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Conservation and Biodiversity

document Enhancing biodiversity hotspots along Western Queensland stock routes
The report, Enhancing biodiversity hotspots along Western Queensland stock routes identifies 47 hotspots on these stock routes and on other sites of high nature conservation and geological value The report highlights: the biological values for each hotspot (including the presence of priority species) potential threats current management recommended actions. The report was a joint project between the Department of Environment and Resource Management, Southern Gulf Catchments, Desert Channels Queensland, South West Natural Resource Management and the Queensland Murray–Darling Committee. [pdf 4.4 Mb]

document Enhancing biodiversity hotspots along Western Queensland stock routes Section 1
The report, Enhancing biodiversity hotspots along Western Queensland stock routes identifies 47 hotspots on these stock routes and on other sites of high nature conservation and geological value. The report highlights: the biological values for each hotspot (including the presence of priority species) potential threats current management recommended actions. The report was a joint project between the Department of Environment and Resource Management, Southern Gulf Catchments, Desert Channels Queensland, South West Natural Resource Management and the Queensland Murray–Darling Committee. [pdf 336.3 kb]

document Enhancing biodiversity hotspots along Western Queensland stock routes Section 2
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document Enhancing biodiversity hotspots along Western Queensland stock routes Section 3
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document Enhancing biodiversity hotspots along Western Queensland stock routes Section 4
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document Enhancing biodiversity hotspots along Western Queensland stock routes Section 5
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document A Test of the Vegetation Mosaic Hypothesis: A Hypothesis to Explain the Decline and Extinction of Australian Mammals
The vegetation mosaic hypothesis suggests that medium-sized mammals occupying arid and semi-arid areas ofAustralia require a habitat that is a fine-grained mosaic of different vegetation types or seral stages. This mosaic is believed to have been created in the spinijex deserts of central Australia by Aboriginal burningpractices. Its loss in the period 1940-1960 is postulated to be a prima y reason for both major reductions in range and mainland extinctions of many species of medium-sized mammals at this time. This study measured the responses of three species of medium-sized mammals to vegetation patterns within spinzj. exgrasslands that ranged from comparatively uniform to highly diverse. The abundance, condition, and reproductive status of golden bandicoots (Isoodon auratus), northern brush-tailed possums (Trichosurus vulpecula arnhemensis), and burrowing bettongs (Bettongia lesueur) were assessed within vegetation mosaics of various scales on Barrow Island, off the northwest coast of Australia Scale of mosaic proved to have no significant effect on the numbers, condition, or reproductive status of any of the three species. Similarly, the creation of fine-grained mosaics of early seralstage vegetation mixed within climax vegetation by extensive oil-field operations over nearly half the island had no significant effect on the number or condition of animals. Hence, scale of mosaic seems unlikely to be related to the mainland decline or extinction of these species. The pattern of decline and extinction on the mainland but continued survival on offshore islands is more consistent with thepresence (mainland) or absence (islands) of introduced predators (foxes and cats) and herbivores (rabbits and stock)). [pdf 588.3 kb]

document A Test of the Vegetation Mosaic Hypothesis: A Hypothesis to Explain the Decline and Extinction of Australian Mammals
The vegetation mosaic hypothesis suggests that medium-sized mammals occupying arid and semi-arid areas ofAustralia require a habitat that is a fine-grained mosaic of different vegetation types or seral stages. This mosaic is believed to have been created in the spinijex deserts of central Australia by Aboriginal burning practices. Its loss in the period 1940-1960 is postulated to be a primary reason for both major reductions in range and mainland extinctions of many species of medium-sized mammals at this time. This study measured the responses of three species of medium-sized mammals to vegetation patterns within spinzj. exgrasslands that ranged from comparatively uniform to highly diverse. The abundance, condition, and reproductive status of golden bandicoots (Isoodon auratus), northern brush-tailed possums (Trichosurus vulpecula arnhemensis), and burrowing bettongs (Bettongia lesueur) were assessed within vegetation mosaics of various scales on Barrow Island, off the northwest coast of Australia Scale of mosaic proved to have no significant effect on the numbers, condition, or reproductive status of any of the three species. Similarly, the creation of fine-grained mosaics of early seral stage vegetation mixed within climax vegetation by extensive oil-field operations over nearly half the island had no significant effect on the number or condition of animals. Hence, scale of mosaic seems unlikely to be related to the mainland decline or extinction of these species. The pattern of decline and extinction on the mainland but continued survival on offshore islands is more consistent with the presence (mainland) or absence (islands) of introduced predators (foxes and cats) and herbivores (rabbits and stock)). [pdf 588.3 kb]

document Two ecological universes separated by the dingo barrier fence in semi-arid Australia: interactions between landscapes, herbivory and carnivory, with and without dingoes
This paper challenges conclusions of Caughley et al. (1980) that the abundance of red kangaroos (Macropus rufus) in western New South Wales is solely due to lack of dingoes (Canis lupus dingo), and vice versa for neighbouring South Australia. A Dingo Barrier Fence divides the two different ecological systems, which have sheep in New South Wales and cattle in South Australia. This paper re-examines in particular whether there is an environmental gradient across the Fence that was dismissed by Caughley et al. This paper concludes to the contray, that there is a strong environmental gradient. Our aerial surveys demonstrate significantly that habitats favouring red kangaroos are prevalent in New South Wales today, but are very scarce or absent in South Australian landscapes. [pdf 1.4 Mb]

document The potential impact of dryland salinity on the threatened flora and fauna of New South Wales
We used digital map overlays in a geographical information system (GIS) to quantify the potential impact of dryland salinity on the threatened flora and fauna of New South Wales (NSW). Geographical areas of conservation priority were identified based on richness of threatened species with distribution records overlapping dryland salinity. Two alternative schemes – Interim Biogeographical Regionalization for Australia (regions) and catchment boundaries (catchments) – were used to subdivide NSW. Sydney Basin, North Coast and South-western Slopes regions – and Hunter, Sydney, Macquarie, Murrumbidgee and Lachlan catchments – were identified as priority areas with more than 10 salinity overlap species present. Five threatened plant species were identified as priority species due to more than half of their known distributions overlapping areas of dryland salinity. Threatened animal species of most concern had 10–50% of their records overlapping areas of dryland salinity. Our findings demonstrate that landscape exposure to dryland salinity should be used in conjunction with total richness of threatened species for prioritizing conservation of geographical areas with respect to the potential impact of dryland salinity on threatened species. [pdf 127.3 kb]

document Murray–Darling Basin 2051: Setting the Vision - Biodiversity Workshop Proceedings
A 2002 booklet by the World Wildlife Foundation. [pdf 1.7 Mb]

document Conservation and the Maintenance of Biodiversity in the Rangelands
An article from Rangeland Journal 25(2), published in 2003. [pdf 334.2 kb]

document A quality control protocol for terrestrial invertebrate biodiversity assessment
A procedure for the implementation of quality control for laboratory sorting and identification of invertebrate specimens collected in biodiversity research is described. The procedure is based on process control sampling, a concept of statistical process control (SPC) used widely in the manufacturing and information technology industries, and adapted to suit the tasks and products of biodiversity sorting procedures. The major advantages of process control over other quality control mechanisms are that it is more stringent, and continuous. Hence, errors are detected and corrected as they occur, avoiding proliferation in the data set. The procedure is also highly interactive, offering the technicians the opportunity to learn as they work. Protocols have been developed while sorting material collected as part of a study into the impacts associated with invasion of a habitat (coastal heath) by an exotic weed (bitou bush – Chrysanthemoides monilifera) on the central coast of New SouthWales, Australia. Major findings from the analysis of material processed include: that errors may have a variety of causes and subsequent implications for data quality, levels of identification errors can be significant even at higher taxonomic levels (e.g. sorting insects to order), initial training periods on their own are insufficient to ensure error minimisation, and even with stringent protocols the ratio of technician to specialist effort can be maintained at a level of around 5:1. The need for incorporating effective quality control procedures into invertebrate biodiversity data compilations is emphasised. [pdf 342.8 kb]

document Making the biodiversity monitoring system sustainable: Design issues for large-scale monitoring systems
There is strong demand for information about the status of, and trends in, Australia’s biodiversity. Almost inevitably, this demand for information has led to demand for a broad-scale monitoring system. However, the decision to embark on a monitoring system should only be made once it has been established that a monitoring system is the optimal way to inform management. We stress the need to invest resources in assessing whether a monitoring system is necessary before committing resources to the design and implementation of the system. Current debate associated with the design of a biodiversity monitoring system has similarities to the debate within the range management profession in the early 1970s. The experience with range monitoring shows that large-scale monitoring systems such as those being proposed will require considerable resources, recurrently expended into the distant future, but with only a limited ability to adapt to new demands. Those involved in any biodiversity monitoring system will need to understand the implications of investing in a long-term monitoring programme. Monitoring sustainability will only be possible if the monitoring system is itself sustainable. We discuss a number of issues that need to be addressed before the system is at all sustainable. These attributes are a mix of biophysical, social and institutional attributes and highlight the view that monitoring systems of the type being suggested comprise an unusual mixture of attributes not found in typical scientific activity. The present paper is not a technical manual, but rather considers some of the design issues associated with designing and implementing large-scale monitoring systems. [pdf 345.5 kb]

document Recent developments in analysis of spatial and temporal data for landscape qualities and monitoring
Monitoring biodiversity presents the challenge of informing complex aspects of biological systems with consistent, repeatable, data-based indicators. The present paper does not address directly the selection of indicators for rangeland biodiversity, but rather presents essential aspects and examples of monitoring systems that address natural resource questions at comparable scales. In general, concepts of landscape quality, such as range condition, conservation value, health and biodiversity, are descriptive rather than quantitative and are either ill-defined or multiply defined. Assessment of the status of such indicators involves value systems, as well as process understanding at a range of scales for which data are often unavailable. Effective monitoring systems, in contrast, require repeated quantitative data at suitable temporal density and spatial scale, as well as appropriate methods and a conceptual framework to simplify and interpret these data. In recent years, broad-scale operational monitoring systems for land and vegetation have been developed in Australia based on sequences of satellite data, digital elevation models, ground information and appropriate statistical methods. These same datasets have been used to inform landscape qualities over broad areas; examples are given of the production of salinity risk maps and conservation management zones based on fragmentation patterns. These results have been achieved as a partnership between ecologists, resource scientists and statisticians and illustrate how surrogates for integrated concepts such as biodiversity can be derived from available data. [pdf 5.7 Mb]

document The role of ants in conservation monitoring: If, when, and how
Ants are increasingly being recognized as useful tools for land managers to monitor ecosystem conditions. However, despite an abundance of studies on ant responses to both environmental disturbance and land management techniques, an analysis of the practice and value of including ants in monitoring is lacking. Consequently, conservation managers are left with little guidance as to if, when, and how ants can be used to assess conservation activities. Based on our review of approximately 60 published studies, we outline five areas where ants provide valuable information for management-based monitoring: (1) to detect the presence of invasive species, (2) to detect trends among threatened or endangered species, (3) to detect trends among keystone species, (4) to evaluate land management actions, and (5) to assess long-term ecosystem changes. We also discuss practical considerations when designing a monitoring framework for ants, including appropriate methods, taxonomic resolution for sampling, and spatial and temporal scale.We find that when integrated with management goals, monitoring ants can provide information over the shortterm on topics such as the status of invasive or keystone species, as well as over longer time frames, for instance the impact of climate change. Overall, we conclude that ants merit monitoring based on their inherent ecological qualities, independent of any ‘‘indicator’’ attributes they might have. [pdf 330.3 kb]

document Protected areas and development in arid Australia – challenges to regional tourism
The principal contention of this paper is that the traditional approach to park management is inadequate to deal with the contemporary goals of protected areas, in particular, biodiversity conservation, cultural heritage management and the management of socio-economic development within parks. This is particularly true for parks in remote regions like Central Australia, where management on a broader scale is required. The benefits of park management embracing a regional approach to development and conservation are examined. This paper also identifies some serious restrictions to development. Parks rely heavily on abstract management plans, and do not have a transparent framework through which to set objectives and targets. These objectives would allow parks to evaluate their organisation’s performance. Iconic landscape assets dominate the tourism economy in Central Australia. The number of different institutions managing parks has hampered the establishment of a valuation framework. This framework would allow regional resource allocation decisions to be assessed and parks’ performances to be monitored. Proper assessment and monitoring would strengthen the case for additional park funding to pursue conservation and development responsibilities. [pdf 119.7 kb]

