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The attitudes of landholders to a range of environmental issues, including the values of remnant bushland in the central western region of New South Wales
... The ability of multi-tenure reserve networks to effectively operate as a series of sites managed in a complementary manner to achieve the goals of the network is investigated in Chapter 6. 120 CHAPTER 6 Slee and Associates 1998, Hamilton et al. 1999, Hodgkins et al. 1999, Kabii 2001. ...
... Moore et al. 2001, Brechin et al. 2002, Theobald & Hobbs 2002. Tax concessions or direct financial assistance were considered two of the three most required areas of assistance for farmers in central western NSW (Hodgkins et al. 1999). ...
... Interestingly, Hodgkins et al. (1999) found that more information on trees and wildlife were required by these landholders, an improvement not elucidated by managers in the networks. It may be that sufficient habitat management information is being provided within multi-tenure reserve networks or that the participants in such groups are more attuned and/or receptive to available information. ...
A consistent and integrated approach to nature conservation across the landscape and regardless of tenure is widely recognised as essential in ensuring the effective conservation of biodiversity. ‘Multi-tenure reserve networks’, which incorporate public and private lands managed for conservation, are considered a means of
achieving landscape scale conservation. Biosphere Reserves (BR) and Conservation Management Networks (CMN) are characteristic models in Australia. This thesis aims to evaluate the role of such networks in protecting biodiversity, specifically by: (1) analysing the spatial configuration (size, shape, connectivity) of
networks and their individual components; (2) evaluating the contribution of networks (in real terms and in reporting procedures) to biodiversity conservation objectives; (3) analysing the influence of the attitudes and perceptions of land managers on the functionality of networks; and (4) evaluating the influence of coordinating bodies on network functionality.
In order to account for deficiencies in existing classifications of conservation lands, a new classification system was developed for this thesis – the Conservation Lands Classification. This classification incorporates conservation mechanisms on public and private lands and forms the basis for comparing network components in three Australian case studies – the Bookmark BR located in the Murray Mallee of South Australia, the Gippsland Plains CMN on the eastern Gippsland Plains of Victoria and the Grassy Box Woodlands CMN across the inland slopes of New South Wales. The spatial configuration of individual components within networks was measured using spatial analysis techniques within a geographic information system (GIS). GIS was also used to measure the contribution that networks made to a comprehensive, adequate and representative reserve system through the ecosystems they protected.
The attitudes and perceptions of landowners and managers within the networks were obtained using questionnaires. Questionnaires were also sent to network coordinators. Statistical and descriptive analysis was conducted on the results.
The sizes of individual components varied markedly between the three networks, however within each network public reserves were on average larger than private conservation lands. Although levels of physical connectivity varied between networks, Bookmark BR and Gippsland Plains CMN showed greater similarity to
each other than to the Grassy Box Woodlands CMN. The findings raise important questions about the real and perceived differences in the BR and CMN models. All networks, and particularly those components outside the public protected area estate, contributed to enhancing the protection of ecosystems unrepresented or underrepresented in the reserve system, although the extent of this contribution varied
between networks. Trade-offs between reserve design efficiency and a contribution to a comprehensive, adequate and representative reserve system were evident between networks. Bookmark BR was characterised by high connectivity, strong reserve design integrity but a lower contribution to protecting under-reserved ecosystems, whereas the opposite was evident in the Grassy Box Woodlands CMN.
Over 88% of managers considered their involvement in multi-tenure reserve networks to be a positive or very positive experience. A lack of resources and time for management were considered major limitations of these networks. The majority (80%) of private land managers within networks were willing to be included in a
national reserve system of conservation lands. This has important implications for the Australian National Reserve System, which currently incorporates mostly public land. The changing nature of the network coordination arrangements suggests an organic fluid evolution of network structures is likely, contrasting with the desire for legalistic and administrative rigidity promoted by government agencies.
The thesis concludes that all the networks studied contribute in varying degrees to biodiversity conservation. The key factors influencing the current and potential contribution that such networks make are: (1) the aims, directions and restrictions set by or imposed upon the coordinating body; and (2) the biophysical nature of the surrounding bioregion and resultant historical land use and tenure pattern. Although the successful operation of such ‘multi-tenure’ networks ultimately relies on the willing participation of private landholders, ongoing institutional support is likely to be required for maintaining networks in the longer term. Considering networks are increasingly formed outside of the influence of government institutions, this presents
a significant challenge for effective coordinated conservation.
