Olivia Stansfield – U6939957

The gift that just keeps giving

The 2021 State of the Environment Report found that invasive species in Australia affected 82% of threatened taxa making it the most significant threatening process. In Australia, invasive species are estimated to have cost at least $389.59 billion since the 1960s. Eradication of invasive species has had success on smaller islands but is near impossible to achieve on mainland areas. Therefore, invasive species management has shifted from aiming for eradication to controlling populations, reducing spread into new ‘clean’ areas, and prioritising areas of higher value for eradication works.

“An invasive species is a species occurring as a result of human activities, beyond its accepted normal distribution and which threatens valued environmental, agricultural or other social resources by the damage it causes.”

Invasive plant species are called weeds and they cause significant problems for biodiversity, agricultural production and in aquatic ecosystems. Approximately 2,800 terrestrial plant species have naturalised in Australia and 10% of these are now considered invasive plants. These invasive species dominate landscapes and significantly reduce native ground cover biodiversity.

What the Ginninderry Conservation Trust is doing

The Ginninderry Conservation Trust is the organisation that manages the Ginninderry Conservation Corridor, see Figure 1. Still a bit lost? Ginninderry is a new suburban development being developed as a highly sustainable, Green Star accredited community and will extend across the ACT border into NSW on the western edge of the ACT. The corridor showcases science based biodiversity restoration, innovative community engagement and management, opportunities for sustainable recreation and active learning opportunities.

Figure 1: Looking along the Murrumbidgee River from Shephards Lookout over the Ginninderry Conservation Corridor towards the ACT/NSW Border (Stansfield, 2022)

Like most other landscapes in Australia, the corridor has many exotic species, including invasive weed species. Our target for our morning of work experience: Verbascum thapsus, common name Mullein, see Figure 2. This biennial species is a medium to high risk weed in the corridor. It likes areas with bare dirt where it can create a large monoculture plot, outcompeting any native ground cover species, typically in grasslands, or grassy woodlands. A single plant can produce greater than 100,000 seeds and the seedbank viability is greater than 100 years.

Figure 2: Verbascum thapsus within the Ginninderry Conservation Corridor (Stansfield, 2022).

Many hands make light work

We removed the weed species manually using small mattock tools so that the taproot was removed with the plants. The plants are then turned upside down and laid on the ground, so their roots are facing up towards the sun to dry out and die. Considering the large size of the conservation corridor the Trust works on small areas at a time to try and control the species. We worked in this area as it was part of a critically endangered ecological community of Box-Gum Woodland and is known habitat for the vulnerable Pink-Tailed Worm Lizard. Generally, this is an extremely time-consuming task considering how prevalent the species was in the area we were in, but a bigger group made it significantly easier, see Figure 3. However, for the Trust it is a never-ending job.

Figure 3: Before and after photo of area of Box-Gum Woodland ecological community where high numbers of Verbascum was present (Stansfield, 2022).

References

Belgeri, A., Bajwa, A. A., Shabbir, A., Navie, S., Vivian-Smith, G. & Adkins, S. 2020. Managing an invasive weed species, Parthenium hysterophoris, with suppressive plant species in Australian Grasslands. Plants, 9, 1587.

Bradshaw, C. J., Hoskins, A. J., Haubrock, P. J., Cuthbert, R. N., Diagne, C., Leroy, B., Andrews, L., Page, B., Cassey, P. & Sheppard, A. W. 2021. Detailed assessment of the reported economic costs of invasive species in Australia. NeoBiota, 67, 511-550.

Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. 2021. Australia State of the Environment. Invasive Species and Range Shifts.

Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. 2022a. Invasive Species [Online]. Available: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/invasive-species [Accessed September 2022]

Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. 2022b. Weeds in Australia [Online]. Available: https://dcceew.gov.au/environment/invasive-species/weeds [Accessed September 2022]

Eland, E. 2021. Weed Management Plan Ginninderry Conservation Corridor

Moon, K., Blackman, D. A. & Brewer, T. D. 2015. Understanding and integrating knowledge to improve invasive species management. Biological Invasions, 17, 2675-2689.

