A citizen science approach: a detailed ecological assessment of subtropical Reefs at Point Lookout, Australia.

Subtropical reefs provide an important habitat for flora and fauna, and proper monitoring is required for conservation. Monitoring these exposed and submerged reefs is challenging and available resources are limited. Citizen science is increasing in momentum, as an applied research tool and in the variety of monitoring approaches adopted. This paper aims to demonstrate an ecological assessment and mapping approach that incorporates both top-down (volunteer marine scientists) and bottom-up (divers/community) engagement aspects of citizen science, applied at a subtropical reef at Point Lookout, Southeast Queensland, Australia. Marine scientists trained fifty citizen scientists in survey techniques that included mapping of habitat features, recording of substrate, fish and invertebrate composition, and quantifying impacts (e.g., occurrence of substrate damage, presence of litter). In 2014 these volunteers conducted four seasonal surveys along semi-permanent transects, at five sites, across three reefs. The project presented is a model on how citizen science can be conducted in a marine environment through collaboration of volunteer researchers, non-researchers and local marine authorities. Significant differences in coral and algal cover were observed among the three sites, while fluctuations in algal cover were also observed seasonally. Differences in fish assemblages were apparent among sites and seasons, with subtropical fish groups observed more commonly in colder seasons. The least physical damage occurred in the most exposed sites (Flat Rock) within the highly protected marine park zones. The broad range of data collected through this top-down/bottom-up approach to citizen science exemplifies the projects' value and application for identifying ecosystem trends or patterns. The results of the project support natural resource and marine park management, providing a valuable contribution to existing scientific knowledge and the conservation of local reefs.

Monitoring ecological impacts: concepts and practice in flowing waters

Monitoring Ecological Impacts provides the tools needed to design  assessment programs that can reliably monitor, detect and allow  management of human impacts on the natural environment. The procedures described are well-grounded in inferential logic. Step-by-step guidelines and flow diagrams provide clear and useable protocols, which are applicable to real situations.

Estuarine fish health assessment: evidence of wastewater impacts based on nitrogen isotopes and histopathology

Sewage effluent is a powerful agent of ecological change in estuaries. While the effects of sewage pollution on water quality are usually well documented, biological responses of exposed organisms are not. We quantified health impacts in the form of pathological tissue changes across multiple organs in estuarine fish exposed to elevated levels of treated wastewater. Structural pathologies were compared in wild populations of four fish species from two subtropical estuaries on the east coast of Australia that differ substantially in the amount of direct wastewater loadings. Uptake of sewage-derived  nitrogen by fish was traced with stable nitrogen isotopes. Pathologies were common in the liver, spleen, gill, kidney and muscle tissues, and included granulomas, melanomacrophage aggregates, and multiple deformities of the gill epithelia. Tissue deformities were more frequent in fish exposed directly to wastewater discharges. Mullet (Valamugil georgii) were most affected, with only a single specimen free of pathologies in the sewage-impacted estuary. Similarly, in those fish that had structural abnormalities, more deformities were generally found in individuals from sites receiving sewage. These spatial contrasts in impaired fish health correspond to significantly enriched δ₁₅N values in fish muscle as a consequence of fish assimilating sewage-N. Overall, the pattern of lower health and enriched δ₁₅N values in fish from sewage-impacted areas suggests that organism health is lowered by sewage inputs to estuaries. Measurements of organism health are required to understand the effects of sewage on estuarine ecosystems, and histopathology of fishes is a powerful tool to achieve this.

Producing a GIS based multiple criteria analysis tool for regional sustainability assessment: the problem of weighting

Decision support tools will be useful in guiding regions to sustainability. These need to be simple but effective at identifying, for regional managers, areas most in need of initiatives to progress sustainability. Multiple criteria analysis (MCA) is often used as a decision support tool for a wide range of applications. This method allows many criteria to be considered at one time. It does this by giving a ranking of possible options based on how closely each option meets the criteria. Thus, it is suited to the assessment of regional sustainability as it can consider a number of indicators simultaneously and demonstrates how sustainability can vary at small scales across the region. Coupling MCA with GIS to produce maps, allows this analysis to become visual giving the manager a picture of sustainability across the region. To do this each indicator is standardised to a common scale so that it can be compared to other indicators. A weighting is then applied to each indicator to calculate weighted summation for each area in the region. This paper argues that this is the critical step in developing a useful decision support tool. A study being conducted in south west Victoria demonstrates that the weights chosen can have a dramatic impact on the results of the sustainability assessment. It is therefore imperative that careful consideration be given to determining indicator weights in a way that is objective and fully considers the impact of that indicator on regional sustainability.

