Developing landscape frameworks for regional conservation planning; an approach integrating fauna spatial distributions and ecological principles

2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 235 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Scotts ◽  
Graham R. Fulton ◽  
Michael Drielsma
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Geographic Information System ◽  
Conservation Planning ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
North East ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Regional Conservation Planning ◽  
Regional Conservation

Habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation are heavily implicated in the decline of biodiversity throughout the world. Numerous conservation programmes have emerged in the attempt to deal with these primary threats but they are often isolated and disparate, foregoing opportunities for integrated, cumulative approaches and benefits. This paper describes an approach that, through the integration of species' modelled distributions, and the application of landscape ecology principles, systematically considers the spatial requirements of priority forest fauna as surrogates for biodiversity across the landscape. With the aid of innovative Geographic Information System analysis tools, key habitats and corridors for priority faunal assemblages are delineated across north-east New South Wales. The mapped outputs from this study provide spatially complete, data-driven, systematically derived conservation frameworks for the region. The frameworks provide an explicit basis for regional protected area networks and a landscape context for regional conservation planning. As predicted high conservation value habitats, the mapped key habitats and corridors are also focus areas for the protection, enhancement and restoration of native vegetation. The Geographic Information System-referenced key habitats and corridors conservation frameworks have been adopted for conservation planning in north-east New South Wales, including "off-reserve" planning (e.g., government and community-based programmes at regional, catchment and local levels), and "on-reserve" planning (e.g., national park and nature reserve management planning). The approach is applicable to other regions, wherever Geographic Information System-based spatial mapping, describing habitat quality for fauna species, can be collated.

Road Traffic Noise Prediction Using Object-Oriented and Geographic Information System Technologies

1997 ◽  
Vol 1601 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-83
Author(s):  
J.A. Black ◽  
S.E. Samuels ◽  
U. Vandebona ◽  
E. Masters ◽  
J.C. Trinder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Geographic Information System ◽  
New South ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Object Oriented ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Road Planning

It is now some 4 years since the New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) interim noise policy was released. The document sets out RTA policies on traffic noise along with guidelines relating to assessment and control. It is perhaps the most extensive document on the topic ever produced by an Australian road authority. The underlying philosophy of the policy is the importance of noise as an issue that must be addressed in all aspects of RTA road planning, design, construction, maintenance, and operation programs. Some recent advances in the traffic noise arena are considered. A spatial decision support system is then outlined for road planning that has been developed as part of an Australian Research Council industry collaborative research grant involving RTA and the University of New South Wales. This is built on object-oriented programming and geographic information system technologies and involves a library containing models in eight domains amounting to 33,000 lines of code. The noise estimation procedure included in this system is described together with how it has been adapted and implemented in an object-oriented way. Speculation is made on how the prototype may be integrated into the emerging corporate responsibilities of RTA in the area of communication and consultation.

A Quantitative Appraisal of Woody Shrub Encroachment in Western New South Wales.

1998 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
DB Gardiner ◽  
GJ Tupper ◽  
GS Dundeon
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Geographic Information System ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
New South ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Shrub Encroachment ◽  
Woody Vegetation ◽  
Shrub Cover ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Woody Cover

Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) digital imagery was used to estimate the distribution, density and change in woody shrub cover over time in western New South Wales. The purpose of the project was to derive maps of woody cover which can be used as a basis for regional planning and property planning. Assessment of woody vegetation cover using satellite imagery enables regions which are more susceptible to shrub encroachment to be targeted for control strategies. Dry season images which had minimal green vegetation were used, because the spectral signatures of scrubby ground cover interfered with the proper classification of woody vegetation. For each region, multidate imagery was classified using a pixel unmixing algorithm to derive data sets which showed woody canopy cover. These data were then rescaled to percentage values using aerial photography sampled throughout each region. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to derive changes in woody cover between both dates and to present the data in map form. Most current woody cover in the study area occurs at less than 20% cover, whilst higher levels (40 to 80%) occur in the eastern parts of the Louth and Barnato regions. At least 20,3 10 km2 of the 120,000 km2 study area is already affected by woody vegetation cover levels of greater than 40%, which significantly reduces carrying capacity and pastoral productivity. Changes in woody cover over a 10 to 20 year period were varied. Approximately 24% (26,041 km2) was relatively stable, whilst 20% of the Barnato region had moderate decreases (1 1 to 30%) due to wildfires, and increases of 11 to 30% cover occurred on 'hard red' soils in the east. Emerging woody vegetation of less than 10% cover occurred over 1816 km2 of Sandplains and Stony Lowlands in the Louth and Barnato regions, whilst woody vegetation levels of more than 40% cover occurred in the Barnato region. Considerable 'infilling' of previously unwooded areas was noted for regions which already had high levels of woody cover. A minimal amount of prescribed clearing was apparent from the change data, which suggests that effective control of shrubs is difficult to achieve and that future scenarios will see continued encroachment. The findings suggest that the southern Louth and Barnato regions are most at risk of further shrub encroachment, and that these areas need to be targeted for shrub control. The data provide a quantitative estimate of woody shrub cover which is useful for economic assessments, as well as providing an information base upon which woody shrub management strategies can be developed. Key words: Landsat Multispectral Scanner, remote sensing, geographic information system, change detection, rangeland, monitoring, land cover.

