bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
"Koobabbie": ecological and economic Sustainability
Authors: Doley Alison
Published: May 2016

"KOOBABBIE" is a 6 885 ha wheat and sheep farm in the Coorow District of the northern wheatbelt of Western Australia (see Fig. 1, Hobbs 2003). The land was taken up by my grandparents in 1906. As clearing for agriculture took place, original vegetation was preserved in timber belts, along waterways and on rocky rises, but these were not fenced. In 1966 my husband, John, and I took over management of the property and in 1970 commenced fencing the remnant vegetation to exclude livestock. In 1987 we purchased 1 864 ha of salt lake country and excluded livestock from the area. Our aim is to preserve a representative cross section of the original vegetation on our property.
Relationships between bird species and characteristics of woodland remnants in central New South Wales
Authors: A. Seddon J. , V Briggs S. , J. Doyle S.
Published: May 2016

This study investigated relationships between birds and characteristics of woodland remnants in the central wheat/sheep belt of New South Wales, in order to provide information for conservation management of woodland birds and their habitats in this region. Birds were surveyed in standard area plots in 36 woodland remnants, which ranged from 1 to 1 376 hectares in size, in the central Lachlan catchment in the wheat/sheep belt of New South Wales. Habitat (e.g., shrub cover) and landscape (measures of isolation) characteristics of the remnants were recorded also. Presence/absence occurrences of 20 or more bird species, mostly woodland birds, were positively related to remnant area, shrub cover, number of shrub species, pine cover, fallen logs and branches, and number of remnants within two and five kilometres of the survey remnant. Species of birds that are habitat generalists showed negative or no relationships with these habitat and landscape variables. Richness of all bird species was positively related to remnant area and shrub cover. Number of woodland bird species was positively related to remnant area, shrub cover and tree hollows. Lower species diversities in smaller remnants were most likely caused by lower chances of survival or of successful breeding in small remnants, effects of isolation on the ability of birds to recolonize smaller remnants, small remnants being of insufficient area for some species to form territories, and generally poor habitat quality in small remnants. Retention, management and enhancement of woodland remnants 10 to 20 hectares or larger in size with good understorey cover are necessary for the future viability of woodland birds in the wheat/sheep belt of New South Wales.
Trees, water and salt. An Australian guide to using trees for healthy catchments and productive farms
Authors: Edwards Todd
Published: May 2016

READING the Foreword and Preface of Trees, Water and Salt, I was pleasantly satisfied by the promised content of this, the first publication in a series from CSIRO addressing dryland salinity. This is not a book of "Doom and gloom", all too often associated with salinity, but is a forward thinking attempt to combat a complex problem. The authors suggest that the best way to curtail or stop salinity would involve the re-vegetation of entire catchments with native species. Trees, Water and Salt recognizes the agricultural and economical impracticalities this option proffers, accepting that some salinity will occur as the price of our current consumer demands. Trees, Water and Salt suggests that to help m�l�e salinity, land managers must design and implement different agroforestry systems.
Managing the Grey-headed Flying Fox as a threatened species in NSW
Authors: Moro Dorian
Published: May 2016

ONCE again the Royal Zoological Society of NSW has collated a set of informative papers on a controversial wildlife management topic: how to manage the Grey-headed Flying-fox Pteropus poliocephalus as a threatened species in New South Wales. The management of this migratory species poses a complex set of problems to government, conservation agencies, and the horticultural industry given a recent decision to upgrade this species from "protected" to "threatened".
Musings and Elections
Authors: F. Recher Harry
Published: May 2016

In this issue of Pacific Conservation Biology, Bob Fox responds to the conservation and animal welfare policies of environmentalists and animal rights activists. It would be easy to dismiss his reaction as those of a frustrated public servant and a person who enjoys hunting. I have sympathy with Bob's ideas and not just because I also enjoy hunting and have had my share of frustrations in working for scientifically based environmental management. I have long felt that too many environmentalists and environmental organizations not only had a narrow agenda, but failed to understand the simplest ecological principles necessary for conserving and managing Australia's biodiversity. Too often the actions and policies of environmental organizations were not only counterproductive, but created an environment within which politicians could grandstand as being environmentally sensitive and concerned, while implementing policies inimical to the long-term needs of biodiversity conservation and ecological sustainability. As for animal rights groups, their actions frustrate the conservation of Australia's native flora and fauna and lead to more animals suffering than are ever saved. They also fail to recognize the simplest of ecological principles, such as the well-known ability of herbivores to increase beyond the carrying capacity of their food supply; the plight of koalas on Kangaroo Island is just one of many examples that could be cited where animal rights and welfare activists prevent essential conservation management causing needless suffering of animals and environmental degradation.
Australian rainfall patterns and the southern oscillation. 1. A continental perspective
Authors: G. Vines R. , C. Noble J. , G. Marsden S.
Published: May 2016