Stansfield, O. 2022. ENVS3039 Biodiversity Conservation Work Experience

Starr, F., Starr, K. & Loope, L. 2003. Verbascum thapsus.

TRC Tourism Ltd. 2018. Ginninderry Conservation Corridor Management Plan 2018-2023. Weeds Australia. 2021. Verbascum thapsus L. [Online]. Available: https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/weeds-australia/progile/Verbascum%20thapsus [Accessed September 2022].

By Hamish Stewart u6676910

Earlier this year I participated in the annual volunteer Waterwatch Platypus Month Survey. This post will explore the importance of biodiversity monitoring and how citizen science programmes can support conservation efforts.

Biodiversity monitoring: what is it and why is it important?

Biodiversity monitoring refers to the systematic and repeated observation or measurement of biodiversity in its various forms, including species, ecosystems and environmental processes. Effective and ongoing biodiversity monitoring is critically important for conserving species and protecting ecosystems because it helps build an understanding of how biodiversity changes over space and time in response to different processes and management techniques (Conrad and Hilchey 2011). Despite its importance, biodiversity monitoring is often poorly implemented due to the high costs and technological challenges involved in making continuous, accurate observations (Aceves-Bueno et al. 2015).

Citizen science based biodiversity monitoring

One way researchers, governments and conservation groups can enhance the effectiveness of biodiversity monitoring is by engaging citizen scientists, i.e. volunteers who collect and/or process data to support scientific research. Citizen scientist biodiversity monitoring programmes are cost effective and can be conducted for long periods on a large scale, which is particularly important for species population monitoring (Tulloch et al. 2013).

Case study: Waterwatch Platypus Month Survey

One of the longest ongoing citizen science biodiversity monitoring programmes in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is the annual Platypus Month Survey facilitated by the community-based organisation Upper Murrumbidgee Waterwatch. The Platypus Month Survey involves volunteers conducting thirty four surveys of local platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) populations throughout August at eight designated survey spots (see the map and infographic below). Although many volunteers do not have formal scientific training, Waterwatch maximises the quality of this survey data by using a simple, repeatable population count method that is complemented by digital learning tools and an on-site training brief (Alabri and Hunter 2010).

After participating in the annual volunteer Platypus Month Survey, I identified two major benefits of the programme. Firstly, this project provides critical insight into the status of platypus populations in the ACT and surrounding areas. Despite the significant cultural and ecological importance of the platypus, there remains very limited understanding of platypus populations in remaining sub-catchments (Hawke et al. 2019). As such, the data collected in the Platypus Month Survey is used by a variety of stakeholders, including the ACT Government, Icon Water, and the Australian Platypus Conservancy, to help inform effective and adaptive platypus conservation management strategies.

The second major benefit of this project is increased public awareness and community engagement. In addition to providing valuable data, the Platypus Month Survey helps enhance conservation efforts by empowering citizens, fostering the relationship between management authorities and locals, and educating communities regarding the significant threats facing the platypus (Conrad and Hilchey 2011).

How can you get involved?

The growing popularity of citizen science programmes amongst both researchers and the general public is reflected in the establishment of numerous new volunteer-based research projects in the ACT. This list provides an overview of several important programmes seeking local participation. To join the next Platypus Month Survey, keep an eye on the Waterwatch website.

As human settlements continue to encroach on wild areas, citizen science biodiversity monitoring projects will be critically important for conserving vulnerable species and ecosystems.

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Reference List

Aceves-Bueno, E. et al. (2015) ‘Citizen Science as an Approach for Overcoming Insufficient Monitoring and Inadequate Stakeholder Buy-in in Adaptive Management: Criteria and Evidence’, Ecosystems, 18(3), pp. 493–506.

Alabri, A. and Hunter, J. (2010) ‘Enhancing the quality and trust of citizen science data’, Proceedings – 2010 6th IEEE International Conference on e-Science, pp. 81–88.

Conrad, C., and Hilchey, K. (2011) ‘A review of citizen science and community-based environmental monitoring: issues and opportunities’, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 176(1), pp. 273–291.

