Rainforest, woodland or swampland? Integrating time, space and culture to manage an endangered ecosystem complex in the Australian wet tropics
- Authors: Lynch, A. , Ferrier, Asa , Ford, A. J. , Haberle, Simon , Rule, Stephen , Schneider, Larissa , Zawadzki, A. , Metcalfe, Daniel
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Landscape Ecology Vol. 35, no. 1 (2020), p. 83-99
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Context: Transdisciplinary research is important where information from multiple fields is required to develop ecologically and culturally appropriate environmental planning that protects local conservation and socio-cultural values. Objectives: Here, we describe research to inform ecosystem restoration and conservation of Chumbrumba Swamp within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, Australia. Many such open wetlands in the region have been degraded through agriculture and pastoral production, but there has been little research into their status, history and conservation needs. Methods: The recent to pre-European settlement history of the site was explored, along with spatial variation of vegetation communities at the site, and these data integrated with historical and ethnographical information on the site and its cultural values. Results: The botanical and palaeoecological analyses showed that Chumbrumba Swamp comprises a unique and highly sensitive ecosystem mosaic with high biodiversity. An endangered ecosystem complex, 82 vascular plant species, several disjunct or endemic taxa, and species at new northern range limits were recorded within its 20 ha area. The site comprises a stable swamp site with fringing woodland and rainforest that has persisted for around 5000 years. European settlement overlaid changes in the vegetation from disturbance (e.g. fire, clearing, grazing). However, fire also affected the swamp site during pre-European times. Conclusions: Historical and ethnographic information contextualised the biophysical data and confirmed the cultural importance of the site and the dynamic interactions between ‘people and nature’. These results have been used to inform environmental restoration and validate the importance of a transdisciplinary and precautionary approach to planning wetland restoration and conservation. © 2019, Springer Nature B.V.
Looking forward through the past: Identification of 50 priority research questions in palaeoecology
- Authors: Mills, Keely
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Ecology Vol. 102, no. 1 (2014), p. 256-267
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Priority question exercises are becoming an increasingly common tool to frame future agendas in conservation and ecological science. They are an effective way to identify research foci that advance the field and that also have high policy and conservation relevance. To date, there has been no coherent synthesis of key questions and priority research areas for palaeoecology, which combines biological, geochemical and molecular techniques in order to reconstruct past ecological and environmental systems on time-scales from decades to millions of years. We adapted a well-established methodology to identify 50 priority research questions in palaeoecology. Using a set of criteria designed to identify realistic and achievable research goals, we selected questions from a pool submitted by the international palaeoecology research community and relevant policy practitioners. The integration of online participation, both before and during the workshop, increased international engagement in question selection. The questions selected are structured around six themes: human–environment interactions in the Anthropocene; biodiversity, conservation and novel ecosystems; biodiversity over long time-scales; ecosystem processes and biogeochemical cycling; comparing, combining and synthesizing information from multiple records; and new developments in palaeoecology. Future opportunities in palaeoecology are related to improved incorporation of uncertainty into reconstructions, an enhanced understanding of ecological and evolutionary dynamics and processes and the continued application of long-term data for better-informed landscape management. Synthesis. Palaeoecology is a vibrant and thriving discipline, and these 50 priority questions highlight its potential for addressing both pure (e.g. ecological and evolutionary, methodological) and applied (e.g. environmental and conservation) issues related to ecological science and global change.
The pastoral history, biological and cultural significance of the Scotia country, far Western New South Wales
- Authors: Westbrooke, Martin
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales Vol. 134, no. (2012), p. A55-A68
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Scotia country of far western New South Wales, once part of the vast Lake Victoria lease and subsequently split into six smaller properties after WW1, has one of the shortest grazing histories in the state. The low stocking rates due to unsuitable feed provided by the mallee vegetation and limited water supplies have left native vegetation communities relatively intact and close to original condition. A natural salt lake system with rare plants and plant communities adds to the values of the area. This paper reviews the pastoral history of the area and the features which make the Scotia of outstanding conservation and cultural significance.
- Description: C1