Various Australian rainfall records have been subjected to filter-analysis. The results represent an extension of the findings of Currie and Vines (1996) in their analyses of more than 300 annual rainfall-series gathered from weather stations widely spaced across the continent. Further evidence is presented for the existence of "cyclic" variations in precipitation with periods of 16?20 years and 10?11 years. Links are suggested with the luni-solar cycle of 18.6 years and the sunspot cycle of nominal period 10?12 years. A shorter "cycle" of 6?7 years is also postulated. Similar analyses of yearly data for the Southern Oscillation yield further suggestions of "cycles" that correspond closely with those obtained from the rainfall records. Explanations are proposed which appear to account for a substantial proportion of the interannual variability of rainfall, particularly in eastern Australia - with connections being made between EI Ni�o/Southern Oscillation events and the incidence of drought in various parts of the continent. A major implication is that a variety of climatic effects in different parts of the world can be largely ascribed to the influence of the (18.6 year) luni-solar cycle.
The demise of mass migration of the Brown Awl Badamia exclamationis (Fabricius 1775) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae): a consequence of land clearing in Queensland?
Authors: S. Valentine Peter
Published: May 2016

The impacts of human activities on the environment are frequently measured by reference to habitat loss or the successive listing of species as extinct or threatened with extinction. There is another measure of disturbance that relates to significant behavioural change that may fall short, at least for the moment, of species loss. Brower and Malcolm (1991) first drew attention to this new conservation theme of "endangered phenomena". They defined an endangered phenomenon as a "spectacular aspect of the life history of an animal or plant species involving a large number of individuals that is threatened with impoverishment or demise". In this paper the apparent decline of seasonal long-distance migration in a skipper butterfly, the Brown Awl Badamia exclamationis is documented and linked to large scale vegetation clearing in Queensland.
Evolution, Ecology, Conservation and Management of Hawaiian Birds: a Vanishing Avifauna
Authors: Powell Chris
Published: May 2016

This volume from the Cooper Ornithological Society is the 22nd instalment in the Studies in Avian Biology series, which is dedicated to ornithological papers of too great a length for publication in The Condor journal. Evolution, Ecology and Conservation Biology are themselves very separate streams, each encompassing a diverse spectrum of application. However, they are brought together here, in a synthesis addressing an appalling record of extinction in the endemic birds of the Hawaiian Islands, which as a group, are among the world leaders in their tally of historically extinct and currently endangered bird species (King 1985).
The biodiversity values of farming systems and agricultural landscapes
Authors: C. Lefroy E. , P. Smith F.
Published: May 2016

The current effort in Australia to increase the proportion of perennial vegetation in agricultural landscapes to manage dryland salinity presents opportunities to improve the viability of remnant vegetation and its dependant biota. At this intersection of ecology and agriculture, many questions arise concerning interpretations of biodiversity from the perspectives of landowners and conservationists, the conservation priorities in agricultural landscapes, and the role of ecological science in understanding the functional contribution of emerging perennial-plant based farming systems to the viability of the native biota. This paper provides the background for the four papers that follow, presented originally at a workshop at Rutherglen in Victoria in October 2003 to discuss the issue of biodiversity values in agricultural landscapes. It then puts forward an approach to research into the biodiversity value of perennial land use systems based on three principles; understanding regional conservation priorities, appreciating farm scale priorities and constraints from the perspective of the landholder, and identifying response functions to establish the role of revegetation in maintaining the viability of the native biota.
Working Together
Authors: F. Recher Harry
Published: May 2016

THE first issue of Pacific Conservation Biology was published in June 1993 an? somehow I missed our 10th anniversary. Maybe I missed It because this is only the final issue of the ninth volume and the first issue of the tenth volume will not appear until June 2004. We missed a year during the first three of publication because it was difficult to get enough good quality papers for three full volumes. All that has changed and Pacific Conservation Biology currently receives sufficient papers to keep the Editor busy and reasonably happy, although I would always like more papers and a bit more variety (e.g., papers on conservation genetics, more papers from outside Australia, and. particularly papers from the islands north of Australia). There is also more than enough material for us to print an issue every three months, while still being able to publish most of the papers submitted and accepted within 12 months of receipt. I get good feedback on the journal and frequently see papers published in Pacific Conservation Biology cited in other journals. Equally encouraging are the inquiries from students for papers and advice, a topic I discussed in my last Editorial (Recher 2003a). To me this means our journal is seen as providing a service to conservation biologists and is presented in ways useful for learning. No doubt there is scope for improvement and the next year should see some helpful changes.
The impact of livestock grazing on the persistence of a perennial forb in a temperate Australian grassland
Authors: Dorrough Josh , Ash Julian
Published: May 2016