Hawke, T., et al. (2019) ‘A silent demise: Historical insights into population changes of the iconic platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)’, Global Ecology and Conservation, 20.

Tulloch, A., et al. (2013) ‘Realising the full potential of citizen science monitoring programs’, Biological Conservation, 165, pp. 128–138.

Waterwatch (2020). ‘Platypus Month Report 2020’

Grace Findlay – u7114453

Why did the chicken cross the road? I’m sure you know the answer, but perhaps we should also ask a more complex question: how could the chicken even cross the road if its habitat was fragmented? 

Disconnected: the impact of habitat fragmentation

Severe habitat fragmentation leads to tiny habitat patches becoming isolated from each other with serious consequences for biodiversity. Due to land clearing, Yellow-Box Gum Grassy Woodland (YBGGW) is now considered Critically Endangered on a national scale with less than 5 percent of their original extent remaining. Subsequently, small native species have significantly declined in the tiny remnant patches that remain.

Creating corridors: the importance of connectivity

Establishing habitat corridors between remnant patches of a community is critical for maintaining species survival, thus maintaining ecosystem diversity. Evidence shows connectivity between habitats reduces population fragmentation and genetic inbreeding, improves bird and reptile abundance, and generates increased resilience to climate change as species move between habitats. 

Our Bush Heritage Heroes

Restoration is key to improving the survival of YBGGW. Bush Heritage Australia (BHA) is a not-for-profit organisation that specialises in restoring degraded and neglected land. BHA does an excellent job at restoring habitat corridors within YBGGW remnants at Scottsdale Reserve (Bredbo, NSW), a 1,328 ha former sheep-farming property.

Our work experience at Scottsdale Reserve involved planting a variety of native shrubs, trees and grasses along a riparian habitat to connect two remnant patches of YBGGW. In this way, we not only established connectivity between the patches but also restored a diversity of native plant species to the area, which will help stabilise erosion within the riparian bank and may even encourage the return of threatened species to the area (based on previous reptile surveys in YBGGW).

Wrapping up…

Whilst our work experience involved time in torrential rain, it was rewarding to know that we would create adequate and biodiverse habitat connectivity between YBGGW sites well into the future. So perhaps the chicken could have safely crossed the road if habitat connectivity was restored!

Thank you to Phil Palmer and Bush Heritage Australia for providing an engaging work experience.

Word Count: 498

Jonathan u6961698

The koalas we see in the zoos are more different than the ones in the wild. I used to think that koalas like to be in groups and live together but after this experience it was told to me that they like to be more alone and be inside their own territory and that they are more of a solitary creature. And another interesting fact is that they are picky eaters and will not go for same leaves over and over again, within the enclosure the volunteers also provided them with different type of eucalyptus leaves to eat. If people have a chance, they should really visit the nature sanctuary within Tidbinbilla.  

Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) are labeled as endangered within the ACT one of the major threats to the koalas are the intensification of urbanization causing a clearing of their habitat which lead to the fragmentation of their population causing genetic diversity to go down and increasing their chances of diseases making them endangered (Department of Sustainability, 2012). Koalas were also hunted for their skins during the 1870s and 1880s (Georges, 2019) and the affect of bushfires and predation from invasive species. During the black Christmas bushfire, the Tidbinbilla sanctuary was also affected, and one of the survivor koalas was named lucky after the event. It is important for us to protect them as koalas are important to the Australian environment and the ecosystem because their manure feed the forest floor that help the woodlands grow and regenerate leading to an increase in biodiversity. Droppings are also known to be a source of food for small mammals and insects (IFAW, 2022).

The main way Tidbinbilla is protecting this species is through breading programs and creating protected habitats for the species (Canberra, 2012). The main goal for us was to do surveys and renew their enclosure. The surveys are done so that we know how much koalas are within the sanctuary as the carrying capacity for the sanctuary is 13 koalas within the 17ha of area to prevent over-browsing (Victoria, 2022). The main way we try to identify if a koala is nearby is by the manure(Department of Planning, 2021) and the potential of the tree being a good place for them to rest.  But to survey the whole area while not double counting koalas is difficult for humans, it was interesting that one of the workers mentioned a potential use of drones which would make monitoring koalas within the area more effective.