... The increased focus on private land conservation in Australia has seen a number of studies exploring the attitudes of private, mainly rural, landholders towards the protection of remnant vegetation on their properties (e.g. Elix and Lambert, 1997;Denys Slee and Associates, 1998;Hamilton et al., 1999;Hodgkins et al., 1999;Kabii, 2001). The research presented in this paper focuses more specifically on landholders who have made a conscious effort to protect vegetation on their properties. ...
... The importance of perceptions of fairness, equality and procedural and social justice have been shown to be key drivers in a range of natural resource Moore et al., 2001;Brechin et al., 2002;Theobald and Hobbs, 2002). Tax concessions or direct financial assistance were considered two of the three most required areas of assistance for farmers in central western NSW (Hodgkins et al., 1999). Interestingly, Hodgkins et al. (1999) found that more information on trees and wildlife were required by these landholders, an improvement not elucidated by managers in the multi-tenure reserve networks. ...
... Tax concessions or direct financial assistance were considered two of the three most required areas of assistance for farmers in central western NSW (Hodgkins et al., 1999). Interestingly, Hodgkins et al. (1999) found that more information on trees and wildlife were required by these landholders, an improvement not elucidated by managers in the multi-tenure reserve networks. It may be that sufficient habitat management information is being provided within multi-tenure reserve networks or that the participants in such groups are more attuned and/or receptive to available information. ...
Multi-tenure reserve networks aim to connect areas managed for biodiversity conservation across public and private land and address the impacts of fragmentation on both biotic and social systems. The operation and function of Australian multi-tenure reserve networks as perceived by their land managers was investigated. Overall, the conservation of natural assets was the most frequently reported primary reason for involvement in a network. The perceived aims of the respective networks largely reflected the response identified for involvement and management. Over 88% of managers considered their involvement in multi-tenure reserve networks to be a positive or very positive experience. A lack of resources and time for management were considered major limitations of these networks. The majority (80%) of private land managers within networks were willing to be included in a national reserve system of conservation lands. As the Australian National Reserve System currently incorporates mostly public land, these findings have important and potentially positive implications for a greater role for protected private land.
... Landholder adoption of any new practice depends, in part, on their values and beliefs (Frost, 2000;Vanclay, 2004). An increasing diversity of benefits from woody vegetation -including production, biodiversity, and aesthetics -is recognised by Australian landholders (Dettman et al., 2000;Hodgkins et al., 1999;Seabrook et al., 2008). However, in a recent survey in the region landholders were less likely to recognise the benefits of scattered trees than those provided by denser and larger patches of trees, and they were less likely to make management decisions in order to protect or regenerate sparse trees (Jacki Schirmer, pers. ...
... There are several ways to learn about a landholder's landscape values. One way is to ask landholders outright in large-scale questionnaires (Byron et al., 2006;Dettman et al., 2000;Hodgkins et al., 1999;Moore and Renton, 2002). This is the dominant method in environmental psychology (Bonaiuto et al., 2002;Davis et al., 2009;Fielding et al., 2008;Frost, 2000). ...
Integrating conservation and agricultural production is a major challenge globally. The upper Lachlan catchment of Australia is dominated by livestock grazing, and is threatened because most native woodland vegetation has been cleared. A third of all remaining tree cover occurs as scattered trees in grazing pastures. These scattered trees are dying from old age and are not regenerating due to grazing pressure. Previous work has revealed management strategies that are more likely to maintain tree cover, such as low-input rotational grazing. We asked graziers to photograph significant features on their properties, and used the images as prompts in later interviews. This elicited graziers’ landscape values and other drivers of their management practices related to tree cover. The targets that our 25 case landholders chose to photograph, and the ways they discussed them in later interviews, reflected the focus of past education and incentive programs, suggesting that well-designed policies, educational messages and incentives do seem to reach landholders and result in improved practices. For example, many landholders reported management activities related to the protection of large woodland patches or the maintenance of coarse woody debris. The maintenance of scattered tree cover has not been a focus of policy initiatives in the past. Despite this, the narratives elicited by photos of isolated and scattered trees showed graziers valued them and were aware of and concerned about their decline, yet lacked knowledge about how to protect and regenerate them. Graziers urgently need unambiguous advice and practical assistance to help them adapt their practices to maintain scattered trees in the long term.