Biology curriculum for the senior secondary level in Victoria, Australia

In Victoria, the Victorian Certificate of Education(VCE) is most common among certificates required to apply any tertiary institute in the Victoria State. Thus, the number of students who take the VCE course is larger than other courses in senior secondary schools. VCE Biology is one of the subjects in natural science area. The subject consists of 4 units: Unit 1 is ecology oriented, Unit 2 is cell biology oriented, Unit 3 is physiology and developmental biology oriented, and Unit 4 is systematics, genetics and evolution oriented. One of the distinctive features of the VCE Biology is its assignment. Three or four tasks are prepared in each unit of the subject. In order to complete the assignment, students should carry out some laboratory work, field studies and investigations to collect data and information from a number of sources. They also need to analyze data to write some reports. In Unit 3 and 4, Common Assessment Tasks(CATs), which include writing report and paper test, and prepared. Another distinctive feature of the curriculum is that there are some applied biological aspects in the contents of each unit.

Regional sustainability : how useful are current tools of sustainability assessment at the regional scale?

Sustainability assessment methods are primarily aimed at global, national or state scales. However, modelling sustainability at finer spatial scales, such as the region, is essential for understanding and achieving sustainability. Regions are emerging as an essential focus for sustainability researchers, natural resource managers and strategic planners working to develop and implement sustainability goals. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of current sustainability assessment methods – ecological footprint, wellbeing assessment, ecosystem health assessment, quality of life and natural resource availability – at the regional scale. Each of these assessment methods are tested using South East Queensland (SEQ) as a case study. It was selected because of its ecological and demographic diversity, its combination of coastal and land management issues, and its urban metropolitan and rural farm and non-farm communities. The applicability of each of these methods to regional assessment was examined using an evaluation criteria matrix, which describes the attributes of an effective method and the characteristics that make these methods useful for regional management and building community capacity to progress sustainability. We found that the methods tested failed to effectively measure progress toward sustainability at the regional scale, demonstrating the need for a new method for assessing regional sustainability.

Conservation ecology and breeding biology of the white-browed treecreeper, Climacteris affinis

