Avian assemblages at bird baths: a comparison of urban and rural bird baths in Australia

Private gardens provide habitat and resources for many birds living in human-dominated landscapes. While wild bird feeding is recognised as one of the most popular forms of human-wildlife interaction, almost nothing is known about the use of bird baths. This citizen science initiative explores avian assemblages at bird baths in private gardens in south-eastern Australia and how this differs with respect to levels of urbanisation and bioregion. Overall, 992 citizen scientists collected data over two, four-week survey periods during winter 2014 and summer 2015 (43% participated in both years). Avian assemblages at urban and rural bird baths differed between bioregions with aggressive nectar-eating species influenced the avian assemblages visiting urban bird baths in South Eastern Queensland, NSW North Coast and Sydney Basin while introduced birds contributed to differences in South Western Slopes, Southern Volcanic Plains and Victorian Midlands. Small honeyeaters and other small native birds occurred less often at urban bird baths compared to rural bird baths. Our results suggest that differences between urban versus rural areas, as well as bioregion, significantly influence the composition of avian assemblages visiting bird baths in private gardens. We also demonstrate that citizen science monitoring of fixed survey sites such as bird baths is a useful tool in understanding large-scale patterns in avian assemblages which requires a vast amount of data to be collected across broad areas.

Developing a marine conservation program in temperate Australia: determining priorities for action

The temperate seascapes of southern Australia have, until recently, received less conservation attention than the country's tropical waters. Here, we describe the results of an expert elicitation aimed at identifying gaps and opportunities in marine conservation for temperate waters. The process highlighted the need for focusing conservation attention on temperate bays, estuaries and inlets. The subsequent development of the Great Southern Seascapes program by The Nature Conservancy is aimed at beginning to address this need. The program focuses on the following actions for temperate Australian bays, estuaries and inlets: (a) increased protection, (b) ‘in the water’ restoration, (c) initiatives to address sea-level rise, (d) improved management and increased stakeholder involvement, (e) science and monitoring, and (f) community, government, and corporate engagement and funding. Actions taken to date, including commencing Australia's first ever oyster reef restoration project, and future directions, are outlined.

Private protected areas in Australia: current status and future directions

Despite the recognised importance of private land for biodiversity conservation, there has been little research into systems of private protected areas at a country-wide level. Here I look at definitions, legislation, ownership, management approaches and effectiveness, distribution and incentives provided to private protected areas in Australia. The term 'private protected areas', although increasingly used, still suffers from a lack of a clear and concise definition in Australia. Australian states and territories have legislation enabling the application of conservation covenants over private land; covenants being the primary mechanism to secure conservation intent on the title of the land in perpetuity. If considering all 'in perpetuity' conservation covenants under a dedicated program to be private protected areas and land owned by non-government organisations and managed for the purpose of biodiversity conservation, there were approximately 5,000 terrestrial properties that could be considered private protected areas in Australia covering 8,913,000 ha as at September 2013. This comprises almost 4,900 conservation covenants covering over 4,450,000 ha and approximately 140 properties owned by private land trusts covering approximately 4,594,120 ha. Most conservation covenanting programs now seek to complement the comprehensiveness, adequacy and representativeness of the public reserve system, either stating so explicitly or by aiming to protect the highest priority ecosystems on private land. There are a range of incentives offered for private land conservation and requirements of owners of private protected areas to report on their activities vary in Australia. However, there are a number of key policy challenges that need to be addressed if private protected areas are to achieve their full potential in Australia, including managing broad-scale ecosystem processes, protection and tenure reform, improved financial incentives, and access to emerging ecosystem service markets.

Using the historic urban landscape to reimagine Ballarat : the local context

The adoption by UNESCO of the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (2011) aimed to re-position issues of development and urban heritage conservation, and outlined a way forward based on community-centred processes and the recognition of the dynamic character of urban settlements. Achieving these goals will depend on the development of new methods and processes, and implementation to specific urban contexts. This paper highlights the importance of local government as a location where this international dialogue can be operationalized and further advanced. Reflecting on the theoretical and practical dimensions of adopting a landscape approach to urban planning and conservation by the City of Ballarat (Australia) has allowed some significant potential shifts in heritage practice to be anticipated.

