Revegetation is changing the face of rural landscapes in parts of southern Australia. Excessive loss of native vegetation and its consequences for soils, water, agricultural production and the natural environment have stimulated many landholders and community groups to become involved in revegetation activities. Governmental programs at national and state levels actively support such restoration.
But what are the benefits of revegetation for wildlife in rural environments? What kinds of species occur in replanted habitats? And more importantly, will revegetation of wooded habitats in rural landscapes bring species ‘back’ into rural environments? Or will it simply provide additional habitat for common species able to persist in highly altered farmland?
Approach
This project was undertaken in south-western Victoria, with the support of the Glenelg-Hopkins Catchment Management Authority. We selected a set of 43 landscapes (each 800 ha) as follows:
– landscapes cleared of native forest and woodland
– landscapes with increasing amounts of revegetation (1 – 19% of the landscape)
– landscapes with decreasing remnant vegetation (18% down to 1%)
– landscapes with both remnants and revegetation
Birds were systematically surveyed at 12 sites in each landscape, stratified to sample remnant vegetation, pasture with scattered trees, farm paddocks, wetlands and revegetation. Mammals, frogs and butterflies were surveyed in subsets of these landscapes.
Team
Prof Andrew F Bennett
Dr Rohan Clarke (Research Fellow and Project Coordinator)
Dr Greg Holland (Research Fellow)
Dr Annie Ouin (Visiting Researcher – France)
Alistair Stewart (Research Assistant)
Robin Drury and Kate Stevens (Hons students)
Outcomes
A total of 152 species of birds was recorded, with from 40-78 species per landscape. Many species were associated with wetlands or occur in farmland. Of the 60 species that depend on forest or woodland, 48 (80%) were recorded in revegetation.
The number of species of woodland birds was most strongly influenced by the total amount of wooded cover in the landscape (either remnant wooded vegetation or revegetation or a mix of both). With increasing extent of revegetation, the number of woodland species increased, demonstrating that rural restoration can attract species back into the landscape.
Eight species of frogs were detected at farm dams, wetlands and creeks across 16 landscapes. Frogs were most strongly influenced by the type of wetland and the aquatic environment that it provides for breeding.
Only 11 species of butterfly were detected, possibly due to the replacement of host plants by exotic species. Of adult butterflies observed feeding at flowers, 76% did so from exotic plants. One notable exception, the Satin Azure, was recorded just five times but always in association with native mistletoes, the host plant for its larvae.
Publications
A number of publications are underway. A colour booklet ‘Revegetation in Farm Landscapes’ is available here.
(Booklet)
Revegetation in farm landscapes
Landscape Ecology Research Group 
You must be logged in to post a comment.