Direct seeding is increasingly being used as a cost-effective revegetation technique. Successful outcomes from direct seeding rely on effective weed control, particularly during the vulnerable seedling establishment phase. Post-sowing weed control options are constrained by the need to protect seedlings from damage and few studies have compared the effectiveness of different weed control techniques

The feral cat (Felis catus) is a key threat for many Australian native critical weight range animals (i.e. species of intermediate body mass between 35 and 5,500 g that are particularly susceptible to introduced predators) and estimates of cat abundance are required for assessing changes in population size. Camera trapping is a much used tool for monitoring and estimating population sizes, including

Restoration planting is undertaken widely in rural landscapes to promote more sustainable land use, such as reforesting agricultural land, and to enhance nature conservation. Land managers and community groups have a key role in delivering these actions and can also contribute to monitoring the outcomes. Here, we describe a monitoring protocol developed to assist practitioners to assess the survival

Coarse woody debris (CWD) is a critical resource for some rainforest reptiles but is slow to develop in restoration sites. In four restoration plantings in north Queensland, Australia, salvaged log and fence post piles were added to facilitate the return of reptiles, particularly the log-specialist Prickly Skink (Gnypetoscincus queenslandiae). Between one year and six and a half years after supplemental

A promising approach in dealing with the detrimental effects of climate change on vegetation is to introduce pre-adapted genotypes into restoration programmes. Bush Heritage’s Victorian reserves have experienced eucalypt dieback probably due to intense drought and heat shock linked to climate change. Planned revegetation on the Nardoo Hills reserve provided an opportunity to establish and test the

Serrated Tussock (Nassella trichotoma) is a weed that invades native grasslands in southern Australia. It is frequently controlled using extensive and costly chemical control. We describe a tool aimed at grassland reserve managers that provides guidance about the suitability of different chemical control techniques, including knapsack, boom and aerial spraying. The tool takes the attributes of any

We all experience the syndrome where we unconsciously lower our expectations to normalise what we might otherwise experience as a constant stream of losses. In this issue, Steve Sinclair and colleagues talk about this ‘shifting baseline syndrome’ in their feature article about how we seem not to have noticed the loss of some 11 previously common Victorian basalt plains grassland forbs. The authors

In 2021, as part of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the world’s nations will meet to determine biodiversity targets for this decade, including area-based protection targets. Conservation tenders (a form of market-based instrument) have been used in several countries for the protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystem services​ within a defined area, mostly on private land. Conservation

The intent of The Nature Conservancy in Australia has always been to optimise conservation outcomes for people and nature, partnering with government, Indigenous and private landowners through a range of initiatives. James Fitzsimons chronicles some of the organisation’s projects and reveals some of its secrets to success.

Comparison of historical data with recent surveys of grasslands across Victoria’s basalt plain reveals a substantial decline in native annual forbs. Eleven of the 35 species once common in this ecosystem have not been recorded for decades. The near loss of a lifeform from an ecosystem should ring alarm bells, but it seems the warning has passed largely unnoticed. Is this due to ‘shifting baseline syndrome’

The diversion of water from rivers removes millions of fish from Australian waterways each year. Modern diversion screens are available that can reduce fish losses by 90% and stop debris entering irrigation systems. Uptake of this technology in the United States has protected fish and infrastructure. However, application in Australia has been poor and both the problem and its solution continue to be

A risk analysis was undertaken to assess the biosecurity risks involved with recycling mollusc shell waste for restoration of shellfish reefs in Australia. The hazard identification stage identified 20 diseases and 14 groups of marine pests upon which detailed risk assessment was undertaken. The qualitative risk assessment process involved release, exposure and consequence assessment, to arrive at

Fire is a major type of ecological disturbance shaping plant communities and species distributions. Fires in the spring and summer of 2019/2020 in Australia burnt large areas where this type of disturbance was rare in the past, including in the South-East Queensland region. To assess the potential impacts of these fires, online GIS data layers were used to map where the fires occurred and which protected

