Conservation In Australia Research Articles

Understanding the inherent complexity of sustainable consumption: A social cognitive framework

This article explores the potential of a theoretical framework, based on social cognitive theory (SCT), to inspire future research into sustainable consumption. The SCT framework provides a dynamic perspective on sustainable consumption through exploring the interactive nature of personal, environmental and behavioral factors of consumption. The SCT framework, which builds on prior theoretical models of sustainable consumption, incorporates the concept of reciprocal determinism, wherein personal, environmental and behavioral factors create a feedback loop to influence each other. Two examples, toy sharing in New Zealand and water conservation in Australia, illustrate the dynamic nature of sustainable consumption and the potential of an SCT based framework to provide a more nuanced view of behavioral change in this context. From these two examples, several ideas for future research emerge to help illustrate the potential of SCT to inform and inspire the next wave of research on sustainable consumption.

Informing conservation policy design through an examination of landholder preferences: A case study of scattered tree conservation in Australia

Choosing effective policy instruments to achieve conservation goals has many challenges. We explore the challenge of instrument choice in the context of landscape-scale conservation on private land, where the challenge is to select instruments that are able to influence the management practices of large numbers of landholders with diverse values, beliefs and management priorities. We report on a landholder survey and workshop undertaken as part of a study focused on reversing scattered tree decline on private grazing land in Australia. We examined eight policy instruments against stated selection criteria in the context of four land management practices with potential to reverse tree decline: rotational grazing, tree planting, direct seeding of tree species, and reduced chemical fertilisers. Two of the four management practices (rotational grazing and tree planting) received much stronger support. Respondents considered all eight policy instruments more effective for supporting their uptake of these two practices compared to less preferred practices. Landholders preferred policy instruments providing short-term financial or material support, compared to longer-term instruments such as legal regulations or stewardship programs. The nature of the management practice on the production-conservation continuum significantly influenced landholder preferences for policy instruments: different instruments were preferred for conservation-oriented practices versus production-oriented practices. Our results support the conclusion that reversing scattered tree decline at the landscape-scale is best achieved by providing landholders with flexibility through offering multiple options in terms of both policy instruments and management practices.

Residential Water Conservation in Australia and California

In much of the western United States, reducing residential water use is a major source of water conservation, especially as population growth urbanizes agricultural land. Although estimates of the potential of conservation are useful, the experience of Australia provides a realistic target for residential water conservation. Although reliability of urban water use data is often questionable, it is clear that Australians use less water than Californians, with a similar climate, economy, and culture. Per capita usage is compared, and explanations for use differences are offered. If California had the same residential water use rates as Australia, it could have reduced gross urban water use by 2,600 GL (2.1 million acre-feet) in 2009 and potentially saved 1,800 GL (1.5 million acre-feet) for consumptive use by others. DOI: 10.1061/ (ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0000225. © 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers. CE Database subject headings: Water demand; Municipal water; Water use; Pricing; Australia; California. Author keywords: Water demand; Municipal water; Water use; Pricing; Australia; California.

A Conservation Ethic and the Collecting of Animals by Institutions of Natural Heritage in the Twenty-First Century: Case Study of the Australian Museum.

Simple SummaryIt is a core task of collecting institutions like museums to take examples of animals and preserve them as specimens in collections. In the twenty-first century, museums are equally the places where research is conducted and education is promoted in the service of conservation of animals in an era of the decline of biodiversity. In this paper, the balance of co-operation between collecting of animals by museums and the promotion and scientific pursuit of conservation of fauna in those museums is considered. As a “challenge” to museum science, it is considered in the context of Australia's oldest museum, and its policy and practice in the current century.Collecting of animals from their habitats for preservation by museums and related bodies is a core operation of such institutions. Conservation of biodiversity in the current era is a priority in the scientific agendas of museums of natural heritage in Australia and the world. Intuitively, to take animals from the wild, while engaged in scientific or other practices that are supposed to promote their ongoing survival, may appear be incompatible. The Australian Museum presents an interesting ground to consider zoological collecting by museums in the twenty-first century. Anderson and Reeves in 1994 argued that a milieu existed that undervalued native species, and that the role of natural history museums, up to as late as the mid-twentieth century, was only to make a record the faunal diversity of Australia, which would inevitably be extinct. Despite the latter, conservation of Australia's faunal diversity is a key aspect of research programmes in Australia's institutions of natural heritage in the current era. This paper analyses collecting of animals, a core task for institutions of natural heritage, and how this interacts with a professed “conservation ethic” in a twenty-first century Australian setting.