Mammal surveys in the forests of the Carrai Plateau and Richmond Range in north-east New South Wales.

1994 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
J. Barker ◽  
D. Lunney ◽  
T. Bubela
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
North East ◽  
Mammal Fauna ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Species Lists ◽  
Fauna Composition ◽  
Eucalypt Forests ◽  
Open Forests

Mammal surveys were carried out on the Carrai Plateau and Richmond Range in north-east New South Wales between March 1988 and November 1989. The emphasis was placed on rainforest mammals, following the recognition by Adam ( 1987) that the species lists of mammals in the state's rainforests were incomplete and that more research was needed. The mammals were surveyed primarily by analysis of prey remains in Dog and Fox scats, collected from roads throughout the forests, and from bat trapping. The bat fauna at both the Carrai Plateau and Richmond Range is rich (1 0 species and nine species respectively, including the rare Golden-tipped Bat, Kerivoula papuensis, in the Richmond Range). Scat analysis revealed the presence of 24 native species on the Carrai Plateau, and on the Richmond Range there were 17 species, including high numbers of two pademelon species. Feral prey species are almost completely absent, although the Fox is an established predator in both areas. A sharp division was identified between the mammal faunas of closed and open forests. Differences were found also between the mammal fauna composition of the two rainforest sites, and with those of nearby eucalypt forests. The mammal fauna of New South Wales rainforests is distinct from open forests and future mammal surveys are needed to ensure an adequate level of knowledge to identify and conserve these areas.

Nature Conservation in Rangelands: Lessons From Research on Reserve Selection in New South Wales.

1992 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 214 ◽  
Author(s):  
RL Pressey
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Planning ◽  
New South ◽  
Full Range ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Reserve Selection ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Land Systems ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Selection Of

Information on the features to be protected in a system of conservation reserves is an obvious requirement. The quality of the data base will primarily determine the effectiveness of conservation planning in protecting the full range of natural features in a region. However, the way in which data are used to make decisions on the locations of protected areas is also critical. Rigorous procedures for reserve selection can make the difference between achieving reservation goals or not. Research on reserve selection in New South Wales over recent years has concerned both data bases and procedures for guiding decisions. Reserve planning in many regions is based largely on some form of land classification like vegetation types or land systems. There are good reasons for using such land classes to guide the selection of reserves and to judge their representativeness. Nevertheless, they can have considerable limitations as a basis for protecting all the species in a region. These limitations are reviewed with references to more detailed discussions of particular issues. The paper also reviews a variety of procedures for selecting reserves which have been tested and applied in New South Wales. Some of the recent procedures are conceptually simple but very useful in identifying the requirements of reservation goals and demonstrating the options available to planners for representing particular features. Three principles are proposed which should underpin any attempt at systematic conservation planning.

Predation of livestock by wild dogs in eastern New South Wales.

1989 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
PJS Fleming ◽  
TJ Korn
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Coastal Region ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
East Region ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Control Programmes ◽  
June July ◽  
Wild Dogs

A monthly survey involving officers from eastern New South Wales Pastures Protection Boards was conducted over four years from 1982 to 1985. Information was collected on the number and type of livestock attacked within each board district, sightings of wild dogs, the number of wild dogs kiied, the method by which they were kiied and the locations at which the observations occurred. A total of 25,644 livestock animals were reported killed or wounded from four regions; the North-East Coastal Region, the North-East Tablelands Region, the Central-East Region and South-East Region. Sheep were the most commonly attacked domestic animals followed by cattle and goats. Regional differences were apparent in the type of livestock killed and seasonal patterns of predation were evident. We recommend that annual control programmes be brought forward from June/July to late April in order to precede predation peaks.

The biology and associations of Fergusobia (Nematoda) from the Melaleuca leucadendra-complex in eastern Australia

2004 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerrie A. Davies ◽  
Robin M. Giblin-Davis
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Monophyletic Group ◽  
North East ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Meristematic Tissues ◽  
Mutualistic Association ◽  
Melaleuca Leucadendra

Nematodes of the genus Fergusobia Currie (Tylenchida : Neotylenchidae) and flies of the genus Fergusonina Malloch (Diptera : Fergusoninidae) together form the only known mutualistic association between insects and nematodes that induces galls in young meristematic tissues in Myrtaceae. Six new species of Fergusobia are described (F. quinquenerviae, sp. nov., F. cajuputiae, sp. nov., F. dealbatae, sp. nov., F. leucadendrae, sp. nov., F.�nervosae, sp. nov., and F. viridiflorae, sp. nov.) and partial descriptions are presented for a further two species. Together, these taxa form a putative monophyletic group, apparently restricted to species of Melaleuca in the broad-leaved M. leucadendra-complex, from coastal Queensland and north-east New South Wales, Australia. Each species of nematode has a mutualistic association with a particular species of Fergusonina fly and (with one exception) each association is apparently restricted to one particular species of Melaleuca.

Seed Dispersal by Emus on the New South Wales North-east Coast

1999 ◽  
Vol 99 (4) ◽  
pp. 248-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.J. McGrath ◽  
D. Bass
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
East Coast ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
North East ◽  
South Wales
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