Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Box 3.1.
Burnbank - a planting success story extraordinaire
The property of Burnbank is near Ladysmith on the South West Slopes of New
South Wales. It is owned and managed by Rick and Pam Martin. When the Martins
bought their farm in the late 1970s, there was about 2% tree cover and it was beset
by major problems like salinity and rising water tables. They embarked on an ambi-
tious revegetation program and plantings now cover more than 14% of the farm
with several areas of large block-shaped plantings (see Figure 3.1).
Problems with salinity and rising water tables at Burnbank have been solved.
There has also been an extraordinary response by wildlife. Detailed surveys by
researchers from The Australian National University over the past nine years have
identified many native birds of conservation significance in the plantings at Burn-
bank. These include the Speckled Warbler, Diamond Firetail, Southern Whiteface,
Red-capped Robin, Flame Robin, Hooded Robin and Crested Shrike-tit.
There have been many other successes associated with restoration efforts in
Australia's agricultural areas. For example, well-targeted revegetation efforts in
north-eastern Victoria have been instrumental in assisting the recovery of the Grey-
crowned Babbler.
likely to provide funds to those farmers willing to establish plantings that benefit
biodiversity and other key ecological values.
Our work over the past decade
1-3
as well as research by other scientists (e.g.
4, 5
)
has shown that how a planting is done can significantly influence how effective it is
for biodiversity conservation. Indeed, when plantings are done well, they can be
true success stories, highlighting effective ways to integrate conservation and
production objectives on a well-managed farm.
In this chapter, we discuss the characteristics of good plantings for wildlife. We
cover such key topics as where you should plant, the size of plantings, the shape
and other aspects of the geometry of plantings, and what you should plant. In
essence, this material covers the appropriate context, configuration and content of
plantings. Of course, the effectiveness of plantings can be strongly influenced by
how they are managed after they have been established. On this basis, the final
section of this chapter examines some management issues for plantings.
While it may not be possible to implement all of the things we recommend in
this chapter on every farm, for the vast majority of farms, some areas of planting
will be far better than having none. There is a good reason for this. We have found
that plantings are quite different habitats for wildlife than areas of remnant native
vegetation
6, 7
(Box 3.2). Therefore, a farm with plantings
and
remnant native
vegetation will typically support more species of native animals (e.g. birds) than a
farm with no plantings. Plantings are therefore an important part of the 'portfolio
of vegetation assets' for biodiversity on a farm.
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