Private Investment in Biodiversity Conservation. A Growing Trend in the Western World?

Abstract The paper examines the increasing trend of philanthropic bodies and private individuals to invest in the conservation of Australia’s biodiversity. This is seen as part of a more general Western trend in which Australian organizations are linked to bodies such as the large US-based Nature Conservancy. It is part of a response to the need to integrate conservation measures on public land with those on private land. The paper reviews two cases of private conservation reserves being created in the 1930s and 1940s. Private conservation through covenants on relatively small parcels of land was facilitated by the Victorian State Government in the 1970s. In the 1990s, the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and the Bush Heritage Trust were formed as charitable trusts which now own and manage 2.6 million ha of land in 55 reserves. The case study of the Thomas Foundation and its relationship with the Nature Conservancy is presented. The Nature Conservancy’s model of corporate fund-raising use was found to be successful in Australia for purchasing land and conserving it to preserve biodiversity. By 2010, private philanthropy and corporate sponsorship had almost 4 million ha of land under protection and managed for conservation. Th e paper ends by considering four issues that may influence the future of private investment in Australian conservation. One concerns the effect of the Global Financial Crisis on the flow of investment funds for conservation. A particular concern is whether governments might transfer their funding for conservation as private support increases. Private support depends on favorable tax treatment for charitable giving. It is hoped that the greater transparency now being required will maintain community support for tax arrangements. A fourth concern which is now starting to be addressed is the relations between the bodies managing private conservation reserves and the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land.

An overview of the ecology, management and conservation of Australia’s temperate woodlands

Summary Australia’s temperate woodlands are environments of cultural and ecological importance and significant repositories of Australia’s biodiversity. Despite this, they have been heavily cleared, much remaining vegetation is in poor condition and many species of plants and animals are threatened. Here, we provide a brief overview of key issues relating to the ecology, management and policy directions for temperate woodlands, by identifying and discussing ten themes. When addressing issues relating to the conservation and management of temperate woodlands, spatial scale is very important, as are the needs for a temporal perspective and a complementary understanding of pattern and process. The extent of landscape change in many woodland environments means that woodland patches, linear networks and paddock trees are critical elements, and that there can be pervasive effects from ‘problem’ native species such as the Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala). These consequences of landscape change highlight the challenge to undertake active management and restoration as well as effective monitoring and long‐term data collection. In developing approaches for conservation and management of temperate woodlands, it is essential to move our thinking beyond reserves to woodland conservation and management on private land, and recognise the criticality of cross‐disciplinary linkages. We conclude by identifying some emerging issues in woodland conservation and management. These include the need to further develop non‐traditional approaches to conservation particularly off‐reserve management; the value of documenting approaches and programmes that demonstrably lead to effective change; new lessons that can be learned from intact examples of temperate woodlands; and the need to recognise how climate change and human population growth will interact with conservation and management of temperate woodlands in future decades.

Sea Turtle Conservation: an interview

Kartik Shanker is a biologist at the Centre for Ecological Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He has published on sea turtle biology and marine conservation and is the immediate past President of the International Sea Turtle Society. He edits the journal Conservation and Society, based in India and offering analyses of global conservation politics and ecology which foreground the perspectives of the global South. This journal focuses on communication not only between researchers and advocates working in the ecological sciences and in social science and humanities, but in fostering communication between academic researchers on the one hand and community and NGO audiences on the other.
 
 This interview was conducted by Nick McClean during Kartik’s visit to Sydney for the Cities Nature Justice conference, held 10 – 12 December, 2008, at the University of Technology Sydney. Nick McClean is currently undertaking PhD research at ANU on comparative approaches to conservation in Australia and India.

