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There is an increasing interest in the development of livestock grazing management strategies that achieve environmental sustainability and maintain or improve the long-term production capacity of commercial grazing systems. In temperate Australia, these strategies are generally focussed on reducing perennial pasture decline, soil loss, acidity, and salinity. An additional challenge facing land managers and researchers is developing grazing strategies that also maintain and enhance local and regional biodiversity. However, few studies have assessed the compatibility of management practices for maintaining long-term productivity and biodiversity conservation. We still have only a very basic understanding of the effects of different grazing strategies and pasture management on biodiversity and this is a major impediment to the development of appropriate and compatible best management practice. We argue that although there is an increasing desire to find management strategies that protect and enhance biodiversity without hindering long-term agricultural production, in many cases this may not be possible. Current knowledge suggests that compatibility is most likely to be achieved using low-input systems in low productivity (fragile) landscapes, whereas in highly productive (robust) landscapes there is less opportunity for integration of productive land-use and biodiversity conservation. There is an urgent need for improved communication and collaboration between agronomic and ecological researchers and research agencies to ensure that future programs consider sustainability in terms of biodiversity as well as pasture and livestock productivity and soil and water health.

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In coastal heath, 12 km north of Sydney, Banksia ericifolia set fruit after cross-pollination but not after controlled self-pollination. Animals removed nectar and pollen from inflorescences during the day but not overnight. Introduced honeybees (Apis mellifera) and native birds (Meliphagidae, Zosteropidae) visited flowers frequently during the day, carried pollen on their body surfaces and were likely to transfer pollen between plants. Native bees, nocturnal moths and ants also visited flowers but were too infrequent, did not move between plants or foraged inappropriately to be important pollinators. No mammals were seen visiting flowers and the small mammals we caught carried no pollen. Exclusion experiments confirmed that pollination occurred during the day and not at night, but the experiments were insufficient to determine the relative importance of honeybees versus birds as pollinators. Only about 3% of the flowers of Banksia ericifolia developed follicles under natural conditions. Follicle production in this species was limited by resources and not by pollinators, since multiple cross- pollinations of flowers did not increase follicle production above the natural rate.

Introduced honeybees have become well established throughout Australia and concerns have been raised about their impact on the native flora and fauna. Such concerns include the possible depletion of nectar resources by honeybees to the detriment of native animals and the ability of honeybees to pollinate Australian plants. The foraging patterns and resource utilization of honeybees (Apis mellifera) and native insects on flowers of yellow Mallee (Eucalyptus costata) (Behr & F. Muell, ex F. Muell.) were studied in Wyperfeld National Park during spring 1994. Seventy‐four insect species visited the flowers with the most prevalent being honeybees, native bees (Lasioglossum and Hylaeus) and ants (Iridiomyrmex). Honeybees began foraging at lower temperatures than native bees and hence had initial access to the nectar supply that was primarily produced overnight by E. costata. However, the majority (90%) of early morning visits to flowers by honeybees involved the collection of pollen. Honeybees did not forage for nectar in substantial numbers until after native insects were active. Despite both consumption and evaporation, nectar supplies remained available at midday and at one site remained available for consumption at dusk. Honeybees regularly made contact with the receptive stigmata while foraging for pollen and hence had pollen loads consisting of numerous E. costata grains present on their body. These activities are indicative of the behaviour required by insects to facilitate pollination. Given the unique morphology of many native flowers and the contrasting findings from studies to date, it is critical that generalisations about the effect of honeybees in the Australian environment are not made from studies on a limited number of native plant species.