Better for farmers, better for wildlife: the bearded dragon is one of hundreds of species found in box gum grassy woodlands befitting from the Environmental Stewardship Study. Photo: Chris MacGregor.
The Australian National University has been monitoring the Environmental Stewardship Programme for six years. Now, we have some good news to share. Our researchers outline the benefits of conservation investment on private land in an article in The Conversation.
Read MoreThe critically endangered Leadbeater’s Possum, Victoria’s faunal emblem, which is extremly dependent on large old trees for their survival.
The large old trees that Leadbeater’s Possum use to den in are critically important for their survival, but are being lost to fire and forestry. Investing time, money, resources and energy into installing nest boxes to secure the possum’s survival is a theory that has already been tried, tested and disproved as a management tool. Ultimately, it is a distraction from the main game of habitat identification and protection.
Read MoreSouthern Marbled Gecko Christinus marmoratus, Tessellated Gecko Diplodactylus tessellatus and Southern Spiny-tailed Gecko Strophurus intermedius. These three geckos have very different habitat relationships. The Marbled Gecko is found in areas with large eucalypt trees, the Tessellated Gecko prefers open areas with very few trees and the Spiny-tailed Gecko prefers areas with lots of Cypress Pine.
Increasing native vegetation cover in the landscape and improving the condition of small fragments of native vegetation are two strategies often used to improve wildlife on farms. For less mobile species, such as small lizards and snakes, we don’t yet have a clear understanding of how effective these two strategies are for improving their numbers. We decided to address this knowledge gap by studying reptiles over a 12 year period across a range of modified environments.
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