37° Sur a 19° Norte: Fotografía contemporánea de Australia

Curatorial considerations, aims and objectives:The title for this exhibition (37 ° South to 19 ° North) refers to the Latitude of Melbourne, Australia and Cuernavaca, Mexico.My curatorial objective for making such a reference to the geographical was to invoke a sense of both distance and connection between the two locations of Australia and Mexico and to also create a sense of sharing, not only between our distant landscapes and cultures but also between the feelings and emotions that we all experience in response to the places in which we live out the moments which make up our daily lives.In developing this project I considered the work of more than 35 contemporary Australian photographers and finally selected 15 photographers (including myself). Most of these artists have or have had close connection to Melbourne and to the southern/eastern line of Australian continent. The final selection ranged from Hobart to Maroochydore and one artist who had lived in Melbourne for many years but was now living in Mexico. These photographers (and the specific works) were selected because their long term creative practice captures a sense of location (place and space) with a deep introspective sensibility which I feel offers a viewer a personal and softly spoken vision of some particular aspect of an Australian location, be that exterior landscape or interior place and a sense of unique connection to such places. These images are not documents but rather representations of feelings, stories, memories and dreams which emerge in the milieu of our inhabitants.In selecting the works, careful consideration was also given to diversity of approaches to photographic practice in conjunction to thematic content. Formats and media included black and white, pin hole photography, toy camera, large format (both 4” x 5” and 10”x 8”), phone camera, various digital camera images and other experimental approaches. The local art scene in Cuernavaca is very strong and there is a strong interest in photography. This is partially due to the number of local arts schools and universities which offer studies in photography as well as the political dimension regarding Mexican art in general - as a tool of both political media, reportage and documentary work, photography is a significant medium for many of the people who would be visiting the exhibition. I therefore felt it was important to address the diversity of approaches to the medium which are currently being explored by Australian practitioners.The City Museum of Cuernavaca provided two large walls and some smaller sections of side walls on both the grounds level and the upper level of the main museum galleries for exhibition.The works were arranged with a simple thematic structure. Top level, left to right, then bottom level, left to right starting with images which presented a sense of wilderness and landscape (which were also quite abstract and reductive) to more representational landscape images moving to landscape with small figures (people) emerging within the images (Ash Kerr) to landscapes with larger figures and the emerging presence of man-made elements to urban landscapes and then to interior urban scapes and finally to interior locations with people and finally finishing on the metaphorical image by Harry Nankin of Bogong Moths and the politics of climate change. (It is also interesting to note that the migration path of the Bongong moth matches well the distribution of the artists selected for this project)Broadly speaking the images started outside with broad landscape to intimate interior locations. With these works a great deal of personal content from each photographer was presented. Most artists chose to present 3 large format images while some only presented 2 images. Other graphic and visual elements were considered in the final placement of the images.It must also be noted that the artists selected ranged broadly from very highly established and significant local artists to mid-career/younger establishing artist to some lesser known and emerging artists. From a curatorial perspective I feel this is offers the possibility of what I shall term, a more balanced representation of the local Australian practice and it provides a context in which both established and emerging artists / works must engage on a dialogue, within the exhibition. I believe it also placing the curatorial premise on the strength of the work rather than on whom the artists are and their status. It also supports the younger emerging artists and provides a less formal and predictable outcome for the established artists and for as a collective presentation as a whole.

The use of topographic fire refuges by the greater glider (Petauroides volans) and the mountain brushtail possum (Trichosurus cunninghami) following a landscape-scale fire

We examined the abundance of arboreal marsupials in topographic fire refuges after a major fire in a stand-replacing crown-fire forest ecosystem. We surveyed the abundance of arboreal marsupials across 48 sites in rainforest gullies burnt to differing extents by the 2009 fires in the mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forests of the Victorian Central Highlands, Australia. The greater glider (Petauroides volans) was less abundant within the extent of the 2009 fire. The mountain brushtail possum (Trichosurus cunninghami) was more abundant within the extent of the 2009 fire, particularly within unburnt peninsulas protruding into burnt areas from unburnt edges. Our results indicate that fire refuges may facilitate the persistence of some species within extensively burnt landscapes. Additional work should seek to clarify this finding and identify the demographic mechanisms underlying this response.

Complex responses of birds to landscape-level fire extent, fire severity and environmental drivers

Aim: To quantify bird responses to a large unplanned fire, taking into consideration landscape-level fire severity and extent, pre-fire site detection frequency and environmental gradients. Location: South-eastern Australia. Methods: A major wildfire in 2009 coincided with a long-term study of birds and provided a rare opportunity to quantify bird responses to wildfire. Using hierarchical Bayesian analysis, we modelled bird species richness and the detection frequency of individual species in response to a suite of explanatory variables, including (1) landscape-level fire severity and extent (2) pre-fire detection frequency, (3) site-level vegetation density and (4) environmental variables (e.g. elevation and topography). Results: Landscape-level fire severity had strong effects on bird species richness and the detection frequency of the majority of bird species. These effects varied markedly between species; most responded negatively to amount of severely burned forest in the landscape, one negatively to the amount of moderately burned forest and one responded negatively to the total area of burned forest. Only one species - the Flame Robin - responded positively to the amount of burned forest. Relationships with landscape-scale fire extent changed over time for one species - the Brown Thornbill - with initially depressed rates of detection recovering after just 2 years. The majority of species were significantly more likely to be detected in burned areas if they have been recorded there prior to the fire. Main conclusions: Birds responded strongly to the severity and spatial extent of fire. They also exhibited strong site fidelity even after severe wildfire which causes profound changes in vegetation cover - a response likely influenced by environmental features such as elevation and topography.