Adaptive community-based biodiversity conservation in Australia's tropical rainforests

SUMMARYIn the globally significant Australian tropical rainforests, poor performance of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) approaches mandated by national policy highlights the importance of the global search for better models. This paper reports on co-research to develop, apply and test the transferability and effectiveness of a new model and tools for CBNRM in biodiversity conservation. Adaptive co-management, designed with specific communities and natural resources, recognized as linked multi-scalar phenomena, is the new face of CBNRM. New tools used to achieve adaptive co-management include a collaborative focal species approach focused on the iconic southern cassowary, scenario analysis, science brokering partnerships, a collaborative habitat investment atlas and institutional brokering. An intermediate-complexity analytical framework was used to test the robustness of these tools and therefore likely transferability. The tools meet multiple relevant standards across three dimensions, namely empowering institutions and individuals, ongoing systematic scientific assessment and securing effective on-ground action. Evaluation of effectiveness using a performance criteria framework identified achievement of many social and environmental outcomes. Effective CBNRM requires multi-scale multi-actor collaborative design, not simply devolution to local-scale governance. Bridging/boundary organizations are important to facilitate the process. Further research into collaborative design of CBNRM structures, functions, tools and processes for biodiversity conservation is recommended.

Joseph Maiden and the National and Transnational Circulation of Wattle Acacia spp.

During the nineteenth century and in the early years of the twentieth century wattle was circulated by botanists, botanical institutions, interested individuals, commercial seedsmen and government authorities. Wattle bark was used in the production of leather and was the subject of debate regarding its commercial development and conservation in Australia. It was also trialled in many other locations including America, New Zealand, Hawaii and Russia. In the process, South Africa became a major producer of wattle bark for a global market. At the same time wattle was also promoted as a symbol of Australian nationalism. This paper considers this movement of wattles, wattle material and wattle information by examining the career of one active agent in these botanical transfers: Joseph Maiden. In doing so it demonstrates that these seemingly different uses of the wattle overlap transnational and national spheres.

Australia's National Environmental Legislation and Human/Wildlife Interactions: A Response to Macintosh

In 2008 an article written by me on how Australia's national environmental legislation sought to deal with wildlife conservation in Australia was published in this journal. 2 Subsequently, Andrew M...

Butterfly conservation in Australia: the importance of community participation

Butterfly conservation in Australia: the importance of community participation

Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2010-2020: Scientists’ letter of concern

Ecological Management & RestorationVolume 10, Issue 2 p. 78-83 Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2010–2020: Scientists’ letter of concern Angela H. Arthington, Angela H. ArthingtonSearch for more papers by this authorJon Nevill, Jon NevillSearch for more papers by this author Angela H. Arthington, Angela H. ArthingtonSearch for more papers by this authorJon Nevill, Jon NevillSearch for more papers by this author First published: 31 July 2009 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-8903.2009.00484.xCitations: 2Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume10, Issue2August 2009Pages 78-83 RelatedInformation

Biotechnology and Plant Conservation in Australia: Tissue Culture and Cryogenic Research for ex situ Conservation and Restoration of Endangered Plants

Biotechnology and Plant Conservation in Australia: Tissue Culture and Cryogenic Research for ex situ Conservation and Restoration of Endangered Plants

Observer variation in field assessments of vegetation condition: Implications for biodiversity conservation

Summary Uncertainty in assessments of vegetation condition that are used to inform land management and planning decisions for biodiversity conservation in Australia may lead to unexpected outcomes, including loss of biodiversity. This study investigates observer error in field estimates of vegetation attributes, one component of uncertainty in assessments of vegetation condition. Ten observers conducted vegetation condition assessments using two assessment protocols (BioMetric and Habitat Hectares) on 20 sites in a grassy woodland community. Observers’ estimates varied substantially across multiple scoring categories for all vegetation attributes on almost all sites. Across all sites, the average coefficient of variation in total vegetation condition scores was 15–18% for both protocols, with a maximum of 60%. The primary cause of variation in total vegetation condition scores was random error in raw estimates of vegetation attributes, although sensitivity of some highly weighted attributes to error exacerbated variation in some cases. Observers generally agreed on the total scores and ranks of highly degraded (pasture) sites, but were less consistent on other sites. Rank correlations between pairs of observers were stronger for Habitat Hectares, suggesting BioMetric may be slightly more sensitive to observer error. It is recommended that: (i) research is undertaken into methods for reducing observer error; (ii) review is made of the sensitivity of index scoring structures to observer error; (iii) field observers estimate uncertainty around point estimates of vegetation condition; and, (iv) decision‐makers explicitly incorporate uncertainty into the decision‐making processes and aim for outcomes that are robust to this uncertainty.