... Other more widely recognised motivations for biodiversity protection include aesthetic enjoyment and utilitarian outcomes such as erosion and salinity control (Wilson 1992, Cary 1993, Cary and Williams 2000, Hodgkins et al. 2000. While many researchers emphasise the centrality of financial incentives, the reasons people want to maintain biodiversity in the landscape go well beyond the bank account. ...
This paper seeks to broaden our discussion of biodiversity to consider the more personal, psychological aspects of its protection. Biodiversity is a poorly understood concept, and public and landholder concepts of biodiversity differ significantly from the views of those with ecological expertise. It is not a simple task to identify the 'biodiversity we want to maintain'. Landscape preference research offers some insight to this, but the ways in which stakeholder groups understand and value biodiversity are ultimately shaped by local and historical contexts and so vary significantly across Australian society. Researchers in Australia have traditionally emphasised the importance of financial incentives for encouraging biodiversity protection. This paper takes a broader perspective. Non-financial motives, including well-being, love of nature, and aesthetic enjoyment, may provide important motives for biodiversity protection. The paper outlines Stern's value-belief norm, which describes the relationship between a range of value orientations and environmentally significant action.
... In agricultural regions of southern Australia, scattered trees across cleared farm paddocks are a conspicuous component of the remnant natural vegetation (also referred to as isolated trees or paddock trees). Such trees are valued aesthetically for their scenic quality in the landscape (Hodgkins et al., 1999; Ozolins et al., 2001), but their role in biodiversity conservation has been largely neglected (Reid and Landsberg, 1999 ). Most attention has been given to intact stands of remnant forest or woodland, particularly larger patches (e.g. ...
Scattered trees and small patches of vegetation among farmland are typical of rural landscapes throughout the world, often comprising a significant proportion of remaining habitats for native fauna. Insectivorous bats can use such isolated resources owing to the high mobility of most species, but little is known of the relationship between bats and tree density, or of the impact of incremental loss of trees in the landscape. Bats were surveyed at 30 sites in south-eastern Australia, in five habitat categories representing a range of tree densities from remnant woodland blocks (>35 trees/ha) to sparsely scattered trees (<1 tree/ha), and open paddocks devoid of trees. Sampling was undertaken by using harp traps and ultrasonic bat detectors. The abundance of potential arthropod prey was assessed by using light traps. Eleven species of insectivorous bats were recorded and bats were widespread in all habitat categories; all species were recorded around scattered trees. Overall activity, as revealed by detectors, did not differ significantly between the four treed categories, but in open paddocks there was a lower level of activity and a different community composition. However, a regression model revealed a significant quadratic relationship between activity of bats and tree density, with highest activity at 20–30 trees/ha. All species were recorded in open paddocks, but for eight of the ten species this represented <7% of their total activity recorded across all habitat categories. For six species, significant positive correlations were found between activity levels and the abundance of potential arthropod prey. In contrast to bat detectors, trapping results showed a significant difference in overall abundance of bats between wooded habitats, with decreased abundance as tree density declined. This study highlights the value of scattered trees as foraging habitat for bats, and emphasizes that, in rural land mosaics, such small and isolated habitat components have value for the conservation of biodiversity, and require greater recognition and protection.
Mapping and monitoring the Trees outside Forest (ToF) is gaining significance in the scientific community as they provide critical ecosystem services such as protecting soil and water resources, wildlife habitat, aesthetics including food, fuel and fiber. Quantifying ToF can also provide useful information on emission estimation in the Agriculture, Forests, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) category of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC). Despite the importance of quantifying ToF, very few studies have attempted to quantify them in India's natural resource inventory programs. In this study, we focused on Haryana state, India, to inventory ToF using very high‐resolution (VHR) Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite data. Haryana's landscape is interspersed with croplands and ToF, thus providing a challenging environment to test VHR satellite data's ability to quantify the diversified landscape structure. We specifically used Cartosat‐1 panchromatic (2.5m) and Multispectral LISS‐IV (5.8m) datasets to quantify the vegetation and build a much‐needed database for ToF. We used a novel classification scheme based on the geometry, i.e., point, line, or polygon formations, to quantify ToF at a scale of 1:10,000. The obtained results suggest ToF with linear and block formations extended to 128.83 and 20.51sq. km, respectively, accounting for ~3.38% of the TGA of Haryana state while point formations established 2,774,531 in numbers. This study highlights the usefulness of VHR satellite data and fused imagery to quantify ToF in highly diverse landscape of Haryana. The results will help address vital ecosystem services from ToF, including greenhouse gas emissions quantification from the AFOLU category.