Fire severity and landscape context effects on arboreal marsupials

Although fire is a major form of natural disturbance worldwide, both fire-derived landscape context effects and the impacts of fire severity are poorly known for many species. To address this knowledge gap, we quantified the response of Australian arboreal marsupials to: (1) the spatial effects of fire, (2) fire severity, and (3) fire impacts on the availability of critical nesting resources - hollow-bearing trees.We identified substantial differences among species in response to fire severity and landscape-scale fire. The Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps) and the endangered Leadbeater's Possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri) were extremely rare on burned sites irrespective of fire severity. In addition, these two species declined with the amount of burned forest in the surrounding landscape even when their habitat remained unburnt. The Mountain Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus cunninghami) and the Greater Glider (Petauroides volans) both occurred on burned and unburned sites. The Greater Glider responded negatively to fire severity at the site level and also negatively to the amount of forest burned in the surrounding landscape. The abundance of the Mountain Brushtail Possum was lowest on sites subject to moderate severity fire.On unburned sites, the presence and abundance of virtually all species was characterised by a common positive response to the availability of nesting resources in hollow-bearing trees.Our findings underscore the importance of management practices to better protect species that decline after fire. These include conserving areas of unburned forest, particularly those with hollow-bearing trees which are critical nest sites for arboreal marsupials. These recommendations are currently the opposite of existing management practices.

A continental-scale analysis of feral cat diet in Australia

Aim Reducing the impacts of feral cats (Felis catus) is a priority for conservation managers across the globe, and success in achieving this aim requires a detailed understanding of the species’ ecology across a broad spectrum of climatic and environmental conditions. We reviewed the diet of the feral cat across Australia and on Australian territorial islands, seeking to identify biogeographical patterns in dietary composition and diversity, and use the results to consider how feral cats may best be managed. Location Australia and its territorial islands. Methods Using 49 published and unpublished data sets, we modelled trophic diversity and the consumption of eight food groups against latitude, longitude, mean temperature, precipitation, environmental productivity and climate-habitat regions. Results We recorded 400 vertebrate species that feral cats feed on or kill in Australia, including 28 IUCN Red List species. We found evidence of continental- scale prey-switching from rabbits to small mammals, previously recorded only at the local scale. The consumption of arthropods, reptiles, rabbits, rodents and medium-sized native mammals varied with different combinations of latitude, longitude, mean annual precipitation, temperature and environmental productivity. The frequency of rodents and dasyurids in cats’ diets increased as rabbit consumption decreased. Main conclusions The feral cat is an opportunistic, generalist carnivore that consumes a diverse suite of vertebrate prey across Australia. It uses a facultative feeding strategy, feeding mainly on rabbits when they are available, but switching to other food groups when they are not. Control programmes aimed at culling rabbits could potentially decrease the availability of a preferred food source for cats and then lead to greater predation pressure on native mammals. The interplay between cat diet and prey species diversity at a continental scale is complex, and thus cat management is likely to be necessary and most effective at the local landscape level.

Response of a shrubland mammal and reptile community to a history of landscape-scale wildfire

Fire plays a strong role in structuring fauna communities and the habitat available to them in fire-prone regions. Human-mediated increases in fire frequency and intensity threaten many animal species and understanding how these species respond to fire history and its associated effect on vegetation is essential to effective biodiversity management. We used a shrubland mammal and reptile community in semiarid south-western Australia as a model to investigate interactions between fire history, habitat structure and fauna habitat use. Of the 15 species analysed, five were most abundant in recently burnt habitat (8–13 years since last fire), four were most abundant in long unburnt areas (25–50 years) and six showed no response to fire history. Fauna responses to fire history were divergent both within and across taxonomic groups. Fire management that homogenises large areas of habitat through either fire exclusion or frequent burning may threaten species due to these diverse requirements, so careful management of fire may be needed to maximise habitat suitability across the landscape. When establishing fire management plans, we recommend that land managers exercise caution in adopting species-specific information from different locations and broad vegetation types. Information on animal responses to fire is best gained through experimental and adaptive management approaches at the local level.

Wildfire, landscape heterogeneity and fauna in fire-prone forests

Wildfire severity is an important driver on the occurrence of forest fauna 2-3 years post-fire, by its influence on the suitability of forest habitat in south-eastern Australia. Unexpectedly, landscape heterogeneity generated by fire had limited effects on most species, probably because animals were responding to the rapid regeneration of vegetation.

