Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
F igur e 7. 8 :
The Grey-crowned Babbler is more likely to occupy travelling stock reserves than woodland
patches in other land tenures in South West Slopes region. (Photo by Julian Robinson)
woodlands under different tenures are also not valuable. Travelling stock reserves
should be viewed as a complementary resource rather than a potential replacement
for existing private woodland remnants and other reserves. Travelling stock
reserves should be considered as one of several kinds of temperate woodland areas
which collectively contribute to a portfolio of vegetation assets in formerly
woodland-dominated, but now extensively cleared, landscapes. The paucity of
large ecological reserves in the Murray Riverina and South West Slopes
bioregions
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means that the collective contribution of land under different tenures
is likely to be vitally important for biodiversity.
As yet, there are no appropriate data to quantify the collective value of
interconnected sets of travelling stock reserves as networks to promote animal and
plant movement throughout landscapes and hence their regional and/or national
contribution to biodiversity conservation. However, it is likely that travelling stock
reserves will have a valuable network role for some species.
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Summary
A good farm for biodiversity needs to consider the key habitats that a farm can
support - remnant native vegetation, plantings, paddocks, rocky outcrops, creeks
and farm dams. Each of these assets is important in its own right but they are also
collectively important for biodiversity on a farm. The variation and diversity of
