversely affected by urbanisation and it appears that remnants have potential value as habitat and foraging sources in an urban landscape. Despite this, small insectivores are still sensitive to urbanisation, suggesting that other factors, probably in the matrix, are important.

Twelve remnants of woodland dominated by buloke (Allocasuarina leuhmannii [A. luehmannii]) in the Wimmera Plains of Victoria, Australia, were investigated to evaluate the habitat relationships of the herpetofauna. Reptiles and amphibians were assessed by pitfall trapping, systematic searching and recording of frog vocalisations. Site characteristics that are likely to affect the species richness of herpetofauna in buloke remnants were determined. Nine reptile and 4 amphibian species were recorded from 6048 trap-nights and 216 h of systematic searching. A significant relationship was found between the herpetofaunal and reptile species richness and the level of past grazing pressure and vegetation understorey structure. No correlation was found between herpetofaunal species richness and the area of the remnant. Species richness of amphibians was best predicted by soil type. Habitat features associated with each species are presented. Implications for the management of remnant buloke woodlands and their herpetofauna are discussed and recommendations made.

The bird species composition of nine remnants of Melaleuca quinquenervia forest in NE Brisbane, Queensland, was censused from March 1992 to March 1993 to investigate the effect of forest fragmentation and fragment characteristics. Remnant area was a correlated with the total number of bird species and the number of raptors occurring, while understorey vegetation density was related to the number of forest and understorey bird species. The species composition of the M. quinquenervia remnants was compared with that of the Cooloola National Park and with that of eucalypt [Eucalyptus] remnants in lowland SE Queensland. Even the small M. quinquenervia remnants around Brisbane play an important role in conserving the avian fauna of the region by providing habitat and refuges for migrant, nesting, locally rate and uncommon species, and species not commonly found in other forest types. Future recommended management involves the maintenance of size, habitat diversity and understorey vegetation density, the prevention of disturbance and the preservation of swampy areas and ponds.

Many species of Australian robins (Petroicidae) are declining in wooded landscapes across southern Australia, perhaps because they are unable or unwilling to disperse across the matrix between remnants, or because they experience high mortality while doing so. Eastern Yellow Robins Eopsaltria australis have declined in parts of southeastern Australia, and have gone extinct in some woodland remnants. We translocated adult Yellow Robins to remnants from which they had disappeared, and followed their survival and behaviour. Nine Yellow Robins were translocated to a 100 ha remnant in 2001 (seven birds) and 2002 (two birds). One bird disappeared immediately and a second after 2 weeks, but the rest stayed for at least 2 months, with two birds surviving to at least 4 and 5 years. One reintroduced pair bred each year from 2001 to 2005, producing six fledglings. Two colour-banded Yellow Robins also arrived unaided from another remnant 7 km away. Fifteen Yellow Robins were translocated to nine small remnants (<60 ha) in 2005– 06. Seven birds disappeared within 3 days of their release, apparently killed by predators. The remainder survived for up to 7 weeks, but none was found breeding. Translocated Robins moved up to 3 km from their release sites through natural or planted corridors, and up to 1 km through a matrix of scattered trees. Small remnants, which surviving Robins ultimately vacated, had fewer shrubs than sites where they bred. The results suggest that Eastern Yellow Robins can disperse through a landscape with corridors or scattered trees. However, they may suffer predation and reject sites that are too small or of poor habitat quality. Management to retain Eastern Yellow Robins in a fragmented landscape should enlarge remnants, protect scattered trees, plant or regenerate strategic clumps of trees and shrubs in gaps between remnants, and allow shrubs to regenerate within remnants.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 301-319). Palaeoecological records, documented historical records and remnant vegetation were investigated in order to construct a multi-scaled history of vegetation pattern and change in the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia over the last c. 8000 years. Aims to better understand post-European landscape transformation and address the inherently historical components of the problems of regional biodiversity loss, land sustainability and the cumulative contribution to global climatic change.

