Risk Assessment of Yellow Pine Mining Area

The risk assessment process involves identifying and characterizing hazards, determining dose-response relationships, and assessing possible exposures to toxins in order to inform risk management. The goal of this project was to complete the steps of a risk assessment and develop a perspective on risk management. Data collected from publicly available databases, scholarly articles, and targeted sources were used to perform a risk assessment for Yellow Pine Mining Area. Social, economic, political, and/or legal perspectives were considered when determining the best risk management approaches

Gaps in Monitoring Leave Northern Australian Mammal Fauna with Uncertain Futures

Northern Australian biomes hold high biodiversity values within largely intact vegetation complexes, yet many species of mammals, and some other taxa, are endangered. Recently, six mammal species were added to the 20 or so already listed in the Australian endangered category. Current predictions suggest that nine species of mammal in northern Australia are in imminent danger of extinction within 20 years. We examine the robustness of the assumptions of status and trends in light of the low levels of monitoring of species and ecosystems across northern Australia, including monitoring the effects of management actions. The causes of the declines include a warming climate, pest species, changed fire regimes, grazing by introduced herbivores, and diseases, and work to help species and ecosystems recover is being conducted across the region. Indigenous custodians who work on the land have the potential and capacity to provide a significant human resource to tackle the challenge of species recovery. By working with non-Indigenous researchers and conservation managers, and with adequate support and incentives, many improvements in species’ downward trajectories could be made. We propose a strategy to establish a network of monitoring sites based on a pragmatic approach by prioritizing particular bioregions. The policies that determine research and monitoring investment need to be re-set and new and modified approaches need to be implemented urgently. The funding needs to be returned to levels that are adequate for the task. At present resourcing levels, species are likely to become extinct through an avoidable attrition process

Reforestation success can be enhanced by improving tree planting methods

Successful cost-effective reforestation plantings depend substantially on maximising sapling survival from the time of planting, yet in reforestation programs remarkably little attention is given to management of saplings at the planting stage and to planting methods used. Critical determinants of sapling survival include their vigour and condition when planted, the wetness of the soil into which saplings are planted, the trauma of transplant shock from nursery to natural field soils, and the method and care taken during planting. While some determinants are outside planters' control, careful management of specific elements associated with outplanting can significantly lessen transplanting shock and improve survival rates. Results from three reforestation experiments designed to examine cost-effective planting methods in the Australian wet tropics provided the opportunity to examine the effects of specific planting treatments, including (1) watering regime prior to planting, (2) method of planting and planter technique, and (3) site preparation and maintenance, on sapling survival and establishment. Focusing on sapling root moisture and physical protection during planting improved sapling survival by at least 10% (>91% versus 81%) at 4 months. Survival rates of saplings under different planting treatments were reflected in longer-term survival of trees at 18–20 months, differing from a low of 52% up to 76–88%. This survival effect was evident more than 6 years after planting. Watering saplings immediately prior to planting, careful planting using a forester's planting spade in moist soil and suppressing grass competition using appropriate herbicides were critical to improved plant survival

Ants as ecological indicators of rainforest restoration: community convergence and the development of an Ant Forest Indicator Index in the Australian wet tropics

Ecosystem restoration can help reverse biodiversity loss, but whether faunal communities of forests undergoing restoration converge with those of primary forest over time remains contentious. There is a need to develop faunal indicators of restoration success that more comprehensively reflect changes in biodiversity and ecosystem function. Ants are an ecologically dominant faunal group and are widely advocated as ecological indicators. We examine ant species and functional group responses on a chronosequence of rainforest restoration in northern Australia, and develop a novel method for selecting and using indicator species. Four sampling techniques were used to survey ants at 48 sites, from grassland, through various ages (1–24 years) of restoration plantings, to mature forest. From principal components analysis of seven vegetation metrics, we derived a Forest Development Index (FDI) of vegetation change along the chronosequence. A novel Ant Forest Indicator Index (AFII), based on the occurrences of ten key indicator species associated with either grassland or mature forest, was used to assess ant community change with forest restoration. Grasslands and mature forests supported compositionally distinct ant communities at both species and functional levels. The AFII was strongly correlated with forest development (FDI). At forest restoration sites older than 5–10 years that had a relatively closed canopy, ant communities converged on those of mature rainforest, indicating a promising restoration trajectory for fauna as well as plants. Our findings reinforce the utility of ants as ecological indicators and emphasize the importance of restoration methods that achieve rapid closed‐canopy conditions. The novel AFII assessed restoration status from diverse and patchily distributed species, closely tracking ant community succession using comprehensive species‐level data. It has wide applicability for assessing forest restoration in a way that is relatively independent of sampling methodology and intensity, and without a need for new comparative data from reference sites

Consequences of information suppression in ecological and conservation sciences

Suppressing expert knowledge can hide environmentally damaging practices and policies from public scrutiny. We surveyed ecologists and conservation scientists from universities, government, and industry across Australia to understand the prevalence and consequences of suppressing science communication. Government (34%) and industry (30%) respondents reported higher rates of undue interference by employers than did university respondents (5%). Internal communications (29%) and media (28%) were curtailed most, followed by journal articles (11%), and presentations (12%). When university and industry researchers avoided public commentary, this was mainly for fear of media misrepresentation, while government employees were most often constrained by senior management and workplace policy. One third of respondents reported personal suffering related to suppression, including job losses and deteriorating mental health. Substantial reforms are needed, including to codes of practice, and governance of environmental assessments and research, so that scientific advice can be reported openly, in a timely manner and free from interference