A preliminary analysis of the conchostracans (Crustacea: Spinicaudata and Laevicaudata) of the middle Paroo catchment of the Australian arid-zone
Twelve species in the genera Caenestheria, Caenestheriella, Eocyzicus, Eulimnadia, Limnadia, Limnadopsis, and Lynceus have been collected from intermittent wetlands in the Paroo of northwestern New South Wales and southwestern Queensland. This is the first record of Eocyzicus from Australia. Identifications are partly tentative as the Australian fauna is poorly documented; some species seem to be new. There are many co-occurrences, especially in wetlands connected to others, but generally species are adapted for different ranges of turbidity, salinity and length of the wet phase. The high biodiversity is explained by the presence of many distinct types of wetland, each with its own characteristic species. [pdf 186.6 kb]

document The biology of the saline lakes of central and eastern inland of Australia: a review with special reference to their biogeographical affinities
In 1984 when Bill Williams highlighted the regionalization of salt lakes in Australia, little was known about lakes in the remote inland. It was thought the invertebrate fauna of such lakes was depauperate due to their being poor evolutionary loci associated with extreme episodicity. However, work in the last two decades, has shown the fauna of many inland lakes is relatively rich. Part of the reason for restricted faunas in the larger lakes is habitat homeogeneity. Nevertheless there is little diversification at the species level, indicating restrictions on speciation. There are also limits on diversity imposed by the harsh environment, as indicated by the lack of forms unable to survive severe desiccation, e.g. higher crustaceans. Lakes in central and the eastern inland are dominated by characteristic lower crustaceans such as Parartemia minuta, Daphniopsis queenslandensis, Moina baylyi, Trigonocypris globulosa and a new mytilocyprid ostracod, as well as some forms widespread in Australia and in salt lakes on other continents. This invertebrate fauna is just as distinct as those of other salt lake districts in southern Australia, further reinforcing the concept of regionalization in Australia. The fish fauna of central and eastern salt lakes is also largely specific, but the waterbirds are not as they have responded to the episodicity by nomadism and habitat flexibility. [pdf 211.8 kb]

document Large freshwater lakes in arid Australia: A review of their limnology and threats to their future
Large freshwater lakes in Australia’s arid zone are episodic due to highly variable inflows from allogenic rivers. A few receive enough inflow almost yearly to be permanent, despite large losses from high evaporation. Biodiversity is high, with most taxonomic groups represented, and is largely endemic at the continental scale. There is almost no regional endemism, which is at variance with other major aquatic habitat types in Australia. Abundance fluctuates greatly, with invertebrates and fish booming and busting with floodwater input, but birds generally reach greatest numbers later in the cycle as they gather on the more persistent waters. Invertebrate assemblages are influenced by the degree of lake permanence, turbidity and salinity, providing a temporally variable mosiac of environments throughout a lake system and between systems and with time. Unlike other groups, fish are not speciose, but are important predators in most systems with breeding coinciding with flooding. This favours native species against exotics in the Coongie Lakes but, in the Paroo, exotics are common in permanent waters. Waterbirds are the very obvious components in these variable systems, using their resources for feeding and breeding. Most are extremely nomadic to take advantage of the variable habitat. Two of the most important lake systems, the Coongie Lakes on Cooper Creek and the Paroo lakes in the northwestern Murray Darling catchment, are threatened by water abstraction upstream for irrigation, so that important habitat may be lost. In addition, the lakes will become less variable and, so, possibly compromise their character with cascading effects through the ecosystem. Some smaller lakes are adversely impacted by accelerated sedimentation. [pdf 459.2 kb]

document Further studies on the saline lakes of the eastern Paroo, inland New South Wales, Australia
Continuing studies of 25 shallow lakes in the semi-desert of northwestern New South Wales during drier years revealed greater physicochemical extremes than previously recorded and wider fluctuations in salinity, even in less saline lakes. Earlier data on species composition and species richness were confirmed, with a few new species reported from either further field collections or the hatching of dried lake muds. A summer filling as against almost regular previous autumn-winter fillings made only a minor difference in faunas, though insects and phyllopods, for different reasons, were less prevalent in the drier years. The fauna of these inland saline lakes is not only biogeographically different from those in southern Australia, but is adapted to a more extreme and irregular environment. [pdf 183.1 kb]

document Saline lakes of the Paroo, inland New South Wales, Australia
Twenty-five lakes from fresh to crystallizing brine in the semi-desert of northwestern New South Wales, Australia, were studied regularly for 27 months. The lakes are small, shallow and ephemeral. Chemically waters are mainly of the NaCl type. Seventy-four species of invertebrate occur in saline waters (> 3 g l- ‘) with crustaceans such as Parartemia minuta, Apocyclops dengizicus, Daphniopsis queenslandensis, Diacypris spp. and Reticypris spp. dominant, particularly at higher salinities. The insects Tanytarsus barbitarsis and Berosus munitipennis are also important in meso- and hypersaline lakes. They are joined in hypo- and mesosaline waters by many others, including more beetles, odonatans, trichopterans, pyralids, notonectids, and corixids. Species richness declines with increasing salinity. There is a prominent inland faunal component mainly of crustaceans, including P. minuta, D. queenslandensis, R. walbu, Trigonocypris globulosa and Moina bayli. [pdf 1.6 Mb]

document Assessing biodiversity with species accumulation curves; inventories of small reptiles by pit-trapping in Western Australia
We examined 11 non-linear regression models to determine which of them best fitted curvilinear species accumulation curves based on pit-trapping data for reptiles in a range of heterogeneous and homogenous sites in mesic, semi-arid and arid regions of Western Australia. A well-defined plateau in a species accumulation curve is required for any of the models accurately to estimate species richness. Two different measures of effort (pit-trapping days and number of individuals caught) were used to determine if the measure of effort influenced the choice of the best model(s). We used species accumulation curves to predict species richness, determined the trapping effort required to catch a nominated percentage (e.g. 95%) of the predicted number of species in an area, and examined the relationship between species accumulation curves with diversity and rarity. Species richness, diversity and the proportion of rare species in a community influenced the shape of species accumulation curves. The Beta-P model provided the best overall fit (highest r 2 ) for heterogeneous and homogeneous sites. For heterogeneous sites, Hill, Rational, Clench, Exponential and Weibull models were the next best. For homogeneous habitats, Hill, Weibull and Chapman–Richards were the next best models. There was very little difference between Beta-P and Hill models in fitting the data to accumulation curves, although the Hill model generally over-estimated species richness. Most models worked equally well for both measures of trapping effort. Because the number of individuals caught was influenced by both pit-trapping effort and the abundance of individuals, both measures of effort must be considered if species accumulation curves are to be used as a planning tool. Trapping effort to catch a nominated percentage of the total predicted species in homogeneous and heterogeneous habitats varied among sites, but even for only 75% of the predicted number of species it was generally much higher than the typical effort currently being used for terrestrial vertebrate fauna surveys in Australia. It was not possible to provide a general indication of the effort required to predict species richness for a site, or to capture a nominated proportion of species at a site, because species accumulation curves are heavily influenced by the characteristics of particular sites. [pdf 535.4 kb]

document Effect of species richness and relative abundance on the shape of the species accumulation curve
We explain how species accumulation curves are influenced by species richness (total number of species), relative abundance and diversity using computer-generated simulations. Species richness defines the boundary of the horizontal asymptote value for a species accumulation curve, and the shape of the curve is influenced by both relative abundance and diversity. Simulations with a high proportion of rare species and a few abundant species have a species accumulation curve with a low ‘shoulder’ (inflection point on the ordinate axis) and a long upward slope to the asymptote. Simulations with a high proportion of relatively abundant species have a steeply rising initial slope to the species accumulation curve and plateau early. Diversity (as measured by Simpson’s and Shannon–Weaver indices) for simulations is positively correlated with the initial slope of the species accumulation curve. Species accumulation curves cross when one simulation has a high proportion of both rare and abundant species compared with another that has a more even distribution of abundance among species. [pdf 273.4 kb]

document Public/private partnerships and protected areas: selected Australian case studies
The conservation of biodiversity requires a significant commitment by governments, industry sectors and the wider community to encourage cultural change across community and industry sectors which ensures a long-term balance between sustainable land management and biodiversity conservation. At the regional level viable biodiversity conservation requires a range of management strategies that may include the establishment of statutory protected areas, a range of off-park conservation management measures and achievable guidelines for ecologically sustainable land management at the landscape scale. Monitoring the performance of protected areas in achieving biodiversity conservation requires a commitment by government to facilitate involvement and participation of the wider community. Four Australian case studies discuss how public/private conservation partnerships are integrating sustainable land management and biodiversity conservation at the regional level. [pdf 238.7 kb]

document Biodiversity monitoring in the rangelands: a way forward - volume 1
This report describes the outcomes of an expert technical workshop on the monitoring of biodiversity in Australia’s rangelands that was held from 29 October to 1 November 2002 in Alice Springs, Northern Territory. [pdf 715.4 kb]

document Managing arid zone natural resources in Australia for spatial and temporal variability – an approach from first principles
Outback Australia is characterised by variability in its resource drivers, particularly and most fundamentally, rainfall. Its biota has adapted to cope with this variability. The key strategies taken by desert organisms (and their weaknesses) help to identify the likely impacts of natural resource management by pastoralists and others, and potential remedies for these impacts. The key strategies can be summarised as five individual species’ responses (ephemerals, in-situ persistents, refuging persistents, nomads and exploiters), plus four key emergent modes of organisation involving multiple species that contribute to species diversity (facilitation, self-organising communities, asynchronous and micro-allopatric co-existence). A key feature of the difference between the strategies is the form of a reserve, whether roots and social networks for Persistents, or propagules or movement networks for Ephemerals and Nomads.With temporally and spatially varying drivers of soil moisture inputs, many of these strategies and their variants can co-exist. While these basic strategies are well known, a systematic analysis from first principles helps to generalise our understanding of likely impacts of management, if this changes the pattern of variability or interrupts the process of allocation to reserves. Nine resulting ‘weak points’ are identified in the system, and the implications of these are discussed for natural resource management and policy aimed at production or conservation locally, or the regional integration of the two. [pdf 177.0 kb]

