Enhancing seedling survival on former floodplain grazing land in the Capertee Valley, Australia

Abstract

SummaryActive revegetation is an essential component of biodiversity conservation for fragmented ecosystems and the species that depend on them. However, key knowledge gaps exist around the most cost‐effective revegetation strategies to employ in different contexts. This article reports on a revegetation trial undertaken in the Capertee Valley of New South Wales, Australia, to assist the conservation of the critically endangered bird, the Regent Honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia). Seven treatments were compared to assess their cost‐effectiveness for enhancing plant survival at a floodplain site with a history of grazing on introduced pastures. While overall survival rates were low, treatments involving tree guards had higher survival rates and were more cost‐effective than treatments without guards. Weed growth, animal activity and water stress all appeared to play a role in the low survival rates at this site, with enhanced weed control emerging as a priority for future trials at similar sites.