If you are lucky during the walk within the sanctuary you might be able to spot other animals that are being protected within such as Southern Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby and Tidbinbilla is the only place in ACT where it can be found. And smaller animals like the bettong.

Canberra, A. G. T. N. R.-. 2012. The Eucalypt Forest.

Department of Planning, I. a. E., 2021. NSW Koala Monitoring Framework.

Department of Sustainability, E., Water, Population and Communities, 2012. Koala populations in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and national environment law.

Georges, A., 2019. Nature Conservation (Koala) Conservation

Advice 2019.

IFAW, 2022. Koalas.

Victoria, F. F. M., 2022. 10 facts about koalas in Victoria.

Jessica Kriticos (u7126966)

Running along the part of the upper western edge of Canberra, The Pinnacle Nature Reserve is a grassy woodland beloved by the residents of the neighbouring Belconnen suburbs. But this ecosystem hasn’t always been an idyllic spot for a bushland wander, and it bears traces of its previous near-decimation. The Pinnacle, as it is fondly known, was merely a patch of cleared grazing land until the late 1980s, when the overstorey was regenerated by mass plantings to the bush we know and love today. As a result, the understorey remains infested with agricultural weeds that require constant efforts to curtail.

Why are weeds an issue?

Despite their ability to tolerate long droughts and our harsh summers, our grassy woodlands are surprisingly delicate ecosystems. Invasive agricultural weeds outcompete ground cover plants for nutrients, water and light, and are unpalatable to native herbivores such as our iconic Eastern Grey Kangaroos. Once they are dispersed through the grazing of livestock and the transport of their fodder, weeds reduce the stability and function of ecosystems. Increasing the biodiversity of our native understory and mid-storey plants in The Pinnacle is therefore contingent on weed control, although this is notoriously difficult once invasive plants become established.

What is being done to control them?

The Friends of the Pinnacle organisation (FOTPIN) is a local volunteer group dedicated to improving the ecological function of the Pinnacle Nature Reserve, with an especial focus on weed control. I was fortunate to participate in one of their bi-weekly manual grubbing parties, where we pulled up Mullein and Flaxleaf Fleabane from a patch of the Weetangera Paddock. To retain the nutrients held within the plants, FOTPIN pile the pulled weeds underneath large eucalypts, which has the added benefit of choking sheep sorrel by preventing it from photosynthesising. We also removed bags of weeds that had flowered, to remove the seeds from the Pinnacle.

How does this improve biodiversity?

Weed control allows native plants to recover and revegetate previously-infested areas. Many organisms are dependent on herbs and grasses for sustenance and shelter, especially our often-overlooked invertebrates. Once patches have been cleared of weeds and revegetated with native understorey plants, they are much more resilient and less prone to re-invasions than the surrounding areas, with a higher species richness. Local species, including the delicate blush-pink paper daisies pictured below, thrive in these recolonised patches.

Concluding remarks

While there is still a long way to go to improve the biodiversity and function of the understorey at the Pinnacle Nature Reserve, the efforts of the Friends of the Pinnacle are sincerely appreciated by the local community. They have reduced the abundance of multiple target weed species over the years, particularly the thorny issue of Sweet Briars, and in doing so have increased the abundance of our local native understorey grasses, herbs and forbs.

Many thanks to Len Taylor for sharing his immense knowledge and love for the Pinnacle while I volunteered with FOTPIN.

By u6973085 Astor Lee (508 words)

When it comes to ecological restoration or environmental protection, many might think of tree planting, photos of families with their shovels around a tree seedling. Don’t get me wrong, tree-planting is a great activity, but it’s not the only thing we can, and honestly, should do. Recently, I went out to Scottsdale Reserve in Southern NSW to do a day of work experience with Phil Palmer and Bush Heritage Australia, and here’s what I learnt.

Where to start?