Large-scale deforestation and forest fragmentation in the tropical area of the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland, Australia, have placed extensive strains on populations of many endemic species of this area, such as the Lumholtz’s Tree-Kangaroo (LTK). Despite LTKs predominantly arboreal life and their ability to quickly colonize and adapt to restored forested habitats, little is known about

Translocation of threatened terrestrial orchids is increasingly seen as a viable ameliorative conservation option when habitat is destroyed or modified through changing land use. Most orchid translocations reported in the literature detail nursery-raised seedlings planted into intact and suitable habitat, and few involve translocation of entire plants and their mycorrhizal fungal associates. As part

The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal marsupial found throughout southeastern Australia. A high risk of extinction in some areas requires adherence to legislation mandating protection of high-quality habitat. The Koala primarily eats leaves of the Eucalyptus genus and wildlife managers are, in most cases, currently dependent on habitat maps depicting food resource availability derived from

Kangaroos (Macropus spp., Osphranter sp.) are the most ubiquitous free‐ranging herbivores in Australia. Much has been written on their impacts on plant community composition and how they interact with livestock, particularly in extensive rangelands. Little is known, however, about how kangaroos affect soil function and their relationship with healthy soils, nor the impact of peri‐urban populations

Management of feral animals can be complicated by conflicting economic, social, cultural and political values of stakeholders. To visually demonstrate the ecological impacts of feral ungulates, natural resource managers often construct exclusion fences; however, lessons are not often widely shared in the scientific literature and Indigenous insights are rarely recorded. Here, we report on long-term

Collaborations between researchers and practitioners are vital to ensure mutual learning to inform scientific and on-ground outcomes and government policy. Communicating outcomes from these collaborations benefit land management and restoration projects. The Ecological Society of Australia (ESA) Practitioner Engagement Working Group (PEWG) showcases and communicates applied ecological research projects

Undertaking ecological restoration requires imagination and insight, not because we invent the ecosystems but because many of the properties and processes are not immediately evident, particularly where sites are in various states of degradation. Of these properties and processes, capacity for natural recovery after disturbances is of great import to restoration; yet, because it is often cryptic, it

Protecting native biodiversity is a difficult prospect in extremely modified landscapes, especially where high‐impact exotic species are widespread. Using new data and a review of the literature, this paper comments on the use of livestock grazing to manage the invasive and highly combustible pasture grass species, Buffel Grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) and thereby help conserve fire‐sensitive Brigalow (Acacia

Three case studies involving two temperate Australian seagrass species – Pondweed (Ruppia tuberosa) and Ribbon Weed (Posidonia australis) – highlight different approaches to their restoration. Seeds and rhizomes were used in three collaborative programmes to promote new approaches to scale up restoration outcomes.

Lagoon of Islands was a rare wetland of high conservation value, supporting floating islands of vegetation before it was dammed to supply water for consumptive use downstream. After damming, water quality declined to such an extent that in 2013, the dam wall was removed and a wetland restoration project was commenced, resulting in immediate improvements in water quality and, within five years, regeneration

Habitat restoration is an integral feature of wildlife conservation. However, funding and opportunities for habitat restoration are limited, and therefore, it is useful for targeted restoration to provide positive outcomes for non‐target species. Here, we investigate the possibility of habitat creation and management benefitting two threatened wetland specialists: the Green and Golden Bell Frog (Litoria

The harvesting of Onion Grass (Romulea rosea) corms by flocks of Sulphur‐crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) is well known. Individual birds and large flocks feed on the weed in pastures, grasslands and recreational turf. Flocks of Sulphur‐crested Cockatoo were observed feeding on Onion Grass at seven sites along the Maribyrnong River at Keilor, Victoria. Flock size and feeding habits were noted, as

Urban expansion is a major cause of land use change and presents a significant threat to biodiversity worldwide. Agricultural land is often acquired by local councils and developers to expand urban growth boundaries and establish new housing estates. However, many agricultural landscapes support high biodiversity values, especially farmlands that feature mosaics of native vegetation and keystone habitat

Exotic perennial grasses (EPGs) pose a significant risk to native communities globally. With over 2,200 species in Australia, understanding which characteristics enable high threat invasions, and comparing between functionally similar EPGs, can help prioritise species management. We developed a framework of risk and used the literature to rank 21 EPGs considered a threat to plant communities in New