document Zooplankton diversity and assemblages in arid zone rivers of the Lake Eyre Basin, Australia
An article from Marine and Freshwater Research 57, published in 2006. [pdf 307.3 kb]

document Conservation value of variable connectivity: aquatic invertebrate assemblages of channel and floodplain habitats of a central Australian arid-zone river, Cooper Creek
Rapidly expanding water resource development in arid and semi-arid zones of Australia threatens the flow regime and ecological integrity of the few large dryland rivers and their immense floodplains. Efforts to manage and conserve the surface waters of these rivers are hampered by limited scientific data on the ecology of their flora and fauna and on their responses to the high natural variability of flow regime that typifies dryland rivers. Irregular floods connect channel and floodplain wetlands to differing degrees and for varying periods of time but the ecological significance of this connectivity is poorly understood. On Cooper Creek, a large dryland river in central Australia, we explored the degree to which assemblage composition varied with connectivity and hydrological regime. Shortly after protracted regional flooding, we sampled aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages from the principal microhabitats in 12 channel and floodplain wetlands. Ephemeral and temporary lakes tended to have fewer taxa than semi-permanent channel or terminal lake habitats. Although hydrological connection had only recently been lost for some wetlands, there was already evidence of divergence in aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblage composition. Disruption of the natural variability in connectivity and hydrological regime by excessive water abstraction or river-flow regulation threatens the ecological integrity and aquatic macroinvertebrate biodiversity of dryland rivers. Preservation of the irregular flow regime and sporadic connectivity underpins conservation of the mosaic of floodplain wetlands that play such a crucial role in the ecosystem functioning of rivers such as Cooper Creek. [pdf 447.5 kb]

document The conservation status of birds in arid Australia
An article from Rangeland Journal 14(2), written by Julian Reid of CSIRO Division of Wildlife and Ecology, and Michael Fleming of Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory. [pdf 1.5 Mb]

document The value of ants as early warning bioindicators: responses to pulsed cattle grazing at an Australian arid zone locality
The value of ants as bioindicators of incipient environmental change in rangeland condition was assessed on a local scale in the South Australian arid zone. The sensitivity of ants to intense pulses of unsustainable grazing was tested, in order to identify species, functional groups or community variables that could be used as indicators of more typical grazing pressure. Genera represented by the largest number of species were Iridomyrmex, Melophorus, Camponotus and Monomorium. A significant decrease in captures of Rhytidoponera metallica was recorded on swales, whereas the Iridomyrmex sp.(bicknelli) group increased on dunes relative to controls following grazing. The Generalized Myrmicinae functional group increased on swales, and Hot-climate Specialist ants increased on dunes, after grazing. Several other species and functional groups responded qualitatively but not significantly. However, neither overall ant abundance and richness, nor the abundances of most of the common species and functional groups responded significantly to grazing in this local scale experiment, which rendered ants of limited use as early warning indicators of unsustainable management. The use of ants for this purpose is constrained by a lack of knowledge of the ecology of individual ant species, particularly of the less common and more localized species that are likely to be most sensitive to disturbance. [pdf 479.3 kb]

document Use of ants to monitor environmental impacts of salt spray from a mine in arid Australia
The habitat preferences, seasonal activity cycles and optimum sampling protocols of an ant community in the Australian arid zone were assessed by pitfall trapping, Diversity and abundance of ants peaked in the hotter summer months and varied greatly between different habitats. Sand dunes vegetated with tall perennial shrubs proved to be the most useful habitat for environmental monitoring using ants. Dominant ant genera were suppressed by environmental stresses caused by salt spray from an underground mine. Remediation of the salt spray resulted in a general, yet inconsistent, recolonization of dominant ants at the expense of opportunistic genera. A greater understanding of the ecology of key ant species is required before ants can be used as unequivocal indicators of environmental condition at the Olympic Dam mine site. [pdf 603.8 kb]

document Predicting the distribution of livestock grazing pressure in rangelands
Because grazing by livestock is one of the primary threats to rangeland biodiversity, but is unevenly distributed in space, rangeland monitoring programmes need to take account of the distribution of grazing pressure in order to distinguish between grazing-induced change, seasonal fluctuations and changes that are a result of other threats. Livestock watering places are one of the major influences that give spatial expression to gradations in grazing activity. Using research results from the goldfields of Western Australia, we show how distance from water can be incorporated in spatial models to predict cumulative grazing pressure at different sites within paddocks. Two surrogates of grazing activity are illustrated: one relying on a commercially available model, and one developed from measures of track density. Factors other than distance from water can also have profound effects on the distribution of grazing pressure and its impacts at landscape and regional scales, and we review some of these briefly. Finally, we outline key spatial implications for the design of rangeland monitoring programmes. [pdf 206.8 kb]

document Patch Mosaic Burning for Biodiversity Conservation: a Critique of the Pyrodiversity Paradigm
Fire management is increasingly focusing on introducing heterogeneity in burning patterns under the assumption that “pyrodiversity begets biodiversity.” This concept has been formalized as patch mosaic burning (PMB), in which fire is manipulated to create a mosaic of patches representative of a range of fire histories to generate heterogeneity across space and time. Although PMB is an intuitively appealing concept, it has received little critical analysis. Thus we examined ecosystems where PMB has received the most attention and has been the most extensively implemented: tropical and subtropical savannas of Australia and Africa. We identified serious shortcomings of PMB: the ecological significance of different burning patterns remains unknown and details of desired fire mosaics remain unspecified. This has led to fire-management plans based on pyrodiversity rhetoric that lacks substance in terms of operational guidelines and capacity for meaningful evaluation.We also suggest that not all fire patterns are ecologically meaningful: this seems particularly true for the highly fire-prone savannas of Australia and South Africa. We argue that biodiversity-needs-pyrodiversity advocacy needs to be replaced with a more critical consideration of the levels of pyrodiversity needed for biodiversity and greater attention to operational guidelines for its implementation. [pdf 305.1 kb]

document Land systems as surrogates for biodiversity in conservation planning
Environmental surrogates (land classes) for the distribution of biodiversity are increasingly being used for conservation planning. However, data that demonstrate coincident patterns in land classes and biodiversity are limited. We ask the overall question, ‘‘Are land systems effective surrogates for the spatial configuration of biodiversity for conservation planning?’’ and we address three specific questions: (1) Do different land systems represent different biological assemblages? (2) Do biological assemblages on the same land system remain similar with increasing geographic separation? and (3) Do biological assemblages on the same land system remain similar with increasing land system isolation? Vascular plants, invertebrates, and microbiota were surveyed from 24 sites in four land systems in arid northwest New South Wales, Australia. Within each land system, sites were located to give a hierarchy of inter-site distances, and land systems were classified as either ‘‘low isolation’’ (large and continuous) or ‘‘high isolation’’ (small patches interspersed among other land systems). Each type of land system supported components of biodiversity either not found, or found infrequently, on other land systems, suggesting that land systems function as surrogates for biodiversity, and that conservation-area networks representing land-system diversity will also represent biological diversity. However, the majority of taxa were found on more than one land-system type, suggesting that a large proportion of the plant, arthropod, and microbial biodiversity may be characterized by widespread species with low fidelity to particular land systems. Significant relationships between geographic distance among sites and differences among assemblages were revealed for all taxa except the microbiota. Therefore, as sites on the same land system were located farther apart, the assemblages at those sites became more different. This finding strongly suggests that conservation planning based on land-system diversity should also sample the geographic range occupied by each land system. Land-system isolation was not revealed to be a significant source of variation in assemblage composition. Our research finds support for environmental surrogates for biodiversity in conservation planning, specifically the use of land systems and similarly derived land classifications. However, the need for explicit modeling of geographic distance in conservation planning is clearly indicated. [pdf 756.7 kb]

document Biodiversity Implications Of Water Management In The Great Artesian Basin
The Great Artesian Basin (GAB) underlies a vast, mainly arid, region where most of the indigenous biota are not dependent upon surface water. In contrast, an important minority is dependent on refuges such as mound springs and their associated wetlands. In some parts of the GAB, such as western New South Wales, many springs have either ceased to flow, or are now barely detectable, because the proliferation of artesian waterbores has reduced groundwater pressures. Because of the rarity of species endemic to mound springs, and the damage they have suffered since pastoral settlement, emphasis should be directed towards conservation and possible rejuvenation of these ecosystems. Provision of artificial sources of water allows more widespread grazing by livestock, larger native and feral herbivores, thereby posing threats to native plants and animals that do not use the water. Because of the proliferation of artificial waters and the grazing they allow, terrestrial grazing-sensitive species now appear to be confined to tiny patches in the landscape. Some nature reserves within the GAB retain numerous artificial sources of water. Most of these should be closed over time to reduce negative impacts on grazing-sensitive plants and animals, especially where these species are inadequately protected elsewhere. In those regions where the ratio of artificial to natural waters is still low, consideration should be given to balancing provision of water for livestock with conservation of biological diversity, by maintaining a patchwork of areas remote from water. In regions where the density of artificial waters is high, conservation of biodiversity on freehold and leasehold lands might be enhanced with a mix of approaches accommodating the needs of the biota and the aspirations of landholders, tailored according to land type and condition. [pdf 1.6 Mb]

document The Stewardship of Arid Australia: Ecology and Landscape Management
Arid and semi-arid lands cover 70% of Australia, and bear a legacy of degradation and species loss from past policies and management. Pastoralism, the most extensive industry, as well as other land users and the community at large, are seeking sustainable use of these lands in the future. This paper outlines a new approach to the problem of integrating conservation and production. [pdf 4.9 Mb]

document A Conceptual Model of Community Capacity for Biodiversity Conservation Outcomes
In Australia an unprecedented level of attention is being paid to improving the sustainable management of agricultural lands. As of 2005, the Australian government had committed over four billion dollars to land, water and biodiversity management programmes. Most is being allocated to regional community groups. Central to programme delivery is attention to community capacity and the desire to build capacity to implement changes in land and water management. This paper addresses the fundamentally important question ‘what is community capacity?’ through developing and refining a conceptual model of community capacity to deliver biodiversity conservation outcomes. Model development was based on a literature review and synthesis, with subsequent refinement using interviews. From the literature, community capacity was described as five forms of capital: natural, social, human, institutional and produced economic. The model was refined using interviews with Greening Australia (an environmental non-government organisation) field staff. Their responses identified all five forms of capital as important elements of community capacity. Social and human capital were mentioned by almost all respondents, with limited mention being made of the other capitals. Social capital included cognitive and structural dimensions. Knowledge, skills and experience were part of human capital. These results provide researchers and practitioners with assurance that social and human capital indicators can be confidently sought to describe capacity. There is also sufficient guidance from these results to progress indicator selection for the remaining forms of capital provided that selection is accompanied by continuing refinement of our descriptions of these forms. [pdf 114.6 kb]

