Reintegrating Fragmented Landscapes: Towards Sustainable Production and Nature Conservation PDF
Preview Reintegrating Fragmented Landscapes: Towards Sustainable Production and Nature Conservation
Reintegrating Fragmented Landscapes R.J. Hobbs D.A. Saunders Editors Reintegrating Fragmented Landscapes Towards Sustainable Production and Nature Conservation With 72 figures Springer-Verlag New York Berlin Heidelberg London Paris Tokyo Hong Kong Barcelona Budapest Richard J. Hobbs Denis A. Saunders CSIRO Australia Division of Wildlife and Ecology - Perth LMB4, P.O. Midland Western Australia 6056 Australia Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Reintegrating fragmented landscapes: towards sustainable production and nature conservation/R.J. Hobbs and D.A. Saunders, (editors). p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-1-4613-9216-3 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4613-9214-9 DOl: 10.1007/978-1-4613-9214-9 I. Agricultural ecology - Australia - Western Australia. 2. Agriculture - Australia - Western Australia. 3. Nature conservation - Australia - Western Australia. 4. Land use, Rural - Environmental aspects - Australia - Western Australia. 5. Landscape ecology - Australia - Western Australia. I. Hobbs, R.J. (Richard J.) II. Saunders, Denis A. S478.W4R4S 1992 333.76' 16'09941 - dc20 92-5865 Printed on acid-free paper. © 1993 Springer-Verlag New York Inc. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1993 All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (Springer-Verlag New York, Inc., 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY lDOlD, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analYSis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden. The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, etc., in this publication, even if the former are not especially identified, is not to be taken as a sign that such names, as understood by the Trade Marks and Merchandise Marks Act, may accordingly be used freely by anyone. Production managed by Dimitry L. Loseff; manufacturing supervised by Jacqui Ashri. Typeset by Best-set Typesetter Ltd., Chai Wan, Hong Kong. 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN-13: 978-1-4613-9216-3 To Katie, Hamish, Samantha and Romayne: May they live in hope for, not fear of the future. Foreword Social historians will look back on the 1980s as a period when a global consciousness of the environment developed. Stimulated by major issues and events such as oil and chemical spills, clearing of rainforests, pollu- tion of waterways, and, towards the end of the decade, concern over the greenhouse effect, concern for the environment has become a major social and political force. Unfortunately, the state of the environment and its future manage- ment are still very divisive issues. Often, at a local level, concern for the environment is the antithesis of development. The debate usually focusses on the possible negative environmental impacts of an activity versus the expected positive economic impacts. It is a very difficult task to integrate development and conservation, yet it is towards this objec- tive that the sustainable development debate is moving. The issues in the central wheatbelt of Western Australia are typical of the environment versus development debate. It is undoubted that the development of the area, which involved clearing the native vegetation, has had a major impact upon the original ecosystems. Many of the natural habitats are threatened and local extinction of flora and fauna species is a continuing process. Moreover, there are clear signs that land degradation processes such as dryland salinity are depleting the land resource. On the other hand, it is also undoubted that the international success of the agricultural industries of Western Australia has provided the basis for the economic development and the standard of living enjoyed by Western Australians today. While the argument as to which of these two is the most important will undoubtedly continue, it is a futile exercise. To date, it is clear that the environment and agriculture have been competitive and a quite different approach is required if they are to be complementary. The future must focus on developing a land use approach in the wheatbelt that both maintains the agricultural industry and provides for nature conservation. In terms of this book, the challenge is to reinte- grate the fragmented landscapes. In the central wheatbelt, a sustained vii viii research effort by biological, physical, and agricultural scientists, together with the involvement and contributions from the community and land users of the region, have clearly focussed the challenges. Much of the current state of knowledge is presented here and serves as a base on which to develop the scenario for the future and chart the appro- priate paths for achievement. The successful reintegration of the landscape in the central wheatbelt will be important for both agriculture and nature conservation in Western Australia. However, if successful, the approach will be equally of benefit to the many other areas around the world where a similar challenge is now being recognised. Graeme Robertson Deputy Director General, Western Australian Department of Agriculture, and Commissioner for Soil Conservation. Western Australian Department of Agriculture Baron-Hay Court South Perth Western Australia 6151 Contents Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii G. ROBERTSON Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi I: Background 1 Introduction............................................ 3 R.J. HOBBS and D.A. SAUNDERS 2 History of Landscape Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 W.M. McARTHUR 3 Social History and Impact on Landscape (with Trayning: Case History of a Shire by D. Couper) . . . . . . . . 23 B.Y. MAIN II: Landscape Disintegration 4 Changes in Biota. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 R.J. HOBBS, D.A. SAUNDERS, L.A. LOBRY DE BRUYN, and A.R. MAIN 5 Changes in Soil Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 107 R.A. NULSEN 6 Changes in Hydrologic Balance ........................... 146 D.J. McFARLANE, R.J. GEORGE, and P. FARRINGTON III: Landscape Reintegration 7 Landscape Reintegration: Problem Definition. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 189 A.R. MAIN 8 Integrating Ecological and Economic Considerations: A Theoretical Framework ................................ 209 E.C. LEFROY, J. SALERIAN, and R.J. HOBBS ix x Contents 9 Determining the Long-Term Costs and Benefits of Alternative Farm Plans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 245 A. KUBICKI, C. DENBY, M. STEVENS, A. HAAGENSEN, and J. CHATFIELD 10 Conservation Management in Fragmented Systems. . . . . . . . .. 279 R.J. HOBBS, D.A. SAUNDERS, and A.R. MAIN IV: Conclusions 11 Conclusions. Can We Reintegrate Fragmented Landscapes? . .. 299 R.J. HOBBS and D.A. SAUNDERS Index..... . . .... ... ... . .. . . ... .... ... ... .... .... ... ... ... .. 311 Contributors J. CHATFIELD c/-P.O. Tammin, Western Australia 6409. C. DENBY Department of Agriculture, Baron-Hay Court, South Perth, Western Australia 6151. D. COUPER c/-P.O. Traying, Western Australia 6488. P. FARRINGTON CSIRO, Division of Water Resources, Private Bag, P.O. Wembley, Western Australia 6014. R.J. GEORGE Department of Agriculture, North Boyanup Road, Bunbury, Western Australia 6230. A. HAAGENSEN Department of Agriculture, Marine Terrace, Geraldton, Western Australia 6530. R.J. HOBBS CSIRO, Division of Wildlife and Ecology, LMB 4, P.O. Midland, Western Australia 6056. A. KUBICKI Department of Agriculture, Baron-Hay Court, South Perth, Western Australia 6151. E.C. LEFROY Department of Agriculture, Baron-Hay Court, South Perth, Western Australia 6151. L.A. LOBRY DE BRUYN Department of Geography, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009. W.M. McARTHUR 9 Davy Street, Alfred Cove, Western Australia 6154. D.J. McFARLANE Department of Agriculture, Albany Highway, Albany, Western Australia 6330. xi xii Contributors A.R. MAIN Department of Zoology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009. B.Y. MAIN Department of Zoology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009. R.A. NULSEN Department of Agriculture, Baron-Hay Court, South Perth, Western Australia 6151. J. SALERIAN State Energy Commission, 363-5 Wellington Street, East Perth, Western Australia 6004. D.A. SAUNDERS CSIRO, Division of Wildlife and Ecology, LMB 4, P.O. Midland, Western Australia 6056. M. STEVENS Department of Agriculture, Marine Terrace, Geraldton, Western Australia 6530.
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