The presence of perennial plant species in grazed habitats may be an imperfect predictor of their long-term ability to persist under grazing by livestock. This is particularly the case in landscapes where grazing by livestock is a relatively recent occurrence or where management practices are leading to intensification of grazing. This paper investigates the impacts of grazing on the native perennial inter-tussock forb Leptorhynchos elongatus (Asteraceae) in grasslands on the Monaro Tablelands of New South Wales. Although the species persists in grazed habitats, exclosures indicate that current grazing management can lead to severe depletion of seed, largely due to selective removal of flowers and seed heads by livestock. A population model suggests that under current grazing management, population growth rates may be negative. Removal of livestock during flowering and seed set may assist long-term persistence of this species in grazed habitats. Despite almost 200 years of livestock grazing on the Monaro Tablelands, recent intensification of grazing management could result in the future loss of some plant species in grazed habitats.
One with Nineveh: Politics, Consumption and the Human Future
Authors: Talbot Frank
Published: May 2016

The Ehrlichs? title refers to Nineveh, once a rich and glorious city on the Tigris River, but now a group of dirt mounds in the desert ? will we le learn the environmental lesson, or repeat the history? This scholarly new book demonstrates again the ability of Paul and Anne Ehrlich to dig wide and deep into the literature of our social and environmental problems, to sift for the facts of change, and to piece a resulting mosaic together. On the resource side, the picture they create speaks in up-to-date detail of nearly universal environmental deterioration; of water, soil, biodiversity and atmosphere. Our resource use is out of step with our environment?s capability, and we are steadily damaging it. On the social side the picture points to the mismatch between the dominant culture?s view of the world and the world revealed by scientific analysis. The careful picture the Ehrlichs build speaks to all of us, on every cominent, and warns us that our cultures cannot continue like this. While the story is harsh, they also study solutions, physical and social, and these are as much at the heart of this book as their statements on looming problems.
Distribution, habitat, and conservation status of the Giant Barred Frog Mixophyes iteratus in the Bungawalbin catchment, northeastern New South Wales
Authors: D. Lewis B. , A. Rohweder D.
Published: May 2016

A distribution and habitat assessment was used to determine the conservation status of the Giant Barred Frog Mixophyes iteratus in the Bungawalbin catchment in northeastern New South Wales. Repeated surveys were used to collect presence absence data at 70 sites between January 1997 and March 1999. Giant Barred Frogs were found at 23 sites (33%) comprising five isolated populations which may have contracted from a single remnant population. Habitat analysis revealed frogs showed a significant preference for sites with pool riffle sequences and the presence of undercuts and overhanging vegetation on the primary stream bank. Principal Components Analysis identified five habitat variables that accounted for 73% of the variability in our bi-variate data. We found the level of disturbance to riparian and instream habitats significantly influenced frog distribution, but this trend was not apparent when adjacent habitats outside the riparian zone were analysed. We propose that sedimentation of waterways may have facilitated this decline due to a reduction in the permanency of surface water flows resulting in reduced recruitment opportunities.
Urban wildlife: more than meets the eye
Authors: A. Cousin Jarrad
Published: May 2016

Ever since European settlement of Australia, there have been countless species of fauna which have dramatically declined in distribution and abundance. In the past 200 years, at least 21 species of birds and 19 species of mammals have become extinct (Burgman and Lindenmayer 1998). This pattern of extinction is evident throughout the mainland and islands of Australia, although the local extinction of fauna in urban areas is often overlooked. How and Dell (2000) present alarming data on the plight of urban fauna in Perth, where over half of the native mammal species have become locally extinct.
Mammals or reptiles, as surveyed by pit-traps, as bio-indicators of rehabilitation success for mine sites in the goldfields region of Western Australia?
Authors: G. Thompson Graham , A. Thompson Scott
Published: May 2016

We compare the relative merits of using mammals and reptiles as bla-indicators of rehabilitation success for mine sites in the semi-arld goldfields region of Western Australia (WA). Based on 54 600 pit-trap days of data we found that both mammals and reptiles colonized rehabilitated areas that were between three and nine years old. The complete suite of mammals generally return in the early stages of the rehabilitation programme, whereas the movement of reptiles into a rehabilitated area is spread over a much longer period. More reptile species seem to have specific requirements that are provided in the latter stages of the rehabilitation process. Using criteria of relative abundance, species richness, habitat preference, activity area and period, diet and foraging strategies, reptiles were assessed as a better bio-indicator than mammals. On other criteria such as population fluctuations, colonizing capacity and sensitivity to environmental changes, differences between reptiles and mammals were not as clear but most favoured reptiles as the preferred bio-indicator. Overall, we judged reptiles to have more merit as bio-indicators of rehabilitation success than mammals in the Ora Banda area.
Toxic tucker: the potential impact of Cane Toads on Australian reptiles
Authors: G. Smith James , L. Phillips Ben
Published: May 2016

