Effects of livestock on riparian zone vegetation in an Australian dryland river

Robertson, A.I.; Rowling, R.W.

doi:10.1002/1099-1646(200009/10)16:5<527::aid-rrr602>3.3.co;2-n

Cited by 43 publications

(62 citation statements)

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“…Anthropogenic activities, such as agriculture and livestock, mining, industry, transportation and communication, and urbanisation, have caused alteration or degradation of many riparian environments (e.g. Robertson and Rowling, 2000;Merritt et al, 2000;EPA 1999;Gurnell, 1997). If left unabated, the continuous misuse of these resources could bring further ecological problems and economic losses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping and analysis of changes in the riparian landscape structure of the Lockyer Valley catchment, Queensland, Australia

Apan

Raine

Paterson

2002

Landscape and Urban Planning

134

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A case study of the Lockyer Valley catchment in Queensland, Australia, was conducted to develop appropriate mapping and assessment techniques to quantify the nature and magnitude of riparian landscape structural changes within a catchment. The study employed digital image processing techniques to produce land cover maps from the 1973 and 1997 Landsat imagery. Fixed and variable width buffering of streams were implemented using a geographic information system (GIS) to estimate the riparian zone and to subsequently calculate the landscape patterns using the Patch Analyst (Grid) program (a FRAGSTATS interface). The nature of vegetation clearing was characterised based on land tenure, slope and stream order. Using the Pearson chi-square test and Cramer's V statistic, the relationships between the vegetation clearing and land tenure were further assessed. The results show the significant decrease in woody vegetation areas mainly due to conversion to pasture. Riparian vegetation corridors have become more fragmented, isolated and of much smaller patches. Land tenure was found to be significantly associated with the vegetation clearing, although the strength of association was weak. The large proportion of deforested riparian zones within steep slopes or first-order streams raises serious questions about the catchment health and the longer term potential for land degradation by upland clearing. This study highlights the use of satellite imagery and geographic information systems in mapping and analysis of landscape structural change, as well as the identification of key issues related to sensor spatial resolution, stream buffering widths, and the quantification of land transformation processes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping and analysis of changes in the riparian landscape structure of the Lockyer Valley catchment, Queensland, Australia

Apan

Raine

Paterson

2002

Landscape and Urban Planning

134

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“…This species has spread rapidly in response to altered water regimes and persistent heavy livestock grazing (Earl, 2003). Finally, overgrazing by feral goats, rabbits and domestic livestock has altered the composition and structure of the woodland vegetation, through selective consumption of palatable native ground layer plants and seedlings of trees and shrubs (Reid et al, 2011;Robertson & Rowling, 2000). These effects are most marked beneath trees and around watering points where livestock concentrate their activities.…”

Section: Box 6 Describing Threatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Guidelines for the application of IUCN Red List of ecosystems categories and criteria

2015

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“…bars and benches) and the deposition of sediment to form new landforms (Bendix & Hupp 2000;Gurnell et al 2001;Erskine et al 2012;Gurnell et al 2012). Non flood-mediated factors like livestock grazing also affect riparian plant survival (Robertson & Rowling 2000;Friedman & Lee 2002;Chalmers et al 2006). Studies investigating the survival of Casuarina cunninghamiana are limited and the findings have sometimes been contradictory (Roberts & Marston 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survival of Casuarina cunninghamiana on a recovering sand-bed stream in the Wollombi Valley of coastal New South Wales.

Erskine¹,

Chalmers²,

Erskine³

2013

Cunninghamia

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Abstract:The successful management and restoration of riparian corridors in Australia is currently hindered by our poor understanding of the links between hydrology, fluvial geomorphology and plant population dynamics. The aim of the current study was to determine the survival rates of Casuarina cunninghamiana subsp. cunninghamiana Miq. (family Casuarinaceae) on a sand-bed stream in the Wollombi Valley, a tributary of the Hunter River system, in coastal New South Wales (lat 33°02'S; long 151°10'E). A population planted on the banks of Dairy Arm in 1987, as part of river training works, was used to determine the long-term (24-year) survival rate. A bankfull flood in June 2011 provided an opportunity to examine the survival response of seedlings regenerating naturally within the channel. We found that 24% of the seedlings planted on the banks in 1987 had survived to adulthood. The bankfull flood significantly decreased (d.f. = 14; W= -30; p = 0.0024) median seedling density within the channel from 12 to 2 individuals per 100 m 2 . Seedling survival varied with height, with seedlings > 15 cm more likely to survive the bankfull flood. The percentage of seedlings partially buried by sediment was significantly higher (d.f. = 14; W = 13; p = 0.016) after flood compared to before flood. Seedling density was positively correlated with the amount of bare ground prior to the flood (r = 0.61; p = 0.02), but this relationship was no longer significant after flood (r = 0.18; p = 0.53). 37% of the seedlings surveyed showed evidence of grazing. Our results confirm that hydrogeomorphic processes associated with a bankfull flood affect the survival of Casuarina cunninghamiana seedlings. The management implications of our findings are discussed in terms of riparian revegetation techniques and the geomorphic recovery of over-widened sand-bed streams.

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Effects of livestock on riparian zone vegetation in an Australian dryland river

Cited by 43 publications

References 0 publications

Mapping and analysis of changes in the riparian landscape structure of the Lockyer Valley catchment, Queensland, Australia

Mapping and analysis of changes in the riparian landscape structure of the Lockyer Valley catchment, Queensland, Australia

Guidelines for the application of IUCN Red List of ecosystems categories and criteria

Survival of Casuarina cunninghamiana on a recovering sand-bed stream in the Wollombi Valley of coastal New South Wales.

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