Does Ecological Restoration Work? Invertebrate Diversity And Fundamental Ecological Processes In Restored Remnants Of Agricultural Landscapes. The restoration of native vegetation is critical to ensuring the success of long-term biodiversity conservation in Australia. Despite massive effort and expenditure on revegetation in damaged ecosystems, little is known of the effectiveness of different approaches. This project assesses the success of current practices of native vegetation restorat ....Does Ecological Restoration Work? Invertebrate Diversity And Fundamental Ecological Processes In Restored Remnants Of Agricultural Landscapes. The restoration of native vegetation is critical to ensuring the success of long-term biodiversity conservation in Australia. Despite massive effort and expenditure on revegetation in damaged ecosystems, little is known of the effectiveness of different approaches. This project assesses the success of current practices of native vegetation restoration in agricultural landscapes using insects and their ecological roles as indicators of the sustainability of restoration efforts. By describing the extent to which fundamental ecological processes have returned to restored areas this project will generate assessment techniques and data identifying priorities for future restoration efforts.Read moreRead less
Mechanisms fo Release of Deep Dormancy in Seeds of Australian Plant Species used in Land Restoration. Over 4 million Ha of Australian land is currently in need of revegetation. To facilitate this, large-scale revegetation programs utilising native species are urgently required. Currently, many desirable species are difficult to propagate due to deep intractable dormancy, but are nevertheless needed due to their keystone function in many ecosystems. The aim is to therefore investigate seed dorman ....Mechanisms fo Release of Deep Dormancy in Seeds of Australian Plant Species used in Land Restoration. Over 4 million Ha of Australian land is currently in need of revegetation. To facilitate this, large-scale revegetation programs utilising native species are urgently required. Currently, many desirable species are difficult to propagate due to deep intractable dormancy, but are nevertheless needed due to their keystone function in many ecosystems. The aim is to therefore investigate seed dormancy alleviation in key rehabilitation species. Outcomes flowing from this project will significantly increase the suite of species currently available for land restoration efforts by land rehabilitation practitioners and will therefore increase the quality and effectiveness of Australian restoration programs.Read moreRead less
Enhancing native seed performance for minesite restoration and biodiversity conservation. The knowledge and practical outcomes generated from this project will facilitate more effective restoration of degraded native ecosystems through the return of a wider range of key understorey plant taxa and more efficient use of seed supplies. Availability of a broader suite of species will increase biodiversity, improve ecosystem resilience to change, and help in the conservation and recovery of nationall ....Enhancing native seed performance for minesite restoration and biodiversity conservation. The knowledge and practical outcomes generated from this project will facilitate more effective restoration of degraded native ecosystems through the return of a wider range of key understorey plant taxa and more efficient use of seed supplies. Availability of a broader suite of species will increase biodiversity, improve ecosystem resilience to change, and help in the conservation and recovery of nationally threatened taxa. By increasing the range of species with horticultural potential available for commercial propagation, it will also reduce the harvest of wild flowers. More efficient production and use of seed stocks will reduce the pressure on limited seed resources from seed harvesting.Read moreRead less
Plant diversity in restored native vegetation of agricultural landscapes. This project will assess the success of current practices of native vegetation restoration in agricultural regions, ie whether they provide sustainable habitat for native plant species. While there is currently a massive expenditure on revegetation in agriculture, there has been almost no assessment of whether it works well or not. This study will compare the plant species present in restored and comparable native vegeta ....Plant diversity in restored native vegetation of agricultural landscapes. This project will assess the success of current practices of native vegetation restoration in agricultural regions, ie whether they provide sustainable habitat for native plant species. While there is currently a massive expenditure on revegetation in agriculture, there has been almost no assessment of whether it works well or not. This study will compare the plant species present in restored and comparable native vegetation. Additionally, intensive study of some key plant species will be undertaken to determine what features of these plants enable them to persist in restored patches. Outcomes include new assessment techniques and original data.Read moreRead less
Restoration of temperate eucalypt woodland: getting it right. Eucalypt woodlands of southern Australia have been heavily cleared for agriculture: much effort and expense is going towards revegetation of these woodlands to conserve biodiversity, and restore ecosystem services they provide. Current restoration methods are purely empirical, with little understanding of why they work. This project will experimentally investigate revegetation practices to uncover ecological processes they utilise, an ....Restoration of temperate eucalypt woodland: getting it right. Eucalypt woodlands of southern Australia have been heavily cleared for agriculture: much effort and expense is going towards revegetation of these woodlands to conserve biodiversity, and restore ecosystem services they provide. Current restoration methods are purely empirical, with little understanding of why they work. This project will experimentally investigate revegetation practices to uncover ecological processes they utilise, and other ecological processes that potentially can be utilised but are currently not. The cost-effectiveness of different practices will be compared. The outcome of the project will be revegetation practices for eucalypt woodlands that are evidence-based and cost-effective, rather than rule of thumb.Read moreRead less
