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Harnessing nature to improve sustainability

Harnessing nature to improve sustainability M uch of the slopes of the sheep‐wheat belt of eastern Australia were previously covered in native eucalypt woodland with a natural understorey of perennial grasses and forbs. These areas include the low fertility stony rises and western slopes of the Great Dividing Range which receive between 500 mm and 800 mm average rainfall ( State of the Environment Advisory Council 1996 ). In the past 100 years, these areas have been cleared of the majority of woodland trees and used as secondary grazing lands to supplement more fertile lands on the valleys and lower slopes. As a result, many remnants in these zones are now dominated by introduced annual pasture grasses and broad‐leaved weeds, reducing biodiversity values and exacerbating processes of salinization in downslope discharge areas. In many cases, the remaining tree cover consists of scattered clusters of old eucalypts without the size and structural diversity to retain many species of wildlife. Although such sites appear degraded, they have considerable potential for natural regeneration by native trees and deep‐rooted perennial grasses and forbs if subjected to innovative grazing management over medium to long time frames. Despite this potential, the current government response to salinization is to consider http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Ecological Management & Restoration Wiley

Harnessing nature to improve sustainability

Davidson, Ian
Ecological Management & Restoration , Volume 7 (3) – Dec 1, 2006
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References (2)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company
ISSN
1442-7001
eISSN
1442-8903
DOI
10.1111/j.1442-8903.2006.00305.x
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

M uch of the slopes of the sheep‐wheat belt of eastern Australia were previously covered in native eucalypt woodland with a natural understorey of perennial grasses and forbs. These areas include the low fertility stony rises and western slopes of the Great Dividing Range which receive between 500 mm and 800 mm average rainfall ( State of the Environment Advisory Council 1996 ). In the past 100 years, these areas have been cleared of the majority of woodland trees and used as secondary grazing lands to supplement more fertile lands on the valleys and lower slopes. As a result, many remnants in these zones are now dominated by introduced annual pasture grasses and broad‐leaved weeds, reducing biodiversity values and exacerbating processes of salinization in downslope discharge areas. In many cases, the remaining tree cover consists of scattered clusters of old eucalypts without the size and structural diversity to retain many species of wildlife. Although such sites appear degraded, they have considerable potential for natural regeneration by native trees and deep‐rooted perennial grasses and forbs if subjected to innovative grazing management over medium to long time frames. Despite this potential, the current government response to salinization is to consider

Journal

Ecological Management & Restoration – Wiley

Published: Dec 1, 2006

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