Cane Toads Bufo marinus are a highly successful invasive species, having invaded more than twenty countries in the last 150 years. In Australia, they currently occupy more than 1 million square kilometres. Toads are highly toxic and Australian predators have no evolutionary history with the cardiac toxins in toad skin. As such, toads constitute a novel and extremely toxic prey for Australia's predators. Australia's reptiles are perhaps the largest group likely to be affected by the invasion of the toad. By examining species distributions, we conclude that 59% of agamids, 85% of the varanids and all of Australia's crocodiles and freshwater turtles are potentially at risk from toads. We then assayed eleven species of reptile; one freshwater turtle (Chelidae), two crocodiles (Crocodylidae), two dragons (Agamidae), one python (Pythonidae) and five species of monitor (Varanidae) for resistance to toad toxin. We found a high level of variation between species in resistance to toad toxin but in all cases (except for one species of crocodile) all species were easily capable of eating a toad large enough to kill them. We conclude that toads pose a real and ongoing threat to the majority of Australian reptile species we examined.
Bird communities in remnant woodland on the New England Tablelands, New South Wales
Authors: J. S. Debus S. , A. Ford H. , Page D.
Published: May 2016

We provide a geographic and landscape context for ongoing studies on bird communities in eucalypt woodland remnants on the New England Tablelands, New South Wales. We draw together several surveys that have not been published in the scientific literature, and integrate them with previously published material. A total of 142 woodland bird species, including 12 threatened species, was recorded in remnant woodland in the area above 900 m elevation from 50 km SSE to 100 km NNW of Armidals. There was a positive relationship between remnant size and bird species richness. Woodland reserves >300 ha supported significantly more species than remnants <100 ha on private land. Intensively surveyed reserves also had more species than remnants surveyed more casually. Threatened and other declining species occurred mainly in medium-sized (100-300 ha) and large reserves; foraging guilds of small to medium-sized, ground and above-ground insectivores were impoverished in degraded medium-sized and small remnants on private land. Almost the full range of woodland bird species was found at one or more sites, indicating their conservation value. However, some species were found in few sites or were only vagrants at a site. Active management will be needed to retain the current diversity of bird species in such heavily cleared landscapes.
The effect of recent chaining on birds in the eastern wheatbelt of Western Australia
Authors: R. Fulton Graham , D. Majer Jonathan
Published: May 2016

The decline of woodland birds that follows from habitat fragmentation, degradation and loss of connectivity is well reported in the literature. However, reports of immediate responses by birds to these events are scant. This study, in the eastern whealtbelt of Western Australia, detected that when half of a 10 ha remnant of Allocasuarina shrubland was chained (vegetation knocked over and largely killed), birds responded quickly; increaser species apparently benefited and decliner species became restricted to the remaining unchained remnant of shrubland. There was some correspondence between the trends in variety and/or abundance of arthropods with those of bird species richness. Two Near-threatened species, the White-browed Babbler Pomatostomus supercilious and the Crested Bellbird Oreoica gutturalis, were only detected in the non-chained part of the remnant. These findings clearly highlight the immediate ecological consequences of clearing of native vegetation, and highlight the importance of conserving even the smallest remaining fragments.
Factors affecting patch occupancy by the White-browed Treecreeper Climacteris affinis in an agricultural landscape in north-west Victoria, Australia
Authors: Q. Radford James , F. Bennett Andrew
Published: May 2016

The survival of habitat-dependent fauna within agricultural mosaics depends on their ability to occupy remnant habitat patches and move through the modified landscape. In north-west Victoria, Australia, less than 10% of the pre-European extent of Belah Casuarina pauper woodland remains intact due to agricultural development. The White-browed Treecreeper Climacteris affinis, is a small, insectivorous passerine that, in this region, preferentially inhabits Belah woodland. To assess the ability of C. affinis to persist in an agricultural landscape, 30 woodland sites in the Millewa landscape (34�30'S, 141�30'E) were surveyed, and patterns of patch occupancy used to examine the influence of spatial characteristics, landscape context and grazing by stock on the suitability of remnants as C. affinis habitat. Sites occupied by C. affinis were larger and less likely to be grazed by stock than vacant patches. The area-dependency of patch occupancy represents a step-threshold: C. affinis were not detected in remnants with less than 18.5 ha of Belah woodland but above this threshold, density was not correlated with patch area. Measures of patch isolation, the existence of linking linear "corridors" and tree density were not reliable indicators of patch occupancy. The presence of the species in remnants entirely surrounded by agricultural land suggests they are capable of crossing up to 450 m of cultivated land to prospect for habitat. The extensive network of linear vegetation and the numerous small remnants and scattered trees appear to facilitate movements of C. affinis in this landscape. Increasing the size of existing remnants, creating new habitat to expand the area of occupancy and maintaining landscape connectivity are priorities for the long-term management of this threatened species.
Cross-border trade in Saratoga fingerlings from the Bensbach River, south-west Papua New Guinea
Authors: Hitchcock Garrick
Published: May 2016