Foundational Myths: Country and conservation in Australia

forthcoming

Patriots: Defending Australia’s natural heritage 1946–2004

Lines, W. J. (2006). Patriots: Defending Australia's natural heritage 1946-2004. St. Lucia, Qld: University of Queensland Press. 416 pages. ISBN : 0702235547 On most occasions when I read a book I read several pages or hopefully a chapter before I get distracted or interrupted. I invariably read many other things-newspapers, magazines, research papers, other books-before I resume where I left off with the first book. In a sense, there isn't a 'first' book as the process is ongoing. While this approach may appear chaotic, I find that it helps me build understanding, relate a given topic to others and allows me to 'test' some of the ideas or claims being made in a particular text. This was certainly the case as I read William Lines' Patriots, a popularised account of the rise of nature conservation in Australia over the last 50 years. As I attempted to relate Lines' ideas to my life, teaching and research, I found there were numerous aspects of the book that resonated, yet I was also left unsatisfied. This is the fourth book of Lines' that has made its way onto my bookshelf, and like the others I feel that it has not lived up to some of its claims. The rise of conservation in Australia is not a recent phenomenon, as Lines seems to imply. As Tim Bonyhady (2000) has observed, there are numerous well documented historical accounts of people raising concerns about the effects of European settlement on the land. As early as 1892, for example, Dixon observed the severe consequences of over grazing and over use of fire on the native vegetation in South Australia. Given the current focus in popular media on fairly abstract environmental issues like global warming, Lines is to be congratulated for his attempt to raise awareness of the people who have struggled to protect the natural environment of this continent. While I suspect many Australians know at least a little about sporting figures such as Don Bradman or Dawn Fraser, I doubt many know of the conservation efforts of people such as Myles Dunphy, Masie Fawcett, Crosbie Morrison or Judith Wright. Lines tells many intriguing stories about the conflict over land use and the characters involved. Did you know, for example, that Elyne Mitchell, famous for the Silver Brumby series of books, was an outspoken advocate for the protection of the Snowy Mountains? Lines' account of politics and processes sheds light on the often cavalier approach of some state governments to public involvement in the decision-making processes regarding land use and development. For example, in 1988 the Tasmanian government introduced project-enabling legislation for the Wesley Vale pulp mill three days before the closure of public comment on the Environmental Impact Statement of the mill (pp. 254-57). While these stories made for interesting reading I found that the discussion often changed topic in odd ways that were difficult to follow. In the same passage referred to above, the discussion shifts from the battle over the Wesley Vale pulp mill to sand mining on Moreton Island in Queensland with only a vague reference to the duration of some conservation campaigns. In a similar manner, I was also frustrated with the simplistic, and often cynical, claims Lines made. He often collapses complex issues or relationships into generalised statements that were unsubstantiated. For example: The defence of Australia's natural heritage pitted conservationists against governments that were extreme, irrational, hysterical, dishonest, unscrupulous, abusive, cowardly, despotic, and often corrupt. Much government mendacity and duplicity reflected the humbug and manipulation intrinsic to public life. (p. 283) I found Lines' minimalist approach to substantiating and, at times, questionable use of references (he relies heavily on newspaper articles at key points) problematic. As we have seen in the socalled history wars (see for example Manne, 2003), any representation of history is subject to interpretation and is never objective or value free. …

An assessment of endemism and species richness patterns in the Australian Anura

AbstractAim To assemble a continental‐scale data set of all available anuran records and investigate trends in endemism and species richness for the Anura.Location Continental Australia.Methods 97,338 records were assembled, covering 75% of the continent. A neighbourhood analysis was applied to recorded locations for each species to measure richness and endemism for each half‐degree grid square (c.50 km) in the continent. This analysis was performed for all anurans, and also for each of the three main anuran families found in Australia. A Monte Carlo simulation was used to test a null hypothesis that observed centres of endemism could result simply from an unstructured overlapping of species ranges of different sizes.Results Eleven main centres of anuran endemism were identified, the most important being the Wet Tropics and the south‐west near Bunbury‐Augusta and near Walpole. With the exception of south‐western Australia, all of the identified significant endemic centres are in the northern half of the continent. The regions identified as significant for endemism differed from those identified for species richness and are more localized. Species richness is greatest in the Wet Tropics and the Border Ranges. High species richness also occurs in several areas not previously identified along the east and northern coasts.Main conclusions Weighted endemism provides a new approach for determining significant areas for anuran conservation in Australia and areas can be identified that could be targeted for beneficial conservation gains. Patterns in endemism were found to vary markedly between the three main anuran families, and south‐eastern Australia was found to be far less significant than indicated by previous studies. The need for further survey work in inland Australia is highlighted and several priority areas suggested. Our results for species richness remain broadly consistent with trends previously observed for the Australian Anura.