document Towards an understanding of variation in the Mulga complex (Acacia aneura and relatives)
Acacia aneura and its close relatives form a highly variable species complex commonly known as Mulga. They are small trees that dominate the vegetation of arid regions, in all occupying around 20% of Australia. This paper discusses and illustrates some of the more important types of variation found in Mulga, especially growth form and phyllode and pod morphology. This variation occurs both between and within populations and often results in a very complex mosaic of mixed Mulga populations. The underlying genetic and biological factors responsible for this variation are explored. While hybridisation is probably one cause of the variation, our use of microsatellite markers has not been able to provide direct evidence of this; however, the sampling done to date has been very small. Genetic developmental mechanisms such as polyploidy, apomixis and neoteny are maintaining this diversity. The Mulga complex contains multiple ploidy levels, including triploids, tetraploids and pentaploids, and polyembryony is a common feature in all these polyploids. Microsatellite data have identified fixed heterozygozity in populations with some genetic differences among morphotypes. Progeny arrays of 24 morphotypes indicated that over 95% of the plants have the same genotype as the mother plant. This accumulating evidence indicates that the Mulga complex is reproducing through facultative apomixis. Additionally the retention of juvenile characteristics (neoteny) is seen in many populations and also increases the variability. Given the importance of Mulga to the ecology, management and sustainable utilisation of arid zone ecosystems, it is important that the classification of the group adequately reflect the biological reality that exists in nature, if indeed this is achievable. The work reported here, and in related molecular and population studies, provides a basis for testing new classifications of Mulga. It also provides new information that can contribute to an improved classification of the group. [pdf 421.5 kb]

document Host-driven diversification of gall-inducing Acacia thrips and the aridification of Australia
This work uses a phylogenetic approach to investigate the premise that the aridification of Australia, and subsequent expansion and modification of arid-adapted host flora, has implications for the diversification of insects that specialise on them. [pdf 1.1 Mb]

document Spatial and temporal variation in algal-assemblage structure in isolated dryland river waterholes, Cooper Creek and Warrego River, Australia
The scale at which algal biodiversity is partitioned across the landscape, and the biophysical processes and biotic interactions which shape these communities in dryland river refugia was studied on two occasions from 30 sites in two Australian dryland rivers. Despite the waterholes studied having characteristically high levels of abiogenic turbidity, a total of 186 planktonic microalgae, 253 benthic diatom and 62 macroalgal species were recorded. The phytoplankton communities were dominated by flagellated cryptophytes, euglenophytes and chlorophytes, the diatom communities by cosmopolitan taxa known to tolerate wide environmental conditions, and the macroalgal communities by filamentous cyanobacteria. All algal communities showed significant differences between catchments and sampling times, with a suite of between 5 and 12 taxa responsible for ∼50% of the observed change. In general, algal assemblage patterns were poorly correlated with the measured environmental variables. Phytoplankton and diatom assemblage patterns were weakly correlated with several waterhole geomorphic measures, whereas macroalgal assemblage patterns showed some association with variability in ionic concentration. [pdf 400.5 kb]

document Regional Planning in Queensland’s Rangelands: Challenges and Prospects for Biodiversity Conservation
In Australia, the Commonwealth and State governments are increasingly devolving natural resource management (NRM) responsibilities to regional bodies. This move has led to the development of regional NRM plans. Native vegetation and biodiversity conservation, along with soil, pasture and water resources, are key components of the regional NRM plans in Queensland’s extensive rangelands. This paper outlines and applies a set of criteria for evaluating the native vegetation and biodiversity content of accredited regional NRM plans for Queensland’s rangelands. The evaluation showed considerable variation in the comprehensiveness of the information and knowledge base and management action targets among plans, including the poor articulation of impacts of excessive grazing pressure on biodiversity. The NRM plans lacked effective integration of natural resource, native vegetation and biodiversity conservation targets and actions. Several regions had too many biodiversity targets, many of which were poorly integrated. This is symptomatic of a limited understanding of rangelands as ecological systems and the lack of an integrated planning framework. We conclude regional NRM planning is not a ‘silver bullet’ for biodiversity conservation in the rangelands, but rather, it is the beginning of a long road to address complex, multi-scale problems at a regional level. [pdf 774.5 kb]

document Weeds of Australian rangelands
Despite recognition that non-native plant species represent a substantial risk to natural systems, there is currently no compilation of weeds that impact on the biodiversity of the rangelands within Australia. Using published and expert knowledge, this paper presents a list of 622 non-native naturalised species known to occur within the rangelands. Of these, 160 species (26%) are considered a current threat to rangeland biodiversity. Most of these plant species have been deliberately introduced for forage or other commercial use (e.g. nursery trade). Among growth forms, shrubs and perennial grasses comprise over 50% of species that pose the greatest risk to rangeland biodiversity. We identify regions within the rangelands containing both high biodiversity values and a high proportion of weeds and recommend these areas as priorities for weed management. Finally, we examine the resources available for weed detection and identification since detecting weeds in the early stages of invasion is the most cost effective method of reducing further impact. [pdf 387.4 kb]

document Taxonomic resolution and quantification of freshwater macroinvertebrate samples from an Australian dryland river: the benefits and costs of using species abundance data
In studies using macroinvertebrates as indicators for monitoring rivers and streams, species level identifications in comparison with lower resolution identifications can have greater information content and result in more reliable site classifications and better capacity to discriminate between sites, yet many such programmes identify specimens to the resolution of family rather than species. This is often because it is cheaper to obtain family level data than species level data. Choice of appropriate taxonomic resolution is a compromise between the cost of obtaining data at high taxonomic resolutions and the loss of information at lower resolutions. Optimum taxonomic resolution should be determined by the information required to address programme objectives. Costs saved in identifying macroinvertebrates to family level may not be justified if family level data can not give the answers required and expending the extra cost to obtain species level data may not be warranted if cheaper family level data retains sufficient information to meet objectives. We investigated the influence of taxonomic resolution and sample quantification (abundance vs. presence/absence) on the representation of aquatic macroinvertebrate species assemblage patterns and species richness estimates. The study was conducted in a physically harsh dryland river system (Condamine-Balonne River system, located in south-western Queensland, Australia), characterised by low macroinvertebrate diversity. Our 29 study sites covered a wide geographic range and a diversity of lotic conditions and this was reflected by differences between sites in macroinvertebrate assemblage composition and richness. The usefulness of expending the extra cost necessary to identify macroinvertebrates to species was quantified via the benefits this higher resolution data offered in its capacity to discriminate between sites and give accurate estimates of site species richness. We found that very little information (<6%) was lost by identifying taxa to family (or genus), as opposed to species, and that quantifying the abundance of taxa provided greater resolution for pattern interpretation than simply noting their presence/absence. Species richness was very well represented by genus, family and order richness, so that each of these could be used as surrogates of species richness if, for example, surveying to identify diversity hot-spots. It is suggested that sharing of common ecological responses among species within higher taxonomic units is the most plausible mechanism for the results. Based on a cost/benefit analysis, family level abundance data is recommended as the best resolution for resolving patterns in macroinvertebrate assemblages in this system. The relevance of these findings are discussed in the context of other low diversity, harsh, dryland river systems. [pdf 361.4 kb]

document The macroinvertebrate fauna of an Australian ryand river: spatial and temporal patterns and environmental relationships
An article from Marine and Freshwater Research 57, published in 2006 and written by Jonathon C.Marshall Fran Sheldo Martin Thoms and Satish Choy. [pdf 421.9 kb]

document The Biodiversity Integrity Index: An Illustration Using Ants in Western Australia
Although Western Australia is a relatively unpopulated region, considerable areas of native vegetation have been modified by agricultural clearing, rangeland grazing, urbanization, road construction, and mining. Ant diversity is reduced and community composition changed by each of these land uses. Road construction has the greatest long-term effect on the alpha diversity of ants, followed by agricultural clearing, mining, urbanization, and rangeland grazing. We present data on the extent of these various land uses in each major Western Australian vegetation association. Then, examples of ant diversity and community composition for each land use are coupled with geographic information system data on the extent of each land use in the various vegetation associations to calculate indices of "e;biodiversity integrity"e;. The extent of biodiversity integrity in each region concurs with a subjective opinion of the condition of each unit. Agricultural clearing, followed by rangeland grazing, were found responsible for the greatest loss of ant biodiversity integrity. The findings relate to Australia in general and may serve as a framework for estimating losses of biodiversity integrity in other regions of the world in taxa other than ants. [pdf 337.6 kb]

document Patterns of waterbird use in wetlands of the Paroo, a river system of inland Australia
The significance of inland wetlands to Australian waterbirds has been overlooked until recently. One important area identified from regular aerial survey centres on the Paroo River in north-western New South Wales. Between April 1983 and December 1985, a period covering a major flood, waterbird populations were estimated on five wetland systems associated with the Paroo during 14 trips. Fifty three waterbird species were recorded with the anatids, Anas gibberifrons and Malacorhynchus membranaceus, accounting for 75 per cent of total estimated populations. Most breeding events were observed in those wetlands dominated by Muehlenbeckia florulenta (lignum). Breeding accounted for shifts in waterbird populations between wetland systems. A model of waterbird usage of the five wetland systems in relation to a complete flood event is described. The importance for waterbird conservation of wetlands used for breeding and maintenance of populations between flood events, and threats to the integrity of these wetlands are discussed. [pdf 716.3 kb]

document Avian biodiversity monitoring in Australian rangelands
Birds have been widely regarded as a key element in monitoring biodiversity both in Australia and elsewhere. We believe that, although birds are unlikely to be an umbrella or indicator taxon for other biota (other vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, microorganisms), they do represent a taxon that can be monitored more easily and with less effort per datum than other biotic components. It has been shown by the great participation rate of lay observers (whom we call monitors) in several schemes (notably the Birds Australia Atlas programs) that there is a capacity to mobilize the public to undertake bird surveying. Although there are many limitations to acquiring highquality information (scale, dynamism, mobility, irruptiveness, paucity of monitors over much of the rangelands), we think that these can be dealt with to allow the use of birds as a key component of biodiversity monitoring. We outline some of the possible options for statistically characterizing monitoring data for rangeland birds. [pdf 85.1 kb]

document Interpreting and Correcting Cross-scale Mismatches in Resilience Analysis: a Procedure and Examples from Australia’s Rangelands
Many rangelands around the globe are degraded because of mismatches between the goals and actions of managers operating at different spatial scales. In this paper, we focus on identifying, interpreting, and correcting cross-scale mismatches in rangeland management by building on an existing four-step resilience analysis procedure. Resilience analysis is an evaluation of the capacity of a system to persist in the face of disturbances. We provide three examples of cross-scale resilience analysis using a rangeland system located in northern Australia. The system was summarized in a diagram showing key interactions between three attributes (water quality, regional biodiversity, and beef quality), which can be used to indicate the degree of resilience of the system, and other components that affect these attributes at different scales. The strengths of cross-scale interactions were rated as strong or weak, and the likely causes of mismatches in strength were interpreted. Possible actions to correct cross-scale mismatches were suggested and evaluated. We found this four-step, cross-scale resilience analysis procedure very helpful because it reduced a complex problem down to manageable parts without losing sight of the larger-scale whole. To build rangeland resilience, many such cross-scale mismatches in management will need to be corrected, especially as the global use of rangelands increases over the coming decades. [pdf 37.8 kb]

