Toward landscape‐wide conservation outcomes in Australia's temperate grazing region

Fischer, Joern; Sherren, Kate; Stott, Jenny; Zerger, André; Warren, Garth; Stein, John

doi:10.1890/080170

Cited by 36 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The importance of isolated trees for conserving biodiversity has only recently been recognized (Manning et al 2006;Fischer et al 2010). Here we demonstrate that the conservation of isolated trees may also help to improve the livelihoods of rural households through the provision of a wide range of economic and medicinal resources.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isolated Ficus trees deliver dual conservation and development benefits in a rural landscape

Cottee-Jones

Bajpai

Chaudhary

et al. 2015

Ambio

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Many of the world's rural populations are dependent on the local provision of economically and medicinally important plant resources. However, increasing land-use intensity is depleting these resources, reducing human welfare, and thereby constraining development. Here we investigate a low cost strategy to manage the availability of valuable plant resources, facilitated by the use of isolated Ficus trees as restoration nuclei. We surveyed the plants growing under 207 isolated trees in Assam, India, and categorized them according to their local human-uses. We found that Ficus trees were associated with double the density of important high-grade timber, firewood, human food, livestock fodder, and medicinal plants compared to non-Ficus trees. Management practices were also important in determining the density of valuable plants, with grazing pressure and land-use intensity significantly affecting densities in most categories. Community management practices that conserve isolated Ficus trees, and restrict livestock grazing and high-intensity land-use in their vicinity, can promote plant growth and the provision of important local resources.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isolated Ficus trees deliver dual conservation and development benefits in a rural landscape

Cottee-Jones

Bajpai

Chaudhary

et al. 2015

Ambio

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“…The area is now dominated by livestock grazing. Tree cover has been reduced to ≈15%, and one-third of remaining tree cover occurs in patches smaller than 1 ha or as scattered paddock trees (32). Larger patches remain primarily on hilltops, because settlers preferentially cleared the more productive soils in the valleys (32,33).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Tree cover has been reduced to ≈15%, and one-third of remaining tree cover occurs in patches smaller than 1 ha or as scattered paddock trees (32). Larger patches remain primarily on hilltops, because settlers preferentially cleared the more productive soils in the valleys (32,33). Remnant tree cover is important because it enhances water infiltration, offers shade for livestock, and provides habitat and connectivity for native species (7).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…We also drew on a validated 10-m-resolution map of tree cover for the region (32) and on a published demographic model for trees that predicts future tree densities on the basis of specified mortality and recruitment rates at a given site (17). The unique combination of extensive field data on two fundamentally different animal taxa, remotely sensed data, and a demographic model for trees enabled us to obtain new, spatially explicit insights into likely biodiversity changes in the future.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Tree decline and the future of Australian farmland biodiversity

Fischer

Zerger²,

Gibbons

et al. 2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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118