Spatially modelling native vegetation condition

Summary The assessment of vegetation condition is seen as an increasingly important requirement for effective biodiversity conservation in Australia. Condition assessments that operate at the scale of the site are well established. However, there is a need for mapped representations of vegetation condition at regional scales to: (i) assist with regional planning and target setting; (ii) provide regional context for site‐based assessment; and (iii) monitor the change in vegetation condition at multiple scales. This paper describes a methodology for converting site condition data collected in plots into maps of vegetation condition across entire regions using a predictive statistical modelling framework (Generalized Additive Modelling) combined with a GIS. The research demonstrates how explanatory variables including topographic position, terrain roughness, landscape connectivity and remote sensing derived indices can be used to map the condition of native vegetation at the scale of a subcatchment. The inclusion of indices derived from remotely sensed imagery (SPOT4) as explanatory variables in the modelling is a novel component of this research. Although the methodology generates statistically and ecologically plausible models of vegetation condition, there are nevertheless limitations associated with the way plot data were collected and some of the explanatory variables, which impacts upon model utility. We discuss how these problems can be minimized when embarking upon studies of this type. We demonstrate how maps produced from exercises such as this could be used for conservation planning and discuss the limitations of these data for monitoring.

Phylogeny and conservation

1. Phylogeny and conservation Andy Purvis, John L. Gittleman and Thomas M. Brooks Part I. Units and Currencies: 2. Molecular phylogenetics for conservation biology Elizabeth A. Sinclair, Marcos Perez-Losada and Keith A. Crandall 3. Species: demarcation and diversity Paul-Michael Agapow, 4. Phylogenetic units and currencies above and below the species level John C. Avise 5. Integrating phylogenetic diversity in the selection of priority areas for conservation: does it make a difference? Ana S. L. Rodrigues, Thomas M. Brooks and Kevin J. Gaston 6. Evolutionary heritage as a metric for conservation Arne O. Mooers, Stephen B. Heard and E. Chrostowski Part II. Inferring Evolutionary Processes: 7. Age and area revisited: identifying global patterns and implications for conservation Kate E. Jones, Wes Sechrest and John L. Gittleman 8. Putting process on the map: why ecotones are important for preserving biodiversity Thomas B. Smith, Sassan Saatchi, Catherine Graham, Hans Slabbekoorn and Greg Spicer 9. The oldest rainforests in Africa: stability or resilience for survival and diversity? Jon C. Lovett, Rob Marchant, James Taplin and Wolfgang Kuper 10. Late Tertiary and Quaternary climate change and centres of endemism in the southern African flora Guy F. Midgley, Gail Reeves and C. Klak 11. Historical biogeography, diversity and conservation of Australia's tropical rainforest herpetofauna Craig Moritz, Conrad Hoskin, Catherine H. Graham, Andrew Hugall and Adnan Moussalli Part III. Effects of Human Processes: 12. Conservation status and geographic distribution of avian evolutionary history Thomas M. Brooks, J. D. Pilgrim, Ana S. L. Rodrigues and Gustavo A. B. da Fonseca 13. Correlates of extinction risk: phylogeny, biology, threat and scale Andy Purvis, Marcel Cardillo, Richard Grenyer and Ben Collen 14. Mechanisms of extinction in birds: phylogeny, ecology and threats Peter M. Bennett, Ian P. F. Owens, Daniel Nussey, Stephen T. Garnett and Gabriel M. Crowley 15. Primate diversity patterns and their conservation in Amazonia Jose M. Cardoso da Silva, Anthony B. Rylands, Jose S. Silva Junior, Claude Gascon and Gustavo A. B. da Fonseca 16. Predicting which species will become invasive: what's taxonomy got to do with it? Julie Lockwood Part IV. Prognosis: 17. Phylogenetic futures after the latest mass extinction Sean Nee 18. Predicting future speciation Timothy G. Barraclough and T. Jonathan Davies.

Conservation of Australia's Historic Heritage Places

Conservation of Australia's Historic Heritage Places