The White-browed Treecreeper Climacteris affinis is one of many woodland-dependent birds that are at risk from the encroachment of human-dominated land-uses into natural landscapes. The White-browed Treecreeper inhabits semi-arid woodlands in north-west Victoria, Australia, a vegetation community that has undergone extreme modification in the last century due to the expansion of agriculture in the region. Extant woodlands represent only 10% of the original woodland cover in the region, and are highly fragmented and disturbed in many districts. Thus, the survival of the White-browed Treecreeper may depend on active management. However, current knowledge of the ecology and biology of this species is virtually non-existent, and inadequate for informed and effective conservation actions. The aim of this thesis is to redress this situation and provide the ecological basis for sound conservation management of the species. The thesis consists of two parts: an investigation of habitat use at three spatial scales and a study of the social organization, nesting requirements, breeding behaviour and reproductive success of a population of White-browed Treecreepers. Fifty-six patches of remnant woodland in north-west Victoria were surveyed to determine the factors affecting the occurrence of the White-browed Treecreeper at the regional scale. It was detected in 16 patches, and was largely confined to two core districts - Yarrara and, Wyperfeld (Pine Plains). The floristic composition of the dominant tree species was an important determinant of patch occupancy, with the results providing quantitative support for the previously suspected affinity for Belah Casuarina pauper and Slender Cypress-pine Callitris gracilis — Buloke Allocasuarina luehmannii woodlands. However, the absence of the White-browed Treecreeper from several districts was due to factors other than a lack of appropriate habitat. Demographic isolation - the distance from the focal patch to the nearest population of the White-browed Treecreeper - was the most important variable in explaining variation in patch occupancy. Patches isolated from other treecreeper populations by more than 8.3 km in landscapes of non-preferred native vegetation, and 3 km in agricultural landscapes, were unlikely to support the White-browed Treecreeper. The impact of habitat loss and fragmentation on the capacity of individuals to move through the landscape (i.e. functional connectivity) is considered in relation to disruption to dispersal and migration, and the potential collapse of local metapopulations. Habitat use was then examined in a network of patches and linear strips of Belah woodland embedded in a predominantly cultivated landscape. A minimum area of 18.5 ha of Belah woodland was identified as the most important criterion for patch occupancy at the local scale. This landscape appeared to be permeable to movement by the White-browed Treecreeper, facilitated by the extensive network of linear habitat, and clusters of small to medium fragments. The third scale of habitat use investigated the frequency of use of 1-ha plots within tracts of occupied woodland. It is important to discriminate between habitat traits that operate at the population level, and those that act as proximate cues for habitat selection by individuals. Woodlands that have high tree density, extensive cover of low-stature shrubs, abundant lichen, a complex vertical structure, and relatively low cover of grass and herbs are likely to support larger populations of the White-browed Treecreeper. However, individuals appeared to be using tree dominance (positive) and tall shrub cover (negative) as proximate environmental stimuli for habitat selectivity. A relatively high cover of ground lichen, which probably reflects a ground layer with low disturbance and high structural complexity, was also a reliable indicator of habitat use. Predictive models were developed which could be used to plan vegetation management to enhance habitat for the White-browed Treecreeper. The results of the regional, landscape and patch-scale investigations emphasise that factors operating at multiple spatial scales influence the suitability of remnant vegetation as habitat for the White-browed Treecreeper. The White-browed Treecreeper is typical of many small Australian passerines in that it has high annual survival, small clutches, a long breeding season, multiple broods and relatively low reproductive rates. Reproductive effort is adjusted through the number of clutches laid rather than clutch size. They occupy relatively large, all-purpose territories throughout the year. However, unlike many group territorial birds, territory size was not related to the number of occupants. The White-browed Treecreeper nests in tree hollows. They select hollows with a southerly orientation where possible, and prefer hollows that were higher from the ground. At Yarrara, there was considerable spatial variation in hollow abundance that, in concert with territorial constraints, restricted the actual availability of hollows to less than the absolute abundance of hollows. Thus, the availability of suitable hollows may limit reproductive productivity in some territories, although the magnitude of this constraint on overall population growth is predicted to be small. However, lack of recruitment of hollow-bearing trees would increase the potential for hollow availability to limit population growth. This prospect is particularly relevant in grazed remnants and those outside the reserve system. Facultative cooperative breeding was confirmed, with groups formed through male philopatry. Consequently, natal dispersal is female-biased, although there was no skew in the sex ratio of the fledglings or the general adult population. Helpers were observed performing all activities associated with parenting except copulation and brooding. Cooperatively breeding groups enjoyed higher fledgling productivity than simple pairs, after statistically accounting for territory and parental quality. However, the difference reflected increased productivity in the 1999-breeding season only, when climatic conditions were more favourable than in 1998. Breeding commenced earlier in 1999, and all breeding units were more likely to attempt a second brood. However, only breeders with helpers were successful in fledging second brood young, and it was this difference that accounted for the overall discrepancy in productivity. The key mechanism for increased success in cooperative groups was a reduction hi the interval between first and second broods, facilitated by compensatory reductions in the level of care to the first brood. Thus, females with helpers probably achieved significant energetic savings during this period, which enabled them to re-lay sooner. Furthermore, they were able to recommence nesting when the fledglings from the first brood were younger because there were more adults to feed the dependent juveniles. The current utility, and possible evolutionary pathways, of cooperative breeding is examined from the perspective of both breeders and helpers. Breeders benefit through enhanced fledgling productivity in good breeding conditions and a reduction in the burden of parental care, which may impart significant energetic savings. Further, breeders may facilitate philopatry as a means for ensuring a minimum level of reproductive success. Helpers benefit through an increase in their inclusive fitness in the absence of opportunities for independent breeding (i.e. ecological constraints) and access to breeding vacancies in the natal or adjacent territories (i.e. benefits of philopatry). However, the majority of breeding unit-years comprised unassisted breeders, which suggests that pairs are selectively favoured under certain environmental or demographic conditions.