Saratoga Scleropages jardinii (Saville-Kent 1892) is a popular aquarium and sportsfish native to southern New Guinea and northern Australia. In recent years the people of the Bensbach River area in Papua New Guinea's Western Province have been harvesting wild fingerlings for sale across the nearby international border in Indonesia's Papua Province. From there the fish are sold to dealers in other parts of Asia. The species is protected by law in Indonesia, and subject to various regulations in Australia. In Papua New Guinea there are no controls on its exploitation. Uncontrolled harvesting of fingerlings from the Bensbach and other river systems in south New Guinea has had negative impacts on local fisheries, and led to a decline in the Australian export trade in wild-caught and farm-bred Saratoga.
The role of intense nest predation in the decline of Scarlet Robins and Eastern Yellow Robins in remnant woodland near Armidale, New South Wales
Authors: J. S. Debus S.
Published: May 2016

A study of open-nesting Eastern Yellow Robins Eopsaltria australis and Scarlet Robins Petroica multicolor, on the New England Tablelands of New South Wales in 2000?02, found low breeding success typical of eucalypt woodland birds. The role of intense nest predation in the loss of birds from woodland fragments was investigated by means of predator-exclusion cages at robin nests, culling of Pied Currawongs Strepera graculina, and monitoring of fledging and recruitment in the robins. Nest-cages significantly improved nest success (86% vs 20%) and fledging rate (1.6 vs 0.3 fledglings per attempt) for both robin species combined (n = 7 caged, 20 uncaged). For both robin species combined, culling of currawongs produced a twofold difference in nest success (33% vs 14%), a higher fledging rate (0.5 vs 0.3 per attempt), and a five-day difference in mean nest survival (18 vs 13 days) (n = 62 nests), although sample sizes for nests in the cull treatment (n = 18) were small and nest predation continued. Although the robin breeding population had not increased one year after the cull, the pool of Yellow Robin recruits in 2001?03, after enhanced fledging success,
produced two emigrants to a patch where Yellow Robins had become extinct. Management to assist the conservation of open-nesting woodland birds should address control of currawongs.
Overview of the conservation status of Australian frogs
Authors: Hero Jean-Marc , Morrison Clare , Gillespie Graeme , Dale Roberts J. , Newell David , Meyer Ed , McDonald Keith , Lemckert Frank , Mahony Michael , Osborne Will , Hines Harry , Richards Steve , Hoskin Conrad , Clarke John , Doak Naomi , Shoo Luke
Published: May 2016

A review of the current conservation status of Australian amphibians was recently completed as part of a World Conservation Union (IUCN) sponsored Global Amphibian Assessment (GAA). Fifty of 216 amphibian species (23%) in Australia are now recognized as threatened or extinct in accord with IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Here we report on the categories and criteria under which individual species qualified for listing and provide a summary of supporting information pertaining to population and distribution declines. Major threatening processes contributing to listing of species are also reviewed.
Urban Countryside Biogeography: a decade of comparing the avifauna of a Sydney suburb and reserve
Authors: R. Ehrlich Paul
Published: May 2016

As the human enterprise expands, the task of preserving biodiversity increasingly must be carried out in areas heavily modified by humanity ? the domain of countryside biogeography (Daily 2001; Daily et al. 2001). Countrysides normally are thought of as rural environments. The dividing line between rural and urban is often blurred by suburbs; urban environments represent the expanding end of a continuum of disturbance, the other end of which is the shrinking domain of relatively undisturbed natural areas and wilderness. Because of the growing preponderance of urbanization, ecologists over the past quarter century have increasingly turned their attention to conservation in urban areas.
Potential applications of remotely sensed vegetation greenness to habitat analysis and the conservation of dispersive fauna
Authors: Berry Sandra , Mackey Brendan , Brown Tiffany
Published: May 2016

Remotely sensed (satellite) time-series estimates of GPP (gross primary productivity) provide potentially useful information about vegetation-based habitat resources. These data are now available for the entire continent at a range of scales commensurate with those of dispersive animals, particularly bird species with large scale and irregular patterns of movement. The physical basis by which GPP can be estimated from satellite sensed vegetation greenness (NDVI) is explained, and previous habitat applications of NDVI reviewed. The results of GPP time-series analyses are presented based on a 10-year continental AVHRR data set for Australia and a five-year MODIS sequence for a portion of the Channel Country. The relationship between GPP and other trophic levels is discussed, along with possible applications to conservation biology.
Photopollution impacts on the nocturnal behaviour of the Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps)
Authors: M. Barber-Meyer Shannon
Published: May 2016