Landscape properties mediate the homogenization of bird assemblages during climatic extremes

Extreme weather events, such as drought, have marked impacts on biotic communities. In many regions, a predicted increase in occurrence of such events will be imposed on landscapes already heavily modified by human land use. There is an urgency, therefore, to understand the way in which the effects of such events may be exacerbated, or moderated, by different patterns of landscape change. We used empirical data on woodlanddependent birds in southeast Australia, collected during and after a severe drought, to document temporal change in the composition of bird assemblages in 24 landscapes (each 100 km2) representing a gradient in the cover of native wooded vegetation (from 60% to <2%). We examined (a) whether drought caused region-wide homogenization of the composition of landscape bird assemblages, and (b) whether landscape properties influenced the way assemblages changed in response to drought. To quantify change, we used pairwise indices of assemblage dissimilarity, partitioned into components that represented change in the richness of assemblages and change in the identity of constituent species (turnover). There was widespread loss of woodland birds in response to drought, with only partial recovery following drought-breaking rains. Region-wide, the composition of landscape assemblages became more different over time, primarily caused by turnover-related differentiation. The response of bird assemblages to drought varied between landscapes and was strongly associated with landscape properties. The extent of wooded vegetation had the greatest influence on assemblage change: landscapes with more native vegetation had more stable bird assemblages over time. However, for the component processes of richness- and turnoverrelated compositional change, measures of landscape productivity had a stronger effect. For example, landscapes with more riparian vegetation maintained more stable assemblages in terms of richness. These results emphasize the importance of the total extent of native vegetation, both overall cover and that occurring in productive parts of the landscape, for maintaining bird communities whose composition is resistant to severe drought. While extreme climatic events cannot be prevented, their effects can be ameliorated by managing the pattern of native vegetation in anthropogenic landscapes, with associated benefits for maintaining ecological processes and human well-being.

Democratically grounded cosmopolitanism: Iraqi refugees in Australia since 2003

This study explored the socio-political attitudes and behaviours of a sample group of Iraqi refugees who were given protection in Australia after 2003. It was found that this group are disconnected and at times alienated by the socio-political sphere in the country.

Fire and climatic extremes shape mammal distributions in a fire-prone landscape

Aim: Extreme climatic events and large wildfires are predicted to increase as the world's climate warms. Understanding how they shape species' distributions will be critical for conserving biodiversity. We used a 7-year dataset of mammals collected during and after south-east Australia's Millennium Drought to assess the roles of fire history, climatic extremes and their interactions in shaping mammal distributions. Location: Grampians National Park, south-eastern Australia.

Methods: We surveyed mammals at 36 sites along a ~50-year post-fire chronosequence in each of the 7 years. We modelled ten mammal species in relation to fire history, productivity and recent rainfall. Next, we examined the consistency of species' fire response curves across each of three climatic phases relating to the Millennium Drought. Finally, we identified the optimal distribution of fire ages for small and medium-sized mammal conservation in each of the three climatic phases.

Results: The majority of species were influenced by fire history, and all native species were negatively associated with recently burned vegetation. Seven of ten species responded positively to the end of the Millennium Drought, but six of these declined quickly thereafter. Species' responses to fire history differed depending on the climatic conditions. However, the optimal distribution of fire-age classes consistently emphasized the importance of older age classes, regardless of climatic phase. This distribution is in stark contrast to the current distribution of fire ages across the study region.

Main conclusions: Mammals in the study region face an uncertain future. The negative impact of drought, the short-lived nature of post-drought recovery and, now, the possibility of a new drought beginning forewarn of further declines. The stark contrast between the optimal and current fire-age distributions means that reducing the incidence of further fires is critical to enhance the capacity of native mammal communities to weather an increasingly turbulent climate.

Knowing wildfire risk: scientific interactions with risk mitigation policy and practice in Victoria, Australia

Over the past decade, major landscape wildfires (or ‘bushfires’ in Australia) in fire-prone countries have illustrated the seriousness of this global environmental problem. This natural hazard presents a complex mesh of dynamic factors for those seeking to reduce or manage its costs, as ignitions, hazard behaviour, and the reactions of different human and ecological communities during and after hazard events are all extremely uncertain. But while those at risk of wildfire have been subject to significant research, the social dimensions of its management, including the role of science, have received little attention. This paper reports on a case study of the Barwon-Otway area of Victoria in Australia, a high wildfire risk area that has recently been a pilot site for a new risk mitigation strategy utilising the wildfire simulation model PHOENIX RapidFire. Against simple equations between ‘more science’ and ‘less uncertainty,’ this paper presents results from interviews and a workshop with practitioners to investigate how scientific research interacts with and informs both wildfire policy and practice. We suggest that attending to cultural and social specificities of the application of any technical innovation—such as next generation modelling—raises questions for future research about the roles of narrative, performance, and other knowledges in the sedimentation of science.