Thesis (MSc)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: West Coast Renosterveld is one of the most threatened vegetation types in South Africa. Less than 5% of the original extent of this vegetation type remains, of which 80% is on private land. In addition to fragmentation, much of the vegetation has been ploughed for crop production and then abandoned and invaded by alien plants. Restoration of transformed areas may improve the conservation status of this vegetation type. Indigenous species do not return to abandoned agricultural fields for decades even if these are adjacent to natural areas since their return is limited either by seed dispersal or seedling establishment. The aim of this study was to examine the recovery of indigenous vegetation on abandoned fields. Renosterveld, as we know it today, is an asteraceous shrubland, dominated mainly by renosterbos (Eytropappus rhinocerotis), but might have been a grassland or a grassland-shrubland mosaic. Historical records indicate that species of large game were common in the Western Cape when the early settlers arrived, but most of these have since disappeared. It is thus impossible to reconstruct exactly the ecological processes and functioning of Renosterveld. The first part of the study was designed to examine the effects of grass competition, grazing by indigenous large herbivores, and interaction of these two factors on the establishment, growth and survival of transplanted Renosterveld seedlings on an abandoned agricultural field. Experimental transplanting of indigenous shrubs into an old field showed that most of the plants investigated competed for resources with lawn grasses on the field, and competition affected the seedlings throughout the experiment. Mortality was higher, and growth was reduced for seedlings exposed to grass competition. With the exception of wild olive (Olea europaea spp.africana), herbivory alone had no significant impact on the target species. Herbivory was at a low intensity (20 ha/large animal unit); higher grazing pressures might have given different results. No interaction between competition and herbivory was found for the species investigated; competition and grazing therefore seem to influence the seedlings independently. The second part of this study was conducted to examine the effects of different management strategies, viz: brush cutting, burning and herbicide application on plant species recruitment and community composition and to ascertain their applicability by farmers for large scale restoration of Renosterveld. My comparison of the different strategies for controlling annual alien grasses indicated that these did not differ significantly in their effects on species richness. Burning reduced shrub cover and increased overall species richness and diversity. Burning also reduced grass biomass, and increased recruitment of indigenous seedlings. The use of herbicide resolved the problem of grass biomass invasion and increased shrub species richness. The herbicide application did not appear to have long-term negative effects on the soil quality. Brush cutting did not remove grass biomass on the old field. Experimental re-seeding with an indigenous grass and shrub species into treated plots resulted in low recruitment. My conclusion is that grass can reduce recruitment and growth of many indigenous shrub species. My recommendation for the restoration of old fields in West Coast Renosterveld is to apply herbicide to remove grass competition, and then, after the herbicide has degraded, to oversow the field with seeds of indigenous shrub and grass species of early successional stages to increase overall species diversity.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Weskus Renosterveld is een van die mees bedreigde plantegroei soorte in Suid Afrika. Minder as 5% van die oorspronklike omvang van hierdie plantegroei tipe is oor, en dit hoofsaaklik (80%) op privaatlande. Saam met fragmentasie, is baie Renosterveld areas ook omgeploeg vir boerdery en dan net so gelos, met die gevolg dat uitheemse plante hierdie areas ingedring het. Restorasie of herstelling van sulke bewerkte lande kan dalk die bewaringsstatus van hierdie plantegroei tipe verbeter. Natuurlike vestiging van Renosterveld spesies op sulke ou bewerkte lande gebeur nie, selfs al is daar Renosterveld direk langs so ‘n ou veld. Die hervestiging van inheemse spesies is dus tot saadverspreiding or saailingbevestiging beperk. Die doel van hierdie studie is om die stadige terugkoms van inheemse plantegroei na verlate bewerkte velde te verduidelik. Renosterveld is ‘n struikveld waarin die renosterbos (Eytropappus rhinocerotis) domineer, maar kan ook ‘n grasveld of ‘n grasveld-struikland mengsel wees. Groot herbivore was algemeen in die Wes Kaap toe die eerste settelaars gearriveer het, maar intussen het omtrent al die groot wild spesies verdwyn. Dit is dus ontmoontlik om die ekologiese prosesse en funksionering van Renosterveld presies so te herstel. Die eerste deel van hierdie studie bestudeer die effek van graskompetisie, weiding deur inheemse groot herbivore, en die interaksie tussen hierdie twee faktore op die vestiging, groei en oorlewing van oorgeplante Renosterveld saailinge in ‘n verlate ou veld. Die eksperimentele oorplanting van inheemse struike in ‘n ou land het gewys dat die meeste van hierdie plante kompeteer vir hulpbronne met kweekgras wat op die ou veld groei. Kompetisie het die saailinge deur die hele eksperiment geaffekteer. ‘n Hoër mortaliteit en verminderede groei in saailinge wat aan gras kompetisie blootgestel was, is waargeneem. Met die uitsondering van Olea europaea spp. africana, het herbivorie alleen geen betekenisvolle impak op plant spesies gehad nie. Weidingsdruk was laag (20 ha/groot vee eenheid); ‘n groter weidingsdruk sou miskien ‘n ander uitkoms gehad het. Geen interaksie tussen kompetisie en herbivorie is waargeneem in die bestudeerde plantspesies nie. Dit wil dus voorkom of kompetisie en weiding die saailinge onafhanklik van mekaar beïnvloed. Die tweede deel van hierdie studie was onderneem om die effek van verskillende behandelings (kontrole, sny, brand en herbisied toediening) op plantspesie vestiging en samestelling te bestudeer asook om bestuurmetodes te toets was deur boere op groot skaal gebruik kan word om Renosterveld te herstel. In ‘n vergelyking van verskillende bestuur metodes (kontrole, besnoeiing, brand en herbisied) om eenjarige uitheemse gras te beheer, is gewys dat die behandlings nie betekenisvol van mekaar verskil in hulle effek op spesierykheid nie. Vuur het struikbedekking verminder en totale spesies rykheid en diversitiet verhoog. Die gebruik van ‘n herbisied het die probleem van grasindringing opgelos en het ook struikspesiesrykheid verhoog. Die herbisied het nie lang termyn negatiewe effekte op grond kwaliteit gehad nie. Sny het nie gras biomassa verlaag op die ou land nie. Eksperimentele plant van inheemse grasse en struike in die behandelde areas, het lae vestiging tot gevolg gehad. My algemene afleiding is dus dat gras die hervestinging en groei van baie inheemse struikspesies verminder. Ek stel voor dat herbisied gebruik moet word om gras kompetisie te verminder. Nadat herbisied residue in die grond afgebreek is, moet die ou land met inheemse struik en grasspesies, wat in vroeë suksessie stadiums is, beplant word om sodoende totale spesiediversiteit te verhoog en uiteindelik ou bewerkte lande in Weskus Renosterveld te herstel.