Environmental site assessment for abalone ranching on artificial reef

This study investigated the feasibility of ranching the abalone Haliotis rubra (Leach) and Haliotis laevigata (Donovan) on concrete artificial reefs at a site chosen by industry investors on silty bottom off Altona Beach, Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia. The study started from the premise that artificial reef deployment combined with abalone stock enhancement may achieve the dual purpose of habitat and stock improvement. It evaluated the hydrodynamics of the site in relation to artificial reef structural stability and drift algal transport, the development and ecology of the artificial reef assemblage, and abalone enhancement by seeding the reefs with hatchery juvenile abalone and transplanting adult broodstock abalone. Despite a scarcity of reports on culturing abalone on artificial reef, a literature review examined broadly the functions of artificial reefs, particularly in the context of abalone enhancement, and the relationship between artificial reefs, hydrodynamics and ecology. The major finding was that the success of artificial reef projects is highly dependent on the environment of the chosen site, and that preliminary studies are essential to predict their likely success. This consideration alone provided strong justification to undertake this study. The topography at the Altona site was generally flat, with natural patches of low basalt boulder reef, offering low habitat complexity, yet supporting a diverse range of flora and fauna, including a low-density wild stock of H. rubra. Water depth was a mean of 3.3 m at low tide and 4.4 m at high tide. A single, uncomplicated, concrete artificial reef of H-shape design, was tested as abalone habitat. The hydrodynamic analysis confirmed previous studies of Port Phillip Bay, with mild current speeds of mean 0.045 m.s-1, and maximum-modelled wave height (H1/3) of 1.21 m and period (T1/3) of 4.51 sec. Water temperature ranged from 9.9şC during July to 23.8şC during January, with salinity averaging of 35.5 ppt. The site had a low probability of receiving drift algae, necessary as a food source for abalone, because of its geographic location, potentially affecting ranch productivity. Ecological monitoring of the three-year old artificial reef shows complex changes in the flora and fauna over time, particularly in respect of the sessile fauna. Key differences between the artificial reef and a nearby natural reef community were: lower cover of corallines and late colonisers, such as sponges. High levels of sedimentation were recorded at the Altona site. Hatchery juvenile H. laevigata, with mean survival of 15% after two years and a mean annual growth rate of 39 mm, showed the most promise for outplanting. In comparison, for hatchery juvenile H. rubra, mean survival was 9% after three years and mean annual growth rate was 22 mm. No natural recruitment of H. laevigata was recorded on artificial reef despite transplants of adult broodstock on the reefs. Natural recruitment of H. rubra was also low and insufficient to reliably contribute to abalone ranch stock. Having examined the hydrodynamic, ecological and enhancement attributes of the Altona site, the study concluded that the site was marginally viable for abalone ranching, and that an alternative site near Werribee, 20 km further southwest, had superior attributes for growth and survival of abalone.

Security as an element in environmental assessment and decision making

he prominence of global warming as an environmental issue has illustrated the close relationship between natural resources, ecosystems and global security. Whilst environmental decision making often uses techniques such as economic valuation and risk management, the security component is often not considered, at least not from a security analyst’s perspective. Yet environmental security considerations can be global, regional and/or national in impact. Environmental change and policy can effect human health and well being as well as initiating conflict; it can affect the existence of life itself. These aspects are firmly in the domain of the security discipline although the protection of the global ecosystem has not traditionally been considered by those who create security policy. The idea of environmental/ecological security ranges from the eco-centric approach which examines the impact of human activities that impact on the security of the natural systems to the more traditional anthropocentric perspectives that look at varied issues such as conflict caused by natural resource competition and environmental degradation, and the greening of military operations. This paper will assert that the inclusion of the security factor in policy creation and environmental assessments is essential to give richer solutions to these complex socio-economic and ecological situations. Systems theory over the last few decades has emphasised the inclusion of as many perspectives on messy problems as possible to provide truly systemic outcomes. It is posited that the addition of such concepts as threat analyses will produce more effective and sustainable outcomes.

Ecosystem services of tropical dry forests : insights from longterm ecological and social research on the Pacific coast of Mexico

In the search for an integrated understanding of the relationships among productive activities, human well-being, and ecosystem functioning, we evaluated the services delivered by a tropical dry forest (TDF) ecosystem in the Chamela Region, on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. We synthesized information gathered for the past two decades as part of a long-term ecosystem research study and included social data collected in the past four years using the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) conceptual framework as a guide. Here we identify the four nested spatial scales at which information has been obtained and emphasize one of them through a basin conceptual model. We then articulate the biophysical and socio-economic constraints and drivers determining the delivery of ecosystem services in the Region. We describe the nine most important services, the stakeholders who benefit from those services, and their degree of awareness of such services. We characterize spatial and temporal patterns of the services’ delivery as well as trade-offs among services and stakeholders. Finally, we contrast three alternative future scenarios on the delivery of ecosystem services and human well-being. Biophysical and socioeconomic features of the study site strongly influence human−ecosystem interactions, the ecosystem services delivered, the possible future trajectories of the ecosystem, and the effect on human well-being. We discuss future research approaches that will set the basis for an integrated understanding of human−ecosystem interactions and for constructing sustainable management strategies for the TDF.

The ecological modernisation of the Yalumba Wine Company

The thesis reports on the strategic environmental assessment of Yalumba's 'Commitment to sustainable winemaking' programme. The case study identified the benefits, as well as shortcomings, of the wine firm's commitment to sustainability in the context of plausible future scenarios under the influence of various drivers of change, prominent amongst which was climate change.