Biodiversity conservation, vegetation restoration and landscape design. There has been considerable recent activity through major Government-funded programs to restore native vegetation. Despite extensive expenditure, the biodiversity conservation values of restoration remain very poorly known. This innovative project will address this major knowledge gap. It will generate quality data and new principles to guide restoration that maximizes biodiversity conservation. The principal aim is to estim ....Biodiversity conservation, vegetation restoration and landscape design. There has been considerable recent activity through major Government-funded programs to restore native vegetation. Despite extensive expenditure, the biodiversity conservation values of restoration remain very poorly known. This innovative project will address this major knowledge gap. It will generate quality data and new principles to guide restoration that maximizes biodiversity conservation. The principal aim is to estimate tree planting effects on vertebrates and assess whether the effects are consistent across different landscapes, farm units and regions. New insights from the project will aid the design of cost-effective and ecologically-effective restoration programs for future landscapes in rural Australian production environments.Read moreRead less
Identifying limitations to the establishment of microbial communities and sustainable nutrient cycling in bauxite residue sand under rehabilitation. Australia is the world's largest producer of bauxite. The process of refining bauxite to aluminium generates 2 t of residue for every 3 t of bauxite, creating a major residue management issue. Rehabilitation of residue disposal areas is critical for reducing impacts on the environment and surrounding community and ultimately aims to create a sustain ....Identifying limitations to the establishment of microbial communities and sustainable nutrient cycling in bauxite residue sand under rehabilitation. Australia is the world's largest producer of bauxite. The process of refining bauxite to aluminium generates 2 t of residue for every 3 t of bauxite, creating a major residue management issue. Rehabilitation of residue disposal areas is critical for reducing impacts on the environment and surrounding community and ultimately aims to create a sustainable ecosystem following closure of the facility. This research will provide a detailed understanding of the establishment of microbial communities and the factors controlling the survival and functioning of microorganisms in bauxite residue sand. The outcomes will aid the development of improved protocols and strategies for bauxite residue rehabilitation in Australia and internationally.Read moreRead less
The roles of invasive ants in urban ecosystem dynamics and restoration. The potential impacts of invasive ants are recognised worldwide, and we know that invasive ant species are already present in heavily disturbed areas in southern Australia, particularly in urban settlements. However, as yet, we have very little information on the actual and potential impacts of invasive ants on ecosystem processes. Urban bushland is seen as an important conservation and amenity resource, and there are incre ....The roles of invasive ants in urban ecosystem dynamics and restoration. The potential impacts of invasive ants are recognised worldwide, and we know that invasive ant species are already present in heavily disturbed areas in southern Australia, particularly in urban settlements. However, as yet, we have very little information on the actual and potential impacts of invasive ants on ecosystem processes. Urban bushland is seen as an important conservation and amenity resource, and there are increasing efforts to manage and restore these areas. This project aims to elucidate the likely impact of invasive ants on the maintenance and restoration of urban bushland, and hence provide guidance as to whether management and restoration needs to include invasive ant control. Read moreRead less
Optimal environmental monitoring under severe uncertainty. Environmental monitoring is a type of quality control that informs managers about the health of the environment and about how well their management systems are performing. Because it is a critical, but expensive, component of sustainable management, it is important to ensure value for resources spent on monitoring and that environmental impacts will be detected if they are occurring. We argue that current approaches to environmental mana ....Optimal environmental monitoring under severe uncertainty. Environmental monitoring is a type of quality control that informs managers about the health of the environment and about how well their management systems are performing. Because it is a critical, but expensive, component of sustainable management, it is important to ensure value for resources spent on monitoring and that environmental impacts will be detected if they are occurring. We argue that current approaches to environmental management ensure neither efficiency nor environmental security. The aim of the project is to develop theories and techniques to make monitoring both cost effective and reliable, thereby providing monetary savings and better environmental outcomes.Read moreRead less
Setting and achieving realistic restoration goals in human-dominated ecosystems. Federal and state programs and community and NGO activities increasingly focus on ecosystem restoration as a tool in conservation and natural resource management. Clearer understanding of ecosystem dynamics and better articulation of realistic restoration goals can lead to much improved restoration success and better investment of government and private funds. This project will provide a better understanding of ecos ....Setting and achieving realistic restoration goals in human-dominated ecosystems. Federal and state programs and community and NGO activities increasingly focus on ecosystem restoration as a tool in conservation and natural resource management. Clearer understanding of ecosystem dynamics and better articulation of realistic restoration goals can lead to much improved restoration success and better investment of government and private funds. This project will provide a better understanding of ecosystem dynamics both under current conditions and also as influenced by future environmental changes. The contribution to the theoretical and conceptual development of the field of restoration ecology will increase the profile of Australian science and enhance our reputation as leaders in this field. Read moreRead less