Thesis (MSc (Conservation Ecology and Entomology)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006.
Swartland Shale Renosterveld is restricted to fertile fine-grained soils in the winter rainfall region of the Western Cape. Between 91% and 97% of this vegetation type is transformed, mostly due to agriculture. Remaining fragments have an irreplaceable conservation value due to a high richness of endemic geophytes. Information on renosterveld vegetation composition and response to disturbance is sparse. Research occurred at three sites near Wellington: Voëlvlei Provincial Nature Reserve (CapeNature), Elandsberg Private Nature Reserve (Elandsberg Farms (Pty.) Ltd.), and Krantzkop munitions factory (Armscor/Somchem) forming a contiguous fragment in the Agter- Groeneberg Conservancy. The primary research aim was to identify or ascertain patterns of plant succession in Swartland Shale Renosterveld and associated different-aged old fields (previously ploughed), with the interaction of grazing. The key research questions are: (1) What are the plant communities of unploughed renosterveld and different-aged old fields which originated in habitats of ploughed renosterveld? (2) What are the most characteristic features of the floristic and ecological relationship between the described plant communities in terms of ecological factors operating within the studied system? (3) Does total species and life-form group richness differ between natural vegetation and old fields? (4) Is life-form richness influenced by ploughing and grazing or the interaction between these disturbances? (5) Is life-form cover-abundance influenced by ploughing and grazing or the interaction between these disturbances? (6) Does alien plant species richness differ amongst seres, and with different levels of grazing intensity? A comparison of life-form richness and cover-abundance of old field vegetation was made with adjacent natural unploughed “controls”. The effects of ploughing on community structure, with the inclusion of grazing was established. These life-form richness comparisons also occur across a gradient of increasing large mammalian herbivore grazing intensity. Sampling was conducted in winter and spring using nested 1000m2 relevés. A hierarchical classification, description and floristic interpretation of renosterveld and old field vegetation were made using TWINSPAN, SYN-TAX 2000 and CANOCO. The samples were classified with TWINSPAN and two communities were described at the association level, namely: Ursinia anthemoides–Cynodon dactylon Grassland Community (with two variants) and the Pterygodio catholici–Elytropappetum rhinocerotis Shrubland Community (with two subassociations), respectively. The vegetation data were further hierachically classified using SYNTAX 2000 which revealed similar clustering of sample objects to that resulting from classification and ordination. Following ordination of sample objects with CANOCO, select groups of species were used to depict their response curves in relation to seral development. Briefly it was found that the effects of grazing vs. non-grazing was more pronounced on old fields than in unploughed vegetation. Overall total species and life-form richness was reduced by ploughing with old fields requiring a recovery period of 30 years to resemble unploughed vegetation. Keywords: Swartland Shale Renosterveld, phytosociology, vegetation patterns, life-forms, succession, disturbance, ploughing, grazing, old fields.

This book brings together extensive scientific learning on what makes a good farm for biodiversity. Based on thirteen years of intensive research, it breaks the discussion into chapters on key environmental and vegetation assets and then discusses how to make these assets better for biodiversity. The work encompasses information on vertebrates and invertebrates on farms and their relationships with significant vegetation and environmental assets: woodland remnants, plantings, paddocks, rocky outcrops and waterways. A chapter is dedicated to each asset and how it can be managed. In the final chapter, the authors discuss the aggregation of these assets at the farm level – bringing all of the information together and also highlighting some landscape-scale perspectives on agricultural management for enhanced biodiversity. What Makes a Good Farm for Wildlife? is written in an engaging style and includes colour photographs and information boxes. It will be an important reference for landholders, hobby farmers, vineyard owners, naturalists interested in birds and other native animals, people from Catchment Management Authorities, natural resource managers and policy makers.