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This study investigated the change in tree cover in a 130000ha rural landscape near Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia between 1954 and 1989. Using aerial photographs, tree cover was assessed using five cover classifications (50% or exotic pine plantation), with the resulting data analysed using a Geographic Information System. Overall, there was a loss of woodland/forest and an increase in the area of cleared land and Pinusradiata plantations over 35 years. Although some regeneration of woodland/forest cover occurred on marginal farmland, the general trend of loss and fragmentation has serious ramifications for nature conservation and agricultural production. The eastern and western portions of the study area exhibited quite different patterns in tree cover change, highlighting the need for examining landscapes at appropriate spatial and temporal scales.
Worldwide, the footprint of agriculture is higher than that of any other land use, making the local decisions of millions of farmers a global force for achieving the maintenance of ecosystem services. Biodiversity offsets are increasingly used to attempt to reconcile conflicts between production and conservation. Offset policies operate on the principle of habitat substitutability, but little work has considered whether those targeted by such policies perceive nature that way. For instance, do landholders perceive trees of different arrangements, ages or species to be interchangeable? We used a large-scale landholder survey to understand how graziers manage their farm trees, and whether their beliefs are amenable to substitution. Three natural clusters were found, that: (A) liked a tidy farm but did not differentiate trees by species, age or arrangement; (B) strongly supported the need for diversity in tree cover; and, (C) preferred woodlands and connective strips to sparse trees. Those positions were consistent with their beliefs about the costs and benefits of different arrangements of trees, but were largely inconsistent with their declared tree planting and protection activities. Tree management activities were more easily explained by commodity (pro-woodland graziers (C) were most likely to be cropping) or by career stage and what that meant for time and money resources to do conservation work (contrasting A and B). Offset policies and policy incentives encouraging vegetative het-erogeneity would motivate at least these first two clusters, helping to sustain a diversity of tree cover and thus ecosystem services on farms.
Forest cover has been reduced from 10 to 5% of the area of the Australian continent, with woodlands ecosystems reduced from 23% to 15% of their cover prior to European settlement. Clearing has been accompanied by a dramatic loss of biodiversity. Protected areas on public land cover only 6.5% of Australia and are fragmented and do not represent pre-European ecosystems adequately. Research reported in this paper investigated the quality and extent of Box-Ironbark woodland ecosystem remnants (BIR) on private land, how landholders valued their BIR, and their plans to manage BIR, particularly in regards to clearing. Most landholders managed BIR and indicated a strong utilitarian value to them. The habitat and wildlife values of BIR were also highly regarded. A large majority of landholders indicated they would not clear BIR. These and other results provide important information for those attempting to improve the conservation of biodiversity on private land in Australia.
In a context of global agricultural intensification, integrating conservation and agricultural production is a major challenge.
We have tackled the problem using a transdisciplinary research framework. Our work focuses on part of the upper Lachlan River
catchment in southeastern Australia. The region is dominated by livestock grazing, and is part of an internationally recognised
threatened ecoregion because most native woodland vegetation has been cleared. In productive areas, most remnant vegetation
occurs as scattered and isolated paddock trees, which are dying from old age and not regenerating due to agricultural practices.
The policy context and industry trends present additional risks for sparse trees. These declining trees provide many ecosystem
services, including enhanced water infiltration, shade for livestock, aesthetic and cultural values, and habitat for native
species. Our research aims to identify management options and policy settings that enable landscape-scale tree regeneration
while maintaining grazing production. Our findings highlight tensions between the trajectory of tree cover in the region and
stakeholder values. Under status quo management, many scattered and isolated paddock trees will be lost from farms, although
most farmers would like to see them persist. Case studies on selected farms reveal management strategies that may be more
sustainable in terms of tree regeneration and agricultural productivity, such as rotational grazing. In addition to these
applied insights, our work provides a case study illustrating how a transdisciplinary study can be conducted efficiently by
a small team. Our pragmatic approach has successfully combined targeted disciplinary activities with strategic collaborations
and stakeholder engagement, all united by shared landscape, case graziers, and outreach activities.
KeywordsFertiliser use-Landscape restoration-Rotational grazing-Scattered trees-Sustainable grazing-Transdisciplinary research-Tree decline
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