Night light pollution is an important environmental problem impacting on many animals including a variety of insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. While some impacts of night light pollution are well-known such as misorientation of sea turtle hatchlings and deaths of migratory birds, other less obvious impacts on reproduction, communication, competition, and predation have recently been reported. As some natural areas in New Guinea and Australia face agricultural and industrial development, conflicts between wildlife and photopollution will add to existing problems of habitat fragmentation and degradation. I report on the photopollution impacts on the nocturnal behavior of the sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps). Captive sugar gliders were monitored using a "super nightshot" camcorder for baseline nocturnal behaviour following a 12 hour dayligh/12 hour dark regime. Treatment consisted of 12 hour dayligh/12 hour simulated ambient low and high luminosity street light photopollution (average 7.0 and 12.0 lux). Over 575 sugar glider-hours were analyzed. The results show marked behavioural impacts under high luminosity treatment, even 7.0 lux reduced foraging time. This is the first report of photopollution impacts on sugar glider foraging and activity levels. Further research, particularly with wild populations, is needed to elucidate the extent of photopollution impacts on sugar gliders and their endangered and vulnerable relatives.
Rapid assessment of habitat quality in riparian rainforest vegetation
Authors: Lawson Tina , Goosem Miriam , Gillieson David
Published: May 2016

GIS and aerial photographic techniques were applied to assessing riparian vegetation quality in an agricultural landscape formerly covered in lowland rainforest. Canopy cover and width of woody riparian vegetation, both easily determined from remotely sensed data, were investigated as indicators of riparian quality. High correlations between field measurements of canopy cover and width of woody riparian vegetation with several other vegetation attributes indicative of vegetation quality (weed abundance, debris, human disturbance, native species richness) demonstrated that these two habitat attributes were suitable field vegetation quality surrogates. Desktop quality analysis combined GIS measurement of riparian width with aerial photographic analysis of canopy cover. Desktop quality equalled field quality in 78% of cases, with a further 13% showing errors due to clearing or thickening of vegetation after aerial photographs were taken. Bird communities in higher vegetation quality areas comprised mainly rainforest-dependent species, whereas poor quality areas mostly supported birds of open habitats. Bird community diversity and rainforest-dependent bird diversity increased significantly both with increasing levels of canopy cover and greater riparian width, but a combination of these factors explained more variance than each factor separately. Desktop riparian vegetation quality therefore proved a satisfactory indicator of habitat quality for birds in rainforest riparian zones. This quick and efficient desktop method of riparian habitat quality assessment can determine conservation values of rainforest riparian areas with minimal field validation, thereby allowing more effective targeting of appropriate management practices, identification of areas of conservation concern and prioritisation of revegetation and rehabilitation efforts.
Sixteen years of Eastern Barred Bandicoot Perameles gunnii reintroductions in Victoria: a review
Authors: L. Winnard Amy , Coulson Graeme
Published: May 2016

Once widespread throughout Victoria, the Eastern Barred Bandicoot Perameles gunnii has declined to near extinction on the Australian mainland due to habitat loss and predation by exotic predators. The last remaining wild population occurs in Hamilton, western Victoria. Founders for a captive breeding program were taken from this population in 1988, which has persisted without predator control or supplementation from captive-bred animals. The species was reintroduced to eight sites from 1989: Woodlands Historic Park, Hamilton Community Parklands, Mooramong, Floating Islands Nature Reserve, Lake Goldsmith, Lanark, Cobra Killuc, and Mount Rothwell. Although all reintroduced populations initially increased, declines were observed during the mid- to late 1990s, from which they have never recovered. A combination of drought and predation by Red Foxes Vulpes vulpes and Cats Felis catus is thought to be responsible. Currently, management techniques focus on intensive control of Red Foxes by poison baiting and shooting, and by construction and maintenance of predator barrier-fences at some sites. Understanding which characteristics lead to the success or failure of a reintroduction site is paramount to the success of the recovery programme for this species. This paper reviews the status of all reintroduction sites, and examines characteristics that could account for the performance of their populations.
Does pedestrian traffic affect the composition of ?bush bird? assemblages?
Authors: Price Megan , Lill Alan
Published: May 2016