document Seeking Mechanisms for Improved·lntegration of Biodiversity Issues in Regional Natural Resource Management Planning
This article reviews the literature on natural resource management (NRM) planning in Australia, with particular consideration given to exploring how regions might better integrate biodiversity conservation into catchment or regional planning in ways that lead to improved biodiversity conservation practice in the field. Many of the findings of the review are generic, affecting a range of NRM issues (including biodiversity conservation) and the NRM planning process itself, whilst other findings are specific to conservation of biodiversity. Factors affecting the integration ofbiodiversity include the organisational characteristics of the regional NRM body, clarity in the region ofthe responsibilities across the three tiers ofgovernment, effective participation of stakeholders, existence of detailed NRM plans that include sound biodiversity data and management principles, access to interpreted information, use of a mix ofpolicy instruments capable of delivering biodiversity goals, and effective monitoring frameworks and tools to track the return on investment. There is considerable variability in· the ways that NRM planning is practised across Australia, at the enterprise, regional or catchment levels. However, an overarching issue is how well the planning caters for differences across space, time and human values and this article attempts to identify the considerations that impact on that requirement. [pdf 1.8 Mb]

document The responses of small mammals to patches regenerating after fire and rainfall in the Simpson Desert, central Australia
Patch-burning is frequently advocated as a management tool to enhance the biodiversity and pasture values of spinifex (Triodia) grasslands. In this study we compare the capture rates of small mammals in habitats regenerating shortly after fire (aged 1–5 years) and in long-unburnt habitats (aged >25 years). To unravel the effects of temporally and spatially variable rainfall on capture rates, the study was replicated at three locations spaced over 50 km apart that experience different rainfall regimes. Ten species of small mammals were captured over the course of the study, between October 1999 and June 2001. Pseudomys desertor showed a strong preference for long-unburnt habitats. Notomys alexis, Sminthopsis youngsoni and Sminthopsis hirtipes showed some preferences for regenerating habitats, but these were not consistent throughout the study. Factors indicative of temporal and spatial variation in rainfall, time and site had important effects on capture rates. High rainfalls associated with the La Niña phase of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation in 2000 increased seed production and prompted eruptions of rodent species and the carnivorous Dasycercus cristicauda. The greatest numbers of captures were made at the sites that received the highest rainfalls. We conclude that patch-burning regimes do not benefit small mammals directly, but are likely to increase the resilience of ‘fire-sensitive’ species that are dependent on dense spinifex by reducing the extent of wildfires. [pdf 622.4 kb]

document The effects of experimental patch burning and rainfall on small mammals in the Simpson Desert, Queensland
An article from Wildlife Research 30, written by Mike Letnic, published in 2003. [pdf 453.8 kb]

document The responses of small mammals and lizards to post-fire succession and rainfall in arid Australia
We report a landscape-scale study investigating the responses of small mammals and lizards to fire in a central Australian hummock grassland. Vertebrates were surveyed on 26 study grids aged from 0 to >25 years post-fire. Analyses demonstrated that lizard and small mammal assemblages showed markedly different responses to each other with respect to postfire vegetation succession. Lizard community composition could be arrayed along a single continuum of vegetation structure and conformed to a directional model for post-fire succession. In contrast, small mammal assemblages could not be arrayed along a continuum of post-fire vegetation succession. Geographical locality, rainfall, seedbank density and cattle grazing were prominent correlates of mammal assemblage structure. We propose a nonequilibrium state-and-transition model to describe small mammal community dynamics. This model has four temporal or geographical states that are characterized by different abundances of small mammals, and eight transitions that prompt shifts from one state to another. The model can be used to describe assemblage composition and identify areas or time periods when management activities should be implemented. [pdf 513.5 kb]

document Dispossession, degradation and extinction: environmental history in arid Australia
Among the most popular media images of Australia are the outback heroes: the explorer, pioneer and pastoralist. However, there is insufficient attention paid to the role that pastoralists and their management strategies have played in the dispossession and degradation of arid Australia. A historical overview of ecology and land management suggests that the fragility of Australia’s arid ecosystems was identified over 100 years ago, and despite repeated calls for reform, effective regional management schemes are still vehemently opposed by pastoralists. I argue that, until the role played by pastoralists and their management strategies in the degradation of arid Australia has been adequately communicated, pastoralists will remain a powerful political lobby capable of thwarting the implementation of sustainable land management practises. [pdf 81.2 kb]

document Spiders, spinifex, rainfall and fire: Long-term changes in an arid spider assemblage
Understanding the spatial and temporal patterning of biota is critical to conserving biodiversity in arid regions. For mammals and reptiles, rainfall and fire are important forces determining patterns. Few studies consider these factors for invertebrates and even fewer over an extended period. Spiders were pitfall trapped over 14 years (1989–2003) as part of an experimental fire study in the Great Victoria Desert, Western Australia. Spider abundance decreased immediately after fire, but yearly variation confounded the interpretation of results. Species richness showed no clear pattern in response to fire. Spider species composition showed significant changes between sampling months and between burnt and long unburnt samples within the months of March and December, but not October. Rainfall appears the dominant driving force in this system with less pronounced fire effects. High rainfall during the previous February–April was correlated with increased spider abundance in March samples the following year. Given the highly seasonal structure of spider assemblages, favourable weather during mating and juvenile development may increase recruitment the following season. We conclude that to be successful in conserving biodiversity in arid Australia by re-instating anthropogenic fire regimes, it is vital to understand the mediating impact of rainfall. [pdf 345.0 kb]

document Integrating Grazing & Biodiversity Conservation in Australia's Arid Rangelands
This article by Jill Landsberg, Craig James and Stephen Morton, who are scientists with the CSIRO Division of Wildlife and Ecology, is based on one that appeared in the Range Management Newsletter, July 1995. These scientists have found that some of the problems besetting our native animals and plants and threatening natural biodiversity are also causing problems in the pastoral industry which is trying to cope with degraded rangeland pastures. [pdf 608.8 kb]

document Scale-related effects of grazing on native plant communities in an arid rangeland region of South Australia
To explore how rangeland grazing affects native plant diversity at local and regional scales, we measured the frequency of occurrence of plant species along six transects spread across a large region of arid calcareous rangelands in north-western South Australia. Four transects were in commercial sheep-grazed paddocks and two were in otherwise similar lands that had never been developed for pastoralism. Each transect comprised four sites of area 0·5 km2, at distances of 1, 4, 7 and 10 km from the nearest stock watering point in a paddock, or from a nominal starting point > 10 km from water in the undeveloped lands. [pdf 183.6 kb]

document Monitoring rangeland biodiversity: Plants as indicators
As well as being important components of biodiversity in their own right, plants reflect the physical environment, are the primary target of many of the pressures acting on rangelands, and are relatively amenable to measurement. Hence, measurements based on plants have considerable potential to be efficient indicators of the response of rangeland biodiversity to land use. A recent report commissioned by the National Land and Water Resources Audit recommended a core set of 11 indicators, six of which relied on measurements of plants. These were trends in (i) the extent of clearing; (ii) the cover of native perennial ground-layer vegetation; (iii) the distribution and abundance of exotic plant species; (iv) the distribution and abundance of fire-sensitive species; (v) the distribution and abundance of grazing-sensitive species; and (vi) the distribution and abundance of listed threatened entities. Most indicated responses of plants to pressures acting on them. Only two (clearing and exotic plants) related to pressures. We recommend that the set be expanded to include two additional pressure indicators, one for grazing and another for fire, in recognition of their extent and potential influence on rangeland biodiversity. We also recommend that benchmark sites be included in all ground-based monitoring programmes to provide reference standards for those biotic indicators about which little is known. Assessments of the current state of knowledge about these indicators for two case-study regions, the Gascoyne–Murchison strategy area and Cape York Peninsula, have shown that it would be possible to monitor most of them directly at regional scales, but that current monitoring programmes fall short of achieving this. [pdf 142.7 kb]

document Waterbirds on an adjacent freshwater lake and salt lake in arid Australia
Aerial surveys of waterbirds were made on Lake Wyara (salt) and Lake Numalla (freshwater) in arid Australia, every three months, 1987-1989. These lakes were significant sites for conservation of waterbirds. Aerial counts were on average 42 000 waterbirds (2600-113 500), including at least 41 species. In March 1988, total numbers probably exceeded 280 000. More than half the population of freckled duck Stictonetta naevosa may occur on the lakes. Although only 3 km apart and similar in size, the salt lake had about ten times more waterbirds /mainly ducks, herbivores, small wading birds) than the freshwater lake (mainly piscivores, large wading birds). Differences in waterbird communities between the lakes were attributable to food resources. There were larger numbers of planktonic invertebrates and more macrophyte vegetation in the salt lake than in the freshwater lake while the freshwater lake contained fish and shrimp populations. [pdf 974.3 kb]

document Trapping intensities for sampling ants in Australian rangelands
I investigated the relationship between species richness and composition of ant faunas, and sampling intensity in two regions with different long-term histories of grazing intensity in mulga (Acacia aneura) woodlands in northern New South Wales. There were two aims: (i) to examine the relationship between sampling intensity and species richness and composition; and (ii) to explore the differences in ant assemblages from two regions of markedly different grazing intensity when sampled at different intensities (i.e. when a higher proportion of the local ant fauna were collected). Ants were sampled in pit traps (120-mm diameter) at densities of two, four, six and nine pits per 100 m2. Each sampling-intensity treatment was replicated three times within each region. Pit traps filled with preservative were opened for 3 days. Species richness was higher with each successive increase in sampling intensity but was not different between regions for a given trapping intensity. There was no obvious asymptote of the curve relating trapping intensity to cumulative species richness suggesting that even greater trap densities than those used in the present study would be needed to collect most of the species of ants using a patch of ground over a few days. Spatial replication of a low-intensity sampling design did not capture as many species as one higher-intensity sampling array with the same total number of pit traps. This result can be explained by aggressive numerically dominant species of ants monopolizing access to a greater proportion of the traps in low-density arrays. Ordination reveals that regions and sampling-intensity treatments could be discriminated and that differences between regions with different grazing histories were less apparent with high-intensity sampling arrays than they were with low-intensity sampling arrays. This suggests that differences between locations in space (or potentially samples in time) could be exaggerated by incomplete sampling of the patch-scale fauna. Comparison of the present study with other studies suggests that most studies to date have used sampling intensities that would not give a thorough assessment of the patch-scale ground-dwelling fauna if sampled only by pit traps. The implications of the results for programmes of ant monitoring in rangelands are discussed. [pdf 198.2 kb]

document Biodiversity monitoring in the rangelands: a way forward - volume 2
By Leigh Hunt, Alaric Fisher, Alex Kutt and Terry Mazzer. Written 2003. [pdf 790.6 kb]

