landscape

Enhancing and utilising landscape heterogeneity to meet multiple land use objectives

The broad aim of the project was to provide land managers with information that will encourage them to further value, protect and enhance vegetation diversity by demonstrating the practical benefits that can be derived from this natural asset in Australian rangelands. Vegetation diversity and local climate influences combine to produce differences between regions in the patterns of plant growth from year to year, such that the timing of droughts and favourable years can vary between regions. We set out (more)...

The increasing density of shrubs and trees across a landscape

Woody thickening is a global phenomenon whereby the density of trees and woody shrubs is increasing in the landscape. Although most commonly seen in arid and semi-arid landscapes, it also occurs in other environments. This process has a number of impacts on landscape function. Woody thickening can be a naturally occurring phenomenon but is being enhanced by climate change, changes in fire regimes and other human land use activity. Woody thickening influences carbon storage and (more)...

The fourth dimension: incorporating time into landscape-level biodiversity assessments

To survey birds using the protocols and sites established during DUV6 - surveys conducted in replicate landscapes that sample a gradient in native vegetation cover and contrasting configuration - thereby enabling temporal change to be assessed. To evaluate differences in (a) species richness and (b) incidence of woodland bird species between the sampling periods (2002/03 and 2006/07) in relation to landscape composition and configuration. To (more)...

Achieving Coordinated Landscape-scale Outcomes with Auction Mechanisms

The broad aim of the project was to provide land managers with information that will encourage them to further value, protect and enhance vegetation diversity by demonstrating the practical benefits that can be derived from this natural asset in Australian rangelands.

How much water does a woodland or plantation use: a review of some measurement methods

Determining the water balance of a landscape is important to sustainable management of water, vegetation and land resources. Water flow through vegetation is the principle pathway for the discharge of water from Australian landscapes. The rate of this discharge is determined by solar radiation, leaf area index, vapour pressure deficit and soil moisture content. Tree transpiration from plantations and native woodlands and forests is an important determinant of the water balance of much of the (more)...

Identifying Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems

Groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs) are important elements in the landscape that require access to groundwater to maintain their health and vigour. They are important because of their conservation, biodiversity, ecological, social and economic value.

There are two threats to GDEs — outright loss of habitat and outright loss of groundwater resources.

Alternative Landscape Futures

Alternative Landscape Futures (ALF) analysis is a long-term, large area, land and environment assessment approach for assisting communities and policy makers make decisions about planning the future of that area. It provides a spatially explicit, regional scale perspective on the combined effects of the multiple policies, plans, population and land use pressures affecting the availability of natural resources and ecosystem services for a geographic area. The (more)...

Landscape thresholds for the conservation of biodiversity in rural environments

The maintenance of ecological processes and the effective conservation of plants and animals in agricultural landscapes depend on a sound understanding of how natural systems respond to human land-use at the landscape scale. In this study we examined the

A Landscape Approach to Determine the Ecological Value of Paddock Trees

This project aimed to assess the ecological value of scattered paddock trees at a landscape scale, using two approaches. This first was to undertake an intensive mapping program for two study areas in South Australia, equating to an area of 378,000 hectares, and the second to undertake a field study to assess how birds use paddock trees at various levels of tree cover.

Irrigation Innovation in a Changing Climate Workshop Report

The aim of the workshop was to kick off a process to develop a ten-year irrigation innovation strategy. The workshop, held in Canberra on 16 September 2008, attracted about 100 participants from a broad cross-section of the irrigation industry. It included people from urban water organisations, garden irrigation supply companies, irrigators, policy makers, researchers, manufacturers and rural water supply organisations.