Determining appropriate fire mosaics for biodiversity conservation in mallee ecosystems <p>The aim of this project is to identify the properties of fire mosaics that enhance the persistence and status of a broad range of taxonomic groups (birds, mammals, reptiles, key invertebrates and plants) in Eucalypt mallee habitats in the semi-arid Murray Mallee region of south-eastern Australia.</p> <!--break--> <p>This project will examine the response of a broad range of taxonomic groups to fire regimes across three states (VIC, SA, NSW) using an innovative, landscape-level approach. It will communicate the new knowledge and understanding to land managers, and demonstrate the utility of the proposed GIS modelling tool for fire planning and management.</p> <p>Expected project completion date: January 2010<br /> <br /> For more information, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.zoo.latrobe.edu.au/Staff/mfc/Mallee/">The Mallee Fire and Biodiversity Project web site</a>.</p> 2009-04-23T02:48:49Z 2009-04-23T06:56:47Z <p>1. To select mallee fire mosaics for study that represent gradients in extent, composition and configuration of fire-related vegetation patches<br /> <br /> 2. To systematically survey a range of taxa (birds, mammals, reptiles, selected invertebrates, selected plants) in these mosaics<br /> <br /> 3. To model the relationship between the richness and composition of faunal assemblages and landscape-level properties of fire mosaics (extent, composition, configuration)<br /> <br /> 4. To model the relationship between the incidence of selected species (e.g. fire response species) and landscape-level properties of fire mosaics<br /> <br /> 5. To incorporate these models into a GIS framework that will:</p> <p>a) display spatial patterns of areas of high or low value for selected taxa and assemblages, and</p> <p>b) allow managers to generate scenarios for ecological burning and predict their likely impact on the biota.<br /> <br /> 6. To communicate the new knowledge and understanding to land managers, and demonstrate the utility of the proposed GIS modelling tool for fire planning and management.</p> ULA10