document Changes in ant species composition and community organisation along grazing gradients in semi-arid rangelands of the Northern Territory
The impact of cattle grazing on ant diversity, species composition and community organisation was investigated in the Victoria River District of the Northern Territory, using distance from water as a surrogate of grazing intensity. Two gradients were sampled, one on red earth at Kidman Springs (5 plots), the other on black cracking clay at Mount Sanford (6 plots). Sites were sampled in April (both sites) and October (Kidman Springs only)1998. The two sites supported distinctly different ant communities, with 70 species at Kidman Springs and 36 at Mount Sanford. Species richness and total abundance did not change significantly with distance from water, although species richness was always greatest at the most distant plot. However, multivariate analysis showed that ant species composition changed markedly. Despite large changes in species composition, the abundance of only six of the 24 most common species (two at Kidman Springs and four at Mount Sanford) were significantly correlated with grazing intensity. The abundance of Bassian taxa was promoted by grazing, whereas the species richness of Torresian taxa and the abundance and species richness of Widespread taxa were suppressed. Ant functional group analysis showed community organisation was resilient, with slight changes being primarily driven by Hot Climate Specialists and dependent on the season. However, the relative richness of five functional groups correlated significantly with grazing intensity, all negatively. Ant variables suppressed by grazing were positively associated with patch cover variables and litter, and negatively correlated with annual grass and bare ground, and may serve as indicators of rangeland condition. [pdf 1.1 Mb]

document The piosphere revisited: plant species patterns close to waterpoints in small, fenced paddocks in chenopod shrublands of South Australia
The Waite–Nicolson rangeland management method for semi-arid chenopod shrublands predicts that smaller paddocks with medium to moderate stocking rates help to preserve the native vegetation. Vegetation cover around waterpoints in three small paddocks (o2000 ha) from Middleback Station, South Australia was studied using multivariate analysis. Data from quadrats sampled along radiating transects were tested for correlations with a number of site features and grazing history factors. Two significant associations were detected: quadrats with an abundance of Rhagodia parabolica and less palatable species such as Maireana pyramidata, and Atriplex stipitata were correlated positively with proximity to water points, paddock age and stocking rate, and negatively with paddock size. In contrast, quadrats with species such as Rhagodia ulicina and the more palatable M. sedifolia were correlated with increasing distance from the water points and paddock size, but negatively with age and stocking rates. Transect direction was not correlated with either group. Twelve of the 20 species examined, including the important forage species A. vesicaria, also were not correlated with those paddock and grazing features included here. These results suggest that the distribution of some chenopod shrub species in fenced paddocks is still possibly affected by a combination of these factors in the long term by grazing at densities of 6 ha sheep-1 and that the method, although maintaining the fodder species, may not be preserving biodiversity at these grazing levels, although further study is needed. [pdf 169.1 kb]

Water links the historical and contemporary components of the Australian bird diversity gradient
To document the geographical structure of the historical signal in the continental species richness gradient of birds and evaluate the influences of contemporary and historical climatic conditions on the generation and maintenance of the richness pattern. [pdf 587.3 kb]

document Ecology of four turbid clay pans during a filling-drying cycle in the Paroo, semi-arid Australia
The clay pans studied were small (<2 ha), shallow (<30 cm) and contained very turbid, alkaline water of low conductivity for 40–90 days. Nutrients peaked early but chlorophyll-a values varied through time. Water temperatures ranged from 3.5 to 25.5 ◦C. Cumulative species richness ranged from 30 to 55, with mean momentary species richness varying from 15.5 to 29.1 among the four pans. Macroinvertebrate assemblages were dominated by adult phyllopods, hemipterans and coleopterans, and zooplankton was dominated by juvenile phyllopods, copepods and cladocerans. No macrophytes were present. Ordination showed two pairs of pans (A+B and C+D) which matched ordination of physicochemical data, with turbidity the factor best explaining the pattern. Macroinvertebrate assemblages varied between the centre and littoral zone of all pans, particularly in C and D in which CPOM was more abundant in the littoral. Grouping of assemblages was directed as much by differences in abundance as variation in species composition. Succession was directional and continuous. Among macroinvertebrates, insects dominated initially and terminally, but phyllopod crustaceanswere important much of the time. In the zooplankton, phyllopods dominated initially then entomostracans, with final assemblages mostly consisting of copepods. Succession was quicker and later assemblages more stable in zooplankton. The feeding group of filter feeders/collectors dominated during the life of the pans, except at the beginning and end when predators were important. The major carbon source was algal, despite the high turbidity and abundant detrital matter. [pdf 635.9 kb]

document Conserving invertebrate diversity in agricultural, forestry and natural ecosystems in Australia
Continental Australia and Tasmania cover a wide range of latitudes from tropical regions in the north through the arid and semi-arid core to cool temperate regions further south. Vegetation is equally varied and because of this and the continent's isolation during the Tertiary, floral and faunal diversity and endemism are very high. Europeans arrived 200 years ago and since that time have markedly modified the landscape by clearing and changing the vegetation, predominantly for agricultural and urban development. Both accidental and deliberate introductions of stock, weeds, crops, trees and pasture plants have also caused enormous changes to Australiar, environments. In the last few years the deleterious effects of some of these changes have been realised, for example the extent of soil degradation. Measures are being taken to rectify problems and techniques are being introduced which benefit both primary producers and other users of the land and also nature conservation. Some of these measures for a more sustainable use of the land are illustrated here for four vegetation types, eucalypt woodland, native forests, grasslands and arid systems. They include adopting native tree species for limber production and native grasses for pasture, retention of native vegetation and paying attention to conservation of invertebrates in Parks and Reserves. [pdf 1.2 Mb]

document The potential role of waterbirds in dispersing invertebrates and plants in arid Australia
The role of waterbirds as vectors of plants and invertebrates within and between aridzone wetlands is poorly understood. We present the first detailed study of passive dispersal by nomadic birds in Australasia. We investigated the numbers and types of invertebrate and plant propagules within freshly collected faecal samples as well as their viability. We compared dispersal among Grey Teal (Anas gracilis), Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra) and Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) in the Macquarie Marshes, a complex of temporary to semi-permanent wetlands in New South Wales. [pdf 209.0 kb]

document Geographical patterning of species richness among granivorous birds in Australia
Aim: To examine and compare patterns of species richness and prominence across the Australian continent for taxonomic and ecological subsets of the granivorous bird fauna. Location: The Australian continental mainland and island of Tasmania. Methods: Bird species records from the Atlas of Australian Birds (Blakers et al., 1984) were arranged in degree cells and analysed as raw tallies of species richness, and as averaged proportions of the recorded land bird assemblage. Results: There were striking differences in the geographical distribution of absolute and relative abundance of foraging and taxonomic classes of granivorous birds. Granivorous birds that forage in trees are confined to the parrots and cockatoos (Psittaciformes), are most speciose in areas dominated by evergreen forests or woodlands and are equally speciespoor in the arid-zone and the monsoonal tropics. In contrast, obligate terrestrial foragers are morphologically diverse and occur in all the families considered (Phasianidae, Turnicidae, Pedionomidae, Columbidae, Cacatuidae, Psittacidae, Passeridae). They are most speciose over a broad area of eastern, south-eastern and north-western Australia. Among obligate terrestrial foragers there is a marked latitudinal sequence of replacement of granivore taxa: finches (Passeridae) are most prominent in the monsoonal savannas, pigeons (Columbidae) are most prominent in the semiarid tropics, and parrots (Cacatuidae and Psittacidae) in the winter-rainfall arid and semiarid zones. Main conclusions: These striking patterns may be related to differences in the size, bill shape and heat tolerance of the taxa, and to the history of evolution and/or colonization of the taxonomic group within Australia. [pdf 715.2 kb]

document An alternative understanding of the relationship between the ecosystem and the social system - implications for land management in semi-arid Australia
The growing concerns of the wider community for bio-diversity, ecological maintenance and sustainable long term productivity of Australia's rangelands has focussed attention on land management practices in the semi-arid and arid areas. Where conventional farming paradigms concentrated on farming practices and methods, the paradigms of sustainability rest heavily on changes to farming philosophy for their success. The basic challenges have been well understood for years, and almost all the research has gone into the process of understanding the resource. There is little understanding of the relationship between the ecosystem and either society in general, or the local community. The basic relationship, that between society and the ecosystem, is being overlooked. The social system determines human objectives and the ecosystem presents a range of possibilities through which these objectives are to be realised. Using the work of Ingold, it is argued that technology, ideology and structure are the products of the relationship between society and the ecosystem. The interaction between the ecosystem and the social system then presents a set of possible outcomes that culture atteinpts to solve. There is a need to shift attention from technology and ideology to examining and understanding the relationship between the social system and the ecosystem if the desired changes, such as the maintenance of biodiversity or sustainability, are to be more than superficial. [pdf 730.1 kb]

document The effect of exotic pasture development on floristic diversity in central Queensland, Australia
Floristic diversity was compared across boundaries where the trees have been cleared in semi-arid brigalow (Acacia harpophylla), gidgee (A. cambagei) and eucalypt (Eucalyptus populnea, E. melanophloia) woodland and forest in central Queensland. The cleared treatments included Exotic pasture (uncultivated, exotic grasses having more than 10% total cover) and Native pasture (uncultivated, not dominated by exotic grasses). An ordination of presence±absence data did not distinguish the floristic composition of the uncleared pasture and native pasture treatments, however, these treatment types were floristically distinct from the exotic pasture treatment in all three land types. Declines in species richness and diversity were substantial between uncleared and exotic pastures for brigalow and eucalypt lands. Dierences were far less substantial for the same comparison in gidgee lands, and between uncleared and native pasture for all three land types. These trends reflected dierences in most perennial lifeform groups and the species that show significant declines are identified. There was no significant relationship between native diversity and the age of clearing. This study draws attention to the negative impacts on plant diversity posed by deliberate and inadvertent spread of exotic perennial grasses in tropical forests and woodlands. [pdf 202.7 kb]

document Distribution and Floristics of Bryophytes in Soil Crusts in Semi-arid and Arid Eastern Australia
A total of 56 bryophyte taxa associated with biological soil crusts was collected from 282 sites in semiarid and arid eastern Australia. The 41 moss taxa and 15 liverwort taxa found were dominated by the families Pottiaceae and Ricciaceae respectively. Bryophytes were present at 224 of the 282 sites, and their distribution varied widely according to different landscapes. The mean number of taxa per site ranged from 8.9 on plains with red earths to 2.1 on active floodplains. The most common bryophytes found in the survey area were Bryum pachytheca, Didymodon torquatus, Gigaspermum repens, Goniomitrium enerve, Desmatodon convolutus, Stonea oleaginosa, Crossidium davidai, Riccia limbata and Riccia lamellosa. In this paper, the distribution of bryophytes in relation to landscape types, and some strategies for surviving in arid environments and their roles in biodiversity and rangeland condition assessment are discussed. Their distribution is compared with other published and unpublished studies from similar areas of Australia. [pdf 1.1 Mb]