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Farmland biodiversity is greatly enhanced by the presence of trees. However, farmland trees are declining worldwide, including in North America, Central America, and parts of southern Europe. We show that tree decline and its likely consequences are particularly severe in Australia's temperate agricultural zone, which is a threatened ecoregion. Using field data on trees, remotely sensed imagery, and a demographic model for trees, we predict that by 2100, the number of trees on an average farm will contract to two-thirds of its present level. Statistical habitat models suggest that this tree decline will negatively affect many currently common animal species, with predicted declines in birds and bats of up to 50% by 2100. Declines were predicted for 24 of 32 bird species modeled and for all of six bat species modeled. Widespread declines in trees, birds, and bats may lead to a reduction in economically important ecosystem services such as shade provision for livestock and pest control. Moreover, many other species for which we have no empirical data also depend on trees, suggesting that fundamental changes in ecosystem functioning are likely. We conclude that Australia's temperate agricultural zone has crossed a threshold and no longer functions as a selfsustaining woodland ecosystem. A regime shift is occurring, with a woodland system deteriorating into a treeless pasture system. Management options exist to reverse tree decline, but new policy settings are required to encourage their widespread adoption.countryside biogeography | grassy box woodlands | ranchland | regime shift | scattered trees T he future of farmland biodiversity is a major concern around the world (1-3). Farmland biodiversity is valuable in its own right, but also because it provides ecosystem services that are of direct benefit to agricultural production. For example, birds and bats control insect pests (4-6), and trees provide shade for livestock (7,8). Scattered trees occurring throughout the farmland matrix are prominent features of agricultural landscapes around the world, including in southern Europe (9, 10), North America (11, 12), Central America (13-15), and Australia (16). Farmland trees often represent relicts of largely cleared forest or woodland ecosystems (17,18) and are believed to play important roles in maintaining ecosystem function and farmland biodiversity (7,13,16). Southeastern Australia's temperate agricultural zone is part of a threatened ecoregion (19) where farmland trees are declining rapidly. In cropping landscapes, trees are cleared to make way for agricultural machinery (20,21). In livestock grazing landscapes, trees are declining because of a combination of natural or accelerated tree mortality coupled with widespread recruitment failure (22). The decline of scattered trees is increasingly recognized as a threat to biodiversity and associated ecosystem services, both in the academic literature (7,17,20,(22)(23)(24) and increasingly in conservation policy (25).Scattered trees are declining not only in Australia, b...

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“…Issues around these areas primarily revolve around the levels of exploitation allowed within and around park boundaries (Andrade & Rhodes, 2012;Fiallo & Jacobson, 1995). Livestock grazing has been a major driver of confl ict in NP areas (Fleischner, 1994;Infi eld & Namara, 2001;Fischer, 2009;Waweru & Oleleboo, 2013). Negative impacts of overgrazing include loss of biodiversity, disruption of the nutrient cycling and changes in the biophysical characteristics of the soil (Fleischner, 1994;Dorrough et al, 2007;Howland et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Financial Feasibility of Investing in Smallholder Cow-Calf Cooperatives in Baluran National Park

Rademaker

Suryantini

Mulyo

2017

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Livestock grazing is a major driver of human-wildlife confl ict in conservation areas. Currently, it is estimated that 3000 heads of cattle illegally grazing within Baluran National Park (BNP) in East Java. The recent research has suggested the potential of livestock system intensifi cation to reduce land-use and confl ict through conservation priorities. The research goal was to investigate the fi nancial feasibility of starting intensive cow-calf cooperatives by smallholders in the BNP area. Data were collected using Farm surveys in a Criterion sampling design. Optimal herd management plans were generated using whole farm Linear Programming and fi nancial feasibility was assessed using Discounted cash-fl ow analysis and debt-servicing capabilities. Investment lifetime was set at 15 years and four alternative varieties of cattle were taken from Bali, Peranakan Ongole, Limousin and Simmental. Results show that investing in all varieties represents a positive investment opportunity. Bali cattle obtaining the highest NPV ($53.769), IRR (14,25%) and B/C ratio (1,13). Farmer income can be increased by 163% by combining additional Off-farm labor. However, debt-servicing capabilities of cow-calf cooperative activities showed that the loan principal can only be repaid in the 10 th year instead of the maximum eight years set by the government cow-calf credit scheme. We urge the government to reconsider either the grace period or the repayment time of the credit scheme to better fi t the cash-fl ow characteristics of cow-calf enterprises. Keywords : cash-fl ow analysis; human-wildlife confl ict; linear programming; livestock grazing INTISARI

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Toward landscape‐wide conservation outcomes in Australia's temperate grazing region

Cited by 36 publications

References 29 publications

Isolated Ficus trees deliver dual conservation and development benefits in a rural landscape

Isolated Ficus trees deliver dual conservation and development benefits in a rural landscape

Tree decline and the future of Australian farmland biodiversity

Financial Feasibility of Investing in Smallholder Cow-Calf Cooperatives in Baluran National Park

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