Recovery of mammal diversity in tropical forests:a functional approach to measuring restoration

Ecological restoration is increasingly applied in tropical forests to mitigate biodiversity loss and recover ecosystem functions. In restoration ecology, functional richness, rather than species richness, often determines community assembly, and measures of functional diversity provide a mechanistic link between diversity and ecological functioning of restored habitat. Vertebrate animals are important for ecosystem functioning. Here we examine the functional diversity of small-to-medium sized mammals to evaluate the diversity and functional recovery of tropical rainforest. We assess how mammal species diversity and composition, and functional diversity and composition vary along a restoration chronosequence from degraded pasture to ‘old-growth’ tropical rainforest in the Wet Tropics of Australia. Species richness, diversity, evenness and abundance did not vary, but total mammal biomass and mean species body mass increased with restoration age. Species composition in restoration forests converged on the composition of old-growth rainforest and diverged from pasture with increasing restoration age. Functional metrics provided a clearer pattern of recovery than traditional species metrics, with most functional metrics significantly increasing with restoration age when taxonomic-based metrics did not. Functional evenness and dispersion increased significantly with restoration age, suggesting that niche complementarity enhances species’ abundances in restored sites. The change in community composition represented a functional shift from invasive, herbivorous, terrestrial habitat generalists and open environment specialists in pasture and young restoration sites, to predominantly endemic, folivorous, arboreal and fossorial forest species in older restoration sites. This shift has positive implications for conservation and demonstrates the potential of tropical forest restoration to recover rainforest-like, diverse faunal communities

Aboriginal fires in monsoonal Australia from historical accounts

Aim: Traditional management of fire in the world's savannas is of vital interest for contemporary management. This paper reviews the nineteenth century literature on Aboriginal application of fire in the Northern Territory of northern Australia, and relates the other studies of the historical record for the whole savanna region of northern Australia. The aim is to provide a comprehensive picture of historical traditional fire practices.\ud \ud Location: Northern Australia tropical (monsoonal) savanna region.\ud \ud Methods: All available journals of explorers in the nineteenth century in the Northern Territory were reviewed and analysed.\ud \ud Results: Twenty-five explorers' journals were identified and reviewed. Fifteen yielded information on aboriginal use of fire. Two hundred and six observations were recorded in the journals. Of these, 100 were of active landscape fires and fifty-two were of burnt landscapes. Other observations were discarded as they did not contribute to the understanding of traditional use of fire. The results were generally consistent with other studies completed in Queensland and Western Australia.\ud \ud Main conclusions: The historical record shows that Aboriginal people in the 'Top End' of the Northern Territory of Australia commenced burning early in the dry season, within weeks of the last rains, and continued throughout the dry season. Burning stopped only when the wet season rains prevented further burning. Little if any wet season burning was carried out. This picture is at variance with a previous historical study for the Northern Territory, but consistent with that for the whole northern Australian savannas using equivalent historical sources. The findings are important for ecological management of the savannas of northern Australia. Recent deleterious changes to the biota and landscape have been attributed to recent changes from traditional fire regimes. A reinstatement of traditional practices is proposed

The NPWS and residential subdivisions adjacent to National Parks

[Extract] Rare plants and fire were two subjects considered recenty by the Land and Environment court in Mirvac Pty Ltd v. Ku-ring-gai Municipal Council (unreported, LEC, 19th December 1983). The case was an appeal by Mirvac Pty Ltd against Council's alleged neglect or delay in making a decision on a sub-division proposal submitted under Part XII of the Local Government Act, 1919. The proposal was for an 81-lot sub-division at North Turramurra between Bobbin Head Road and Ku-ring-gai chase National Park

The NPWS and residential subdivisions adjacent to National Parks

[Extract] Rare plants and fire were two subjects considered recenty by the Land and Environment court in Mirvac Pty Ltd v. Ku-ring-gai Municipal Council (unreported, LEC, 19th December 1983). The case was an appeal by Mirvac Pty Ltd against Council's alleged neglect or delay in making a decision on a sub-division proposal submitted under Part XII of the Local Government Act, 1919. The proposal was for an 81-lot sub-division at North Turramurra between Bobbin Head Road and Ku-ring-gai chase National Park

Gaps in Monitoring Leave Northern Australian Mammal Fauna with Uncertain Futures

Northern Australian biomes hold high biodiversity values within largely intact vegetation complexes, yet many species of mammals, and some other taxa, are endangered. Recently, six mammal species were added to the 20 or so already listed in the Australian endangered category. Current predictions suggest that nine species of mammal in northern Australia are in imminent danger of extinction within 20 years. We examine the robustness of the assumptions of status and trends in light of the low levels of monitoring of species and ecosystems across northern Australia, including monitoring the effects of management actions. The causes of the declines include a warming climate, pest species, changed fire regimes, grazing by introduced herbivores, and diseases, and work to help species and ecosystems recover is being conducted across the region. Indigenous custodians who work on the land have the potential and capacity to provide a significant human resource to tackle the challenge of species recovery. By working with non-Indigenous researchers and conservation managers, and with adequate support and incentives, many improvements in species’ downward trajectories could be made. We propose a strategy to establish a network of monitoring sites based on a pragmatic approach by prioritizing particular bioregions. The policies that determine research and monitoring investment need to be re-set and new and modified approaches need to be implemented urgently. The funding needs to be returned to levels that are adequate for the task. At present resourcing levels, species are likely to become extinct through an avoidable attrition process