document Distribution and Floristics of Terricolous Lichens in Soil Crusts in Arid and Semi-arid New South Wales, Australia
This paper examines the distribution of terricolous lichens at a regional scale across seven landscape types over 60 000 km2 in western New South Wales. Data are also presented on the distribution of lichens within a geomorphic sequence of runoff and runon zones on a red earth soil near Cobar. On a regional scale, 48 taxa from 23 genera were collected from 282 sites in semi-arid and arid eastern Australia. Of these, 74% were crustose or squamulose, and the remainder (26%) were foliose. Six genera (Acarospora, Endocarpon, Catapyrenium, Diploschistes, Peltula and Xanthoparmelia) accounted for 57% of species. Landscape type was a poor predictor of lichen floristics or crust cover. Instead, a core group of species comprising Collema coccophorum, Heppia despreauxii, Endocarpon rogersii, E. simplicatum var. bisporum, E. pallidurn, Psora decipiens, Peltula patellata ssp. australiensis, Catapyrenzum squamulosum and Synalissa symphorea, occurred in all landscape types. Plains wlth red earths had the greatest mean number of species per site (1 1.2) and the greatest mean crust cover (2T7%). Plains of calcareous earths yielded the greatest number of species (38). Across all sites, crust cover was a poor predictor of lichen species richness. However, on landscape types with non-calcareous soils, mean crust cover explained 88% of the variation in mean number of species. Whilst there was no difference in total number of species across a sequence of geomorphic zones, crust cover was significantly greater in the interception zones (79.0%) compared with either the run-on (6.6%) or run-off (24.0%) zones. These distributional data are compared with other published and unpublished studies from similar areas in Australia. The role of terricolous crusts as indicators of ecosystem health, and the influence of land management on crust cover and subsequent landscape stability are discussed. [pdf 927.2 kb]

document Effect of fragmentation, habitat loss and within-patch habitat characteristics on ant assemblages in semi-arid woodlands of eastern Australia
The reliability of ants as bioindicators of ecosystem condition is dependent on the consistency of their response to localised habitat characteristics, which may be modified by larger-scale effects of habitat fragmentation and loss. We assessed the relative contribution of habitat fragmentation, habitat loss and within-patch habitat characteristics in determining ant assemblages in semi-arid woodland in Queensland, Australia. Species and functional group abundance were recorded using pitfall traps across 20 woodland patches in landscapes that exhibited a range of fragmentation states. Of fragmentation measures, changes in patch area and patch edge contrast exerted the greatest influence on species assemblages, after accounting for differences in habitat loss. However, 35% of fragmentation effects on species were confounded by the effects of habitat characteristics and habitat loss. Within-patch habitat characteristics explained more than twice the amount of species variation attributable to fragmentation and four times the variation explained by habitat loss. The study indicates that withinpatch habitat characteristics are the predominant drivers of ant composition. We suggest that caution should be exercised in interpreting the independent effects of habitat fragmentation and loss on ant assemblages without jointly considering localised habitat attributes and associated joint effects. [pdf 235.1 kb]

document Patterns of invertebrate biodiversity across a natural edge
Most ecologists are comfortable with the notion of habitats as recognizable entities and also with situations where the junction between two adjacent habitats forms a discrete edge. Such edges form naturally because of sharp changes in important edaphic, geomorphological, climatic or chemical properties to which plants, in particular, respond. Less clear is the effect of such edges on assemblages of mobile organisms, especially invertebrates that operate at relatively small spatial scales. The objective of the present study was to sample invertebrate composition across a natural edge between a well-developed riparian habitat on fluvial sands and a saltbush habitat developed on a stony gibber plain in a semi-arid region of New South Wales, Australia. A total of 150 pitfall traps on five 1-km-long transects that straddled the edge produced more than 13 000 adult specimens from 21 ordinal invertebrate taxa. A total of 10 446 beetle, ant, wasp, fly and springtail specimens were further sorted into 426 morphospecies. Comparisons and estimates of trends in abundance and richness were made, along with computation of multivariate dissimilarity and permutation statistics, to determine if the land system edge was coincident with changes in invertebrate abundance and composition. These analyses were unable to detect disjunctions in diversity coincident with the edge. The data suggest that many taxa are either present consistently in both habitats or are mostly found in one habitat but ‘leak’ several hundred metres across into the other. Few taxa were unique to either habitat. The result is that assemblage composition for invertebrates changes gradually over distances of up to 400 m either side of the edge and that the distance to a recognizable change in composition is taxon dependent. Even sharp habitat edges, as defined by discrete changes in soils and plants, are not edges but broad transition zones for many invertebrate taxa. There are several implications of these results, especially for landscape ecology. [pdf 1009.4 kb]

document Conservation through buyer-diversity: A key role for not-for-profit land-holding organizations in Australia
‘Not-for-profit’ nature conservation organizations in Australia are a relatively new and growing phenomenon. Key players discuss the progress of these groups in securing ‘in perpetuity’ conservation on private land. [pdf 661.1 kb]

document Algal diversity and assemblages in arid zone rivers of the Lake Eyre Basin, Australia
The responses of algal assemblages in arid zone rivers to flow events, drying and water quality changes are fundamental to our understanding of these unregulated rivers.We studied planktonic and other algae, identified to genus, in three rivers in the Lake Eyre Basin, where summer–autumn floods typically occur on an annual basis. A moderately diverse algal flora was discovered with a total of 118 genera, containing at least 237 taxa, in seven phyla. Algal diversity was found to be highest during, or soon after flood events of varying sizes and in the summer following a large flood in the previous flood season. We suggest that the combination of germination of algae from channel and floodplain sediments and the transport of algae from aquatic refuges during flood events resulted in the observed increases in diversity. In addition, nutrient influxes associated with previous large floods, interact with the increase in temperature in the subsequent summer to provide optimum conditions for high algal production and, in some sites, high diversity. Multivariate analyses found that salinity was a significant driver of assemblage composition but only explained a small portion of the variance in generic richness. Within phyla, assemblage richness within the Chlorophyta and Euglenophyta showed a weak, but significant, negative correlation with increasing salinity, while in the Cyanophyta and Bacillariophyta richness was not significantly correlated because both latter groups contained salt-tolerant taxa. [pdf 237.0 kb]

document Mapping of species richness for conservation of biological diversity: conceptual and methodological issues
Biodiversity mapping (e.g., the Gap Analysis Program [GAP]), in which vegetative features and categories of land use are mapped at coarse spatial scales, has been proposed as a reliable tool for land use decisions (e.g., reserve identification, selection, and design). This implicitly assumes that species richness data collected at coarse spatiotemporal scales provide a first-order approximation to community and ecosystem representation and persistence. This assumption may be false because (1) species abundance distributions and species richness are poor surrogates for community/ecosystem processes, and are scale dependent; (2) species abundance and richness data are unreliable because of unequal and unknown sampling probabilities and species-habitat models of doubtful reliability; (3) mapped species richness data may be inherently resistant to "e;scaling up"e; or "e;scaling down"e;; and (4) decision-making based on mapped species richness patterns may be sensitive to errors from unreliable data and models, resulting in suboptimal conservation decisions. We suggest an approach in which mapped data are linked to management via demographic models, multiscale sampling, and decision theory. We use a numerical representation of a system in which vegetation data are assumed to be known and mapped without error, a simple model relating habitat to predicted species persistence, and statistical decision theory to illustrate use of mapped data in conservation decision-making and the impacts of uncertainty in data or models on the decision outcome. [pdf 464.2 kb]

document Setting and achieving objectives for conserving biological diversity in arid environments
With conservation of biological diversity depending as much on socioeconomic as on biological processes, this paper stresses the importance of clear policy objectives to guide strategies for preserving biological diversity. The first requirement is to define the essential elements and socioeconomic importance of biological diversity, so that these can be accommodated adequately in a national programme for sustainable rural development. Efficient application of this programme requires that its goals be clearly enunciated in national policy. There should also be maximum political support for its effective sociopolitically, economically and ecologically rationalised implementation by an accountable authority through a conducive institutional framework. Experience suggests that proprietorship and price are prime elements that need to be reconciled in such a framework of positive and negative incentives to individuals, to mitigate the opportunity costs and encourage the conservation of biodiversity. The present paper considers how these institutional requirements may be met, with particular reference to the special characteristics found in arid areas. [pdf 76.5 kb]

document Wildlife in dry lake and associated habitats in western New South Wales
Intermittently and occasionally flooded lakes are common in arid and semi-arid Australia. The wet/dry nature of these lakes means that they provide habitat for terrestrial fauna when dry and aquatic fauna when flooded. The fauna of dry lakes in western New South Wales is largely unknown. This study reports on species of small mammals and reptiles trapped in a dry lake in south-western New South Wales, and contrasts them with species trapped in surrounding woodland and shrubland habitats. Information on bird species in these habitats was also drawn on. Small mammals, reptiles and birds showed considerable partitioning between the habitats in the study area. The dry lake provided the main habitat for the two small mammals Smznthopsis crassicaudata and Planlgale gdesi. Reptiles were most speciose and most abundant in the blue bush (Maireana spp.) shrubland, but some reptile species were mainly or entirely confined to the dry lake habitats, or to black box (Eucalyptus largzjlorens) woodland. Birds in the study region were most abundant and most speciose in the black box woodland, with some species confined to blue bush shrubland. The study showed that conservation of all the habitats investigated is necessary to retain the suite of vertebrate species that occupy these landscapes. [pdf 788.8 kb]

document Impacts of salinity on biodiversity - clear understanding or muddy confusion?
A report written for the Australian Journal of Botany 51 by Sue V. Briggs and Nicki Taws. [pdf 409.8 kb]

document Native Small Mammals and Reptiles in Cropped and Uncropped Parts of Lakebeds in Semi-arid Australia
Small mammals and reptiles were surveyed by trapping in uncropped and cropped parts of two dry lakebeds in semi-arid New South Wales, Australia, in spring 1992 and 1993. Four species of native small mammals (18 individuals) were captured in uncropped parts of the lakebeds, compared with two individuals of one species in cropped parts of the lakebeds. A total of 38 reptiles (seven species) was caught at the uncropped sites compared with 10 individuals (four species) at the cropped sites. Small mammals were absent where the soil was scarified and bare between crop cycles. The habitat requirements of small mammals (particularly Planigale gilesi) and reptiles need to be provided for when cropping lakebeds. The most effective way to do this is to leave wide strips of uncropped soil at the edges of lakebeds, and patches of uncropped country that are connected to the strips, on lakebeds. [pdf 377.8 kb]

document Biodiversity and Landscape
Biodiversity and landscape pattern and process are inextricably linked. Maximum biodiversity occurs where landscape patterns and processes are most heterogeneous. Human use of landscapes in Australia and New Zealand has changed biodiversity patterns. European settlement introduced many species from Europe, America, Africa and Asia to the landscapes of Australia and New Zealand. These species have caused a decline in native biodiversity of much greater significance than their addition to the biodiversity. Future landscape management should seek to maintain maximum landscape heterogeneity, thereby ensuring the maximum persistence of biodiversity. [pdf 610.8 kb]