Outdoor recreational activities (e.g., bushwalking and bird-watching) can increase participants? environmental awareness, but can also cause environmental damage and impact negatively on wildlife if conducted irresponsibly and/or in large numbers. A field experiment with a before-after-control-impact design conducted in Wyperfeld National Park, Victoria determined whether simulated bushwalking by researchers over a 4-week period had an immediate impact on the composition of breeding bird assemblages on ten 1-ha mallee plots. Birds were surveyed with point counts preand post-intrusion. Species richness, diversity and composition of bird assemblages were unaffected by the pedestrian traffic regime imposed. Results suggest that normal pedestrian traffic in spring and summer may not influence ?bush bird? assemblage composition very markedly in the short-term in Victorian parks. However, the birds could have responded to intrusion, but less dramatically than by leaving the plots. That bushwalking and allied activities may have other adverse effects on the behaviour and physiology of Australian ?bush birds? still needs to be investigated.
A conceptual ecological model of an isolated population of Alpine Musk Deer Moschus chrysogaster: conservation implications for Chinese musk deer
Authors: Zhixiao Liu , Helin Sheng
Published: May 2016

The reduction in numbers of Chinese musk deer (CMD) has been a loss to the Chinese traditional medical industry, and also to the world?s medical and perfume industries. The sharp decline of CMD has aroused global attention and there is an urgent need to establish the systematic theoretical fundamentals of ecology and conservation biology for musk deer in China. From October 1993 to September 2000, we investigated the abundance of Alpine Musk Deer Moschus chrysogater (AMD) in five isolated forests, and conducted ecological surveys of vegetation, food and water resources, snow-cover, predators, competitors, grazing, and poaching. Based on these data, a conceptual ecological model was proposed to address the population dynamics and conservation of these isolated populations. Our results showed that the densities and size of each population varied with environmental factors. There were four basic characteristics of AMD populations: isolation, crowdedness, vulnerability and ease of recoverability. The major climatic factors affecting AMD were snow cover and drought. Human activities had negative and positive effects on population survival and development of AMD. Reclamation, deforestation and overgrazing had negative effects, responsible for habitat destruction and increasing the impact of drought. Despite the decline in musk deer populations throughout China, high densities of AMD were found in the Xinglong Mountains and Shoulu Nature Reserve as a result of strict management. The decline of CMD could be attributed to two principal factors: the international smuggling of musk and the destruction of habitat by people. There is no doubt that poaching is the major cause of population decline of musk deer throughout China since the 1980s. We suggest ways to protect and recover musk deer populations in China. To conserve CMD more effectively, the administrative system must be reformed. In order to better control musk smuggling and Gansitao-poaching, China should consider lifting restrictions on the price of musk, inventing a musk detector, and training musk-detection dogs.
Environmental Principles and Policies: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Authors: Grame Nimmo Dale
Published: May 2016

In recent years, debate over the most efficient means of dealing with environment problems has heightened. This is particularly true for issues such as habitat loss and climate change, whose environmental ramifications are of global significance. In the past two decades much of this debate has centered on so called ?economic instruments? for environmental protection, such as tradable permits, quota systems, environmental taxes and conservation banks. The recent emphasis on instruments signifies a departure from traditional environmental policy, which focused almost exclusively on legal regulation (i.e., so called ?command and control? regulations). Ostensibly, the purpose of economic instruments is to protect the environment in the most economically efficient manner, by turning a ?zero sum game? into a situation where environmental and social costs are integrated into market process to find ?optimal? levels of environmental degradation. It is within this intellectual mine-field that Sharon Beder launches her recent publication, Environmental Principles and Policies: An Interdisciplinary Approach.
Examining the Living with Possums policy in Victoria, Australia: community knowledge, support and compliance
Authors: E. Whiting Amy , K. Miller Kelly
Published: May 2016

Studying the human dimensions of wildlife management issues is now considered to be an essential component of wildlife research. This study examined the Living with Possums policy in Victoria, Australia, in terms of the policy?s success in educating the community and ensuring community compliance. Postal surveys and telephone interviews were conducted across three samples from Greater Melbourne. These samples included people who had experiences with possums on their property (n = 340), veterinary clinics (n = 45) and the general public (n = 103). Significant levels of non-compliance were uncovered, highlighting the need for a renewed public education campaign to take place along with a continued interest in this issue from government agencies and councils. The study also revealed discrepancies between the policy and public preferences for possum management, suggesting that a shift in the recommended management technique may be warranted.
Feeding Flipper: a case study of a humandolphin interaction
Authors: Finn Hugh , Donaldson Rebecca , Calver Michael
Published: May 2016