The need to expand areas of native vegetation is clear to ecologists and governments; however, the privately owned nature of most cleared land means landholder support is critical. To improve landholder engagement in revegetation programmes, insight is needed into the information and attitudes being shared in landholder communities, especially by landholders with experience of participation in revegetation

Autonomously triggered cameras are a common wildlife survey technique. The use of attractants and surrounding microhabitats is likely to influence detection probabilities and survey outcomes; however, few studies consider these factors. We compared three attractants (peanut butter‐based, tuna‐based and a control) in a Latin square design through a coastal shrubland with high microhabitat variability

The impact of bushfire events on wild Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) populations is poorly understood. Following the 2019/2020 bushfire season in eastern Australia, we resurveyed 123 field sites for which contemporaneous (current koala generation) pre‐fire survey data were available. Field sites were distributed across six fire grounds between Foster and Ballina on the north coast of New South Wales

Effective biosecurity and pest management are fundamental to sustainable development. Invasive ants pose significant risks to the environment and economy, which are well‐managed by biosecurity agencies in developed countries. However, a comprehensive view of the potential impacts of invasive ants in developing Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) is lacking. We quantified the potential

Volunteers and citizen scientists can make an important contribution to bird monitoring and threatened species conservation projects. Members of BirdLife Australia’s Threatened Bird Network (TBN), a programme which encouraged community participation in conservation projects for threatened birds, were surveyed in 2013 to gain an insight into their demographics and volunteering motivation and preferences

Preparations are mounting across the globe for the start of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030). The United Nations Environment Programme team is working with multiple partner non‐profit organisations across Australia and New Zealand to promote the main messages of the Decade ‐ which are to ‘massively scale up the restoration of degraded and destroyed ecosystems as a proven

Global assessments show biodiversity has already declined beyond ‘safe limits’ across most biomes, calling for large‐scale conservation and restoration interventions. At the same time, the potential and emerging catastrophic impacts of accelerated climate change have led to increasing investment in climate change mitigation efforts through maintaining or sequestering carbon in vegetation biomass, particularly

Early European land use of Dirk Hartog Island left a legacy of cats, sheep and goats that led to the local extinction of 10 of the Dirk Hartog Island’s 13 mammal species. A successful programme of eradication of these introduced species has resulted in improved habitat quality and is allowing the translocation of the island’s locally extinct native mammals. The island could potentially support one

Removal of approximately 5 ha of an aquatic weed in late 2016 rapidly improved water quality in a 7 km section of creek on the Burdekin floodplain, northern Queensland – one of many creeks feeding into the Bowling Green Bay RAMSAR wetland. Numbers of native fish species found in the creek increased from one species prior to treatment to 15 species within 2 years. This project concluded that removal

Shellfish reefs are one of the most depleted marine ecosystems in the world, and there is considerable interest and efforts to restore the ecosystems. When degraded reefs require the addition of new substrate to support oyster re‐establishment, recycled shells can be used to rebuild new reef bases. Shell recycling as a means of procuring shells was first introduced in Australia by The Nature Conservancy

Assessing feasibility and identifying constraints that affect project implementation is a crucial step for planning long‐term species recovery actions for field‐based programs. We report on the outcomes of a conservation intervention on the most endangered parrot in the world, the Orange‐bellied Parrot (Neophema chrysogaster). We aimed to trial new techniques to increase reproductive success of wild

For dryland rivers globally, understanding hydro‐ecological function is fundamental to informing trade‐offs between consumptive water use and aquatic ecosystem integrity. The Barwon–Darling is an Australian dryland river system recognised for its hydrological variability, which is considered a primary driver of the riverine ecosystem. Emphasis has been placed on extremes of zero flow and flood but

Gap creation in recovering rainforests may reduce the intensity of competition and provide opportunities for later successional species to co‐occur with predominant earlier successional species. This study examined the potential of artificial gaps to facilitate the natural regeneration and establishment of woody species in dense regenerating stands of Kānuka (