document Imperilled subsurface waters in Australia: Biodiversity, threatening processes and conservation
Subsurface waters in Australia span massive aquifers to small cave streams and fluctuating hyporheic zones where stream water exchanges with groundwater. Groundwater resources have been exploited heavily, especially in the arid zone, and usage is predicted to increase. Ironically, preliminary surveys of some groundwater habitats in arid northwestern Australia indicate an extraordinarily diverse subsurface fauna with apparently highly localised distributions. Elsewhere in Australia, changes to river flows, gravel extraction, and poorly managed catchment land uses have altered the extent and ecological integrity of the hyporheic zone in most gravel and sand bed rivers. In many cave streams and karst aquifers, sedimentation, pollution and changes to the water table have caused extinction or reduction of the dependent biodiversity. Most of these subsurface habitats harbour ancient groups absent from surface waters (relictual stygofauna) and are ‘hotspots’ of unexpected aquatic biodiversity. Unfortunately, our knowledge of the regional extent of this biodiversity and its functional significance is fragmentary. Current threats vary according to the subsurface habitat. For example, lowering of the water table in calcrete aquifers by water abstraction may jeopardise isolated, endemic relictual faunas in Australia’s arid zone whereas in many gravel bed rivers, siltation threatens the biodiversity and filtration capacity of the hyporheic zone. Groundwaters in karst, especially cave streams and their dependent fauna, are vulnerable to impacts in their surface catchments but these linkages are seldom obvious. Recognition of the intimate linkages between groundwater and many surface ecosystems has led recently to policies aimed at protecting ‘Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems’ inAustralia.However, such protection is hampered by our scant taxonomic and ecological knowledge of these ecosystems. Successful conservation and management of groundwaters and their dependent ecosystems rely on better public understanding of their unique fauna and ‘ecosystem services,’ further research on subsurface processes and taxonomy, and legislative protection of rare and threatened subterranean communities and species. [pdf 158.0 kb]

document Aboriginal Burning Regimes and Hunting Strategies in Australia's Western Desert
A large complement of Australia's biotic web is dependent on a regular regime of burning, much of which is the result of firing by humans. Many researchers have suggested that moderate and repeated burning by Aborigines is a tool designed to enhance hunting efficiency. We present the first test of this with data on contemporary Martu Aboriginal burning and hunting strategies in the arid spinifex savanna ofthe Western Desert during the cool-dry season (May-August). Our results show a strong positive effect of mosaic burning on the efficiency of hunting burrowed prey (primarily conducted by women), but not larger mobile prey (primarily conducted by men). We suggest that regular anthropogenic disturbance through burning in Australia's Western Desert may be important for sustaining biodiversity and habitat mosaics, but these effects may be maintained primarily by women's hunting of burrowed game. We discuss the implications ofthese results for understanding variability in hunting strategies, issues of conservation, and land management policy for the region. [pdf 6.5 Mb]

document Water Points: Where Pastoralism and Biodiversity Meet
A 1997 booklet written by Bryony Bennet. [pdf 1.1 Mb]

document Imperilled rivers of Australia: Challenges for assessment and conservation
In Australia, riverine biodiversity (as judged by species diversity) is threatened by an array of anthropogenic effects common in industrialised countries (e.g. in-stream barriers, mining and sewage effluents, increased nutrient inputs, introduced species) as well as more diffuse, widespread phenomena characteristic of most of the arid and semi-arid areas of the world (e.g. salinisation and alteration of flows). Although much has been learned from specific case studies in the more populated areas, the nationally systematic efforts at quantifying these threats rely mostly on measures of river “condition” or “health” because measuring species diversity across areas as large as Australia is too expensive. However, these measures are incomplete representations of biodiversity, and some of the auditing processes compound other human values into their summaries of river condition or health. Furthermore, public perceptions of what rivers in Australia can deliver in terms of “ecosystem services” may not be feasible in many areas owing to the way that the Australian landscape has evolved. To avoid making the mistake of assuming that “good river health” automatically means “all biodiversity is conserved,” three advances are needed: appropriate conceptual frameworks of how a given river system functions, more research that clarifies the links between processes and biodiversity, and an understanding of the historical biogeography of the river biota so that we can provide a clear context for the first two items. Substantial progress has been made in developing and adapting conceptual models of river systems, research into processes is being initiated even in some remote, sparsely populated catchments, and much has been learned about the history and distribution of the flora and fauna. Key challenges remain in consolidating reliable empirical relationships between biodiversity and the surrogate variables used to measure it, estimating the rates of biodiversity change likely to accrue from climate change over the next millennium, and identifying biodiversity “hot spots” particularly for less than charismatic species. [pdf 144.4 kb]

document Insects ‘Down Under’ – Diversity, endemism and evolution of the Australian insect fauna: examples from select orders
The Australian insect fauna is highly endemic and characterised by numerous unique higher-level taxa. In addition, a number of groups are noticeably absent or depauperate on the continent. Many groups found in Australia show characteristic Gondwanan distribution patterns on the southern continents. There are extensive radiations on the plant families Myrtaceae and Mimosaceae, a specialised arid/semiarid fauna, and diverse taxa associated with rainforests and seasonally wet tropical regions. The fauna is also poorly studied, particularly when compared with the flora and vertebrate groups. However, studies in the last two decades have provided a more comprehensive picture of the size of the fauna, relationships, levels of endemism, origins and its evolution. Here we provide an overview of these and other aspects of Australian insect diversity, focusing on six groups, the Thysanoptera and the five megadiverse orders Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera. [pdf 190.3 kb]

Use of terrestrial invertebrates for biodiversity monitoring in Australian rangelands, with particular reference to ants
Taken literally, the aim of biodiversity monitoring is to track changes in the biological integrity of ecosystems. Given the overwhelmingly dominant contribution of invertebrates to biodiversity, no biodiversity monitoring programme can be considered credible if invertebrates are not addressed effectively. Here we review the use of terrestrial invertebrates, with a particular focus on ants, as bioindicators in Australia in the context of monitoring biodiversity in Australia’s rangelands. Ant monitoring systems in Australia were initially developed for assessing restoration success following mining, and have since been applied to a wide range of other land-use situations, including grazing impacts in rangelands. The use of ants as bioindicators in Australia is supported by an extensive portfolio of studies of the responses of ant communities to disturbance, as well as by a global model of ant community dynamics based on functional groups in relation to environmental stress and disturbance. Available data from mining studies suggest that ants reflect changes in other invertebrate groups, but this remains largely undocumented in rangelands. The feasibility of using ants as indicators in land management remains a key issue, given the large numbers of taxonomically challenging specimens in samples, and a lack of invertebrate expertise within most land-management agencies. However, recent work has shown that major efficiencies can be achieved by simplifying the ant sorting process, and such efficiencies can actually enhance rather than compromise indicator performance. [pdf 80.6 kb]

document Using ants as bioindicators in land management: simplifying assessment of ant community responses
1.The indicator qualities of terrestrial invertebrates are widely recognized in the context of detecting ecological change associated with human land-use. However, the use of terrestrial invertebrates as bioindicators remains more a topic of scientific discourse than a part of land-management practice, largely because their inordinate numbers, taxonomic challenges and general unfamiliarity make invertebrates too intimidating for most land-management agencies. Terrestrial invertebrates will not be widely adopted as bioindicators in land management until simple and efficient protocols have been developed that meet the needs of land managers. 2.In Australia, ants are one group of terrestrial insects that has been commonly adopted as bioindicators in land management, and this study examined the reliability of a simplified ant assessment protocol designed to be within the capacity of a wide range of land managers [pdf 290.0 kb]

document Managing ecosystem services: what do we need to know about their ecology?
Human domination of the biosphere has greatly altered ecosystems, often overwhelming their capacity to provide ecosystem services critical to our survival. Yet ecological understanding of ecosystem services is quite limited. Previous work maps the supply and demand for services, assesses threats to them, and estimates economic values, but does not measure the underlying role of biodiversity in providing services. In contrast, experimental studies of biodiversity–function examine communities whose structures often differ markedly from those providing services in real landscapes. A bridge is needed between these two approaches. To develop this research agenda, I discuss critical questions and key approaches in four areas: (1) identifying the important ecosystem service providers; (2) determining the various aspects of community structure that influence function in real landscapes, especially compensatory community responses that stabilize function, or non-random extinction sequences that rapidly erode it; (3) assessing key environmental factors influencing provision of services, and (4) measuring the spatio-temporal scale over which providers and services operate. I show how this research agenda can assist in developing environmental policy and natural resource management plans. [pdf 185.5 kb]

document Australian Thysanoptera – biological diversity and a diversity of studies
Studies in Australia on thrips have had extensive impacts worldwide. In behaviour, the latest definition of eusociality is derived from work on the radiation of thrips on Acacia species in central Australia, and these Acacia thrips also having been used to develop the concept of ‘model clades’ for analysing the evolution of behavioural and ecological diversity. In ecology, the concept of the lack of density dependent factors in population dynamics was elaborated through studies on the plague thrips of southern Australia. In virology, thrips were first shown in Australia to be the vectors of tospoviruses, although these viruses, their vectors and the plants attacked are all non-native to this continent. Work in Australia has included the development of electronic methods of illustration, identification and information transfer about thrips, including the use of molecular methods for pest species recognition, and considerable advances have been made in Australia in our knowledge of the relationships between thrips and plants, from polyphagy to pollination. [pdf 170.1 kb]

document Refugia for Biological Diversity in Arid & Semi-Arid Australia 2
An excerpt from the fourth report in the Biodiversity Series produced by the Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories. The series intends to provide information about aspects of Australia's considerable biodiversity, including its global and national significance, and its conservation and management status. Many of the papers iri the Series will consist of reports prepared for the Biodiversity Unit on a range of biodiversity related subjects. This excerpt is the section of the report focusing on the mulga lands. [pdf 326.7 kb]

document Refugia for Biological Diversity in Arid & Semi-Arid Australia 1
An excerpt from the fourth report in the Biodiversity Series produced by the Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories. The series intends to provide information about aspects of Australia's considerable biodiversity, including its global and national significance, and its conservation and management status. Many of the papers iri the Series will consist of reports prepared for the Biodiversity Unit on a range of biodiversity related subjects. This excerpt is the introduction to the report. [pdf 414.7 kb]

document Concepts for Private Sector Funded Conservation Using Tax-Effective Instruments
This study is intended to outline a conceptual model for the use of taxation to markedly improve the flow of funds to conservation. Its particular focus is the use of private funds to ensure conservation of high value environments on private lands, through the marriage of taxation arrangements with eco-service markets and regional management of conservation programs by landowner or community led conservation organisations. [pdf 492.0 kb]

document Environmental Performance of Agriculture in OECD Countries Since 1990: Australia Country Section
This country section is an extract from chapter 3 of the OECD publication (2008) Environmental Performance of Agriculture in OECD countries since 1990, which is available at the OECD website indicated within. [pdf 261.4 kb]

document The Relationship Between Woody Vegetation and Pasture Production (Revisited)
A report by I.F. Beale and P.W. Johnstone for the Department of Primary Industries. [pdf 31.0 kb]

document Pacific Conservation Biology
A copy of an article from Pacific Conservation Biology, Volume 8, Number 2, written by A.J. Franks, on the topic of the ecological consequences resulting from Buffel grass establishing itself in areas of remnant vegetation in Queensland. [pdf 2.2 Mb]

document NATURE CONSERVATION IN THE MULGA LANDS
NATURE CONSERVATION IN THE MULGA LANDS Address to South West NRM Ltd – 22.3.2007 Paul Sattler OAM paulsattler@bigpond.com [pdf 526.6 kb]

Regional Profiles of the Lake Eyre Basin
http://www.desertknowledgecrc.com.au/research/downloads/DKCRC-Regional-profiles-of-the-Lake-Eyre-Basin.pdf