We document a human-dolphin interaction involving the illegal feeding of wild Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops sp.) in Cockburn Sound, Western Australia from 1993-2003. In 1993 only one dolphin was considered conditioned to human interaction through food reinforcement. By 2001, 16% (n = 12) of the resident community of 74 adult dolphins were conditioned, and at least 14 dolphins were conditioned by 2003. Of the 13 conditioned dolphins of known sex, 11 (85%) were males. We observed conditioned dolphins initiating interactions by approaching recreational fishing boats and by residing for several hours at boat ramps and shore-based fishing sites. We only observed recreational fishers feeding dolphins, although anecdotal reports indicated additional feeding sources. We used belt transects to determine the densities of recreational boats and encounter rates for conditioned dolphins across habitats within Cockburn Sound. Encounter rates and boat densities were positively correlated, suggesting an association between recreational boat density and the ranging patterns of conditioned dolphins. This study demonstrates how illegal feeding interactions can intensify over time to affect a potentially biologically significant proportion of a local dolphin population. This emphasizes the need for early and pro-active intervention and demonstrates the value of longitudinal, individual-specific wildlife studies.
Regenesis: A Discourse on the Natural History of Mind and Creation in the Second Deluge
Authors: Finn Hugh
Published: May 2016

The artefact that we will discuss today, a text entitled Regenesis, was written in 2025. Regenesis focuses on the response of humanity to the Second Deluge, the term used to describe the period of global environmental change that began in the 20th century and encompassed the breadth of the 21st to the 23rd centuries. The legacy of this Deluge continues to resonate into our time.
Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds
Authors: Cracraft Joel
Published: May 2016

The Australian avifauna is one of most biologically important in the world. For its size, it has the highest diversity and endemism of any continent. Importantly, as a key piece of Gondwana, it was at a crossroads for the early history of modern birds (Neornithes). Indeed, it has phylogenetically deep lineages of palaeognaths, galliforms, anseriforms, caprimulgiforms, parrots, and songbirds. Moreover, patterns of endemism and diversity are well-marked and provide a natural laboratory for the study of speciation and diversification. All of this is why studies of the systematics and taxonomy of Australian birds are so important, for without a clear understanding of the taxonomic limits of taxa and their relationships we cannot hope to make progress toward answering critical evolutionary questions. Nor can we provide the systematic framework for comparative studies in the organismal sciences, especially behaviour, ecology, and conservation biology.
New Conservation Initiative to Save the Woylie from Extinction in the Wild
Authors: Wayne Adrian
Published: May 2016

Six hundred thousand dollars was recently pledged by the Western Australian (WA) Government to fund an Emergency Conservation Action plan for the Woylie Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi to establish insurance populations at risk of extinction in the wild. $500,000 will be used by The Department of Environment and Conservation to establish a 400 ha predator-free enclosure in the Perup Nature Reserve (300 km south of Perth, WA) that should be capable of naturally supporting up to 500 woylies. At least 40 founders will be sourced from the surrounding area, which previously constituted the largest of three indigenous populations that persisted after pan-continental declines of the species in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The True Cost of Bottled Water
Authors: Kiernan AO Ian
Published: May 2016

Our addiction to bottled water is costing us dearly ? both economically and environmentally. Millions worldwide do not have the luxury of quality tap water, but many of us do, so why do we continue to put ourselves out of pocket and our environment at risk?
Obituary
Authors: A Burbige Andrew
Published: May 2016

Albert Russell Main, Emeritus Professor of Zoology and Senior Honorary Research Fellow at The University of Western Australia, had a most distinguished career as a scientist and public figure and greatly influenced the course of science and nature conservation, particularly in Western Australia.
An Automated Data Logger for Simultaneously Recording Amphibian Vocalizations with Weather Variables
Authors: D. Meek P.
Published: May 2016

Understanding the environmental triggers for the calling behaviour of fauna is an important element of biological and ecological knowledge necessary for devising better monitoring and management strategies for wildlife. Amphibians calling is seasonal and in Australia, mostly limited to Spring-Summer (October-March). An investigation was instigated following numerous records of the Sphagnum Frog Philoria sphagnicola calling during periods outside (July) of the standard survey season (August-December). In response to this observation, a data logger was designed and programmed to detect only the calls of P. sphagnicola. At hourly intervals, the data logger recorded the number of frog calls, mean ambient temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, water temperature and barometric pressure. This device differs from data loggers used in other anuran studies in its capacity to record only those calls of the species that it is programmed to detect. Furthermore, the data logger simultaneously records vital environmental variables that are important in trying to decipher the single or multiple factors that may stimulate calling behaviour.
Illegal feeding increases risk of boat-strike and entanglement in Bottlenose Dolphins in Perth, Western Australia
Authors: Donaldson R. , Finn H. , Calver M.
Published: May 2016

One reason for the legislative restrictions on feeding dolphins in many parts of the world is the putative increased risk of injury to dolphins conditioned to human interaction through food reinforcement. However, there are few empirical data to support this. Here, we present data for a population of Bottlenose Dolphins Tursiops sp. in Cockburn Sound, in the city of Perth, Western Australia, indicating higher incidence of boat strike injury and fishing line entanglement for dolphins conditioned to taking food from humans, compared to others in the population that were not conditioned. The data support prohibitions on feeding dolphins and rigorous enforcement of existing regulations.