Scottsdale is a poorly degraded site as it has been cleared and farmed for 300 years. As such, it requires a lot of labour and human intervention to restore it to pre-disturbance quality, with great uncertainty in its success rate. Nevertheless, it was established as a nature reserve to protect most importantly box gum grassy woodland, which is critically endangered with 5% of original habitat remaining. We chose to plant along and within a creek bank, which is a key spot to restore as creek lines are one of the sites most prone to degrading. Protecting creek lines also helps with the health of the whole ecosystem in the area to prevent water erosion. Additionally, its potential success means regaining connectivity between nearby patches, which greatly improves the flow and the resilience of biodiversity. It is a lot harder work than most other sites, and Bush Heritage Australia has taken up the mammoth task.

It’s more than putting trees into holes in the ground.

There needs to be diversity of plants and variety in structure, to provide different species the habitat they need, so besides trees, there are shrubs, sedges and grasses too. For grasses planted along the creek line, we chose water-tolerant species, specifically Lomandra longifolia, Carex appressa, Poa labilladeri, for their soil stabilization character.

The planting process starts from collecting seeds from mature trees and growing it in the nursery. Once they are strong enough, we then transplant them into the field. We can dig holes either manually or with augers, then plant the trees in. The trick here, is to select species and spots wisely. We planted sedges and grasses in and along the creek back, and trees and shrubs in rows parallel to the creek line, each row 1 m apart, and each planting 3m apart, alternating between tree and shrub, and finally guarding all trees and shrubs plantings. We chose to plant in a denser cluster to help restore vertical structure more easily.

Great fun in the sun?

It was actually raining when we were working! But it was great fun, working in a team digging holes and filling them with different seedlings. I was very satisfied after a long day’s work, and am very excited to see the impact of what we did today would have years down the road.

By Sabina Aitken u7105859

How do you get home from work? What if I took away your roads and footpaths and replaced it all with woodland? Will you still be able to find the way?

Land clearing in the ACT and NSW has seen the loss of 90% of Box Gum Grassy Woodland and temperate grassland ecosystems. In most cases these ecosystems have been replaced with pastures for grazing, leaving only small remnants of native vegetation spread out across the landscape.

While we would struggle to find our way home through bushland, native species struggle to move through our cleared landscapes. Areas cleared for pasture are devoid of large trees and shrubs meaning there is no shelter or food for natives as they make the journey across them. Because of this many species become trapped in their current ranges which can bring a whole host of other problems

Moving day: Why species need to relocate

Connectivity is important for maintaining genetic diversity by allowing individuals to move between subpopulations of the same species. Sharing genetics between subpopulations means species are more likely to have the right traits to adapt to changing climates. Connectivity also ensures that species can bounce back after stochastic events such as bushfires or floods allowing individuals from neighbouring populations to recolonise the affected areas.

The need for connected landscapes is only becoming more important with climate change driving species out of their current ranges and increasing the frequency of natural disasters. Areas that once offered suitable microclimates are becoming less suitable as our climate warms. This means species have to relocate for survival, to find new areas that suit their habitat needs but to do this they need to be able to cross these vast cleared areas.

Natures Highways: Increasing connectivity

Just like we cross the country by driving down highways, flora and fauna need highways too. These highways take the form of connected protected areas, where native vegetation is managed and restored. While Australia has an extensive state and national park system this isn’t always enough to build fully connected highways.

This is where organisations such as Bush Heritage come in. Bush Heritage buy and manage private land, often in areas where no public land is available for conservation. In particular, Bush Heritage focus on ‘priority landscapes’ that help build connectivity between existing parks and reserves.

An example of this is Bush Heritage’s Scottsdale Reserve in Bredbo NSW. Scottsdale helps connect remnant vegetation along the Murrumbidgee River corridor with Namadgi and Kosciusko National Parks as well as other local nature reserves.

Bush Heritage has been working hard to restore the critically endangered Yellow-Box Gum Grassy Woodland community that used to dominate the Scottsdale reserve area. Volunteers have spent many hours planting native vegetation across more than 300ha of the reserve.

Evidence suggests that more restoration on private reserves, like Scottsdale, can increase habitat connectivity as well as create more representative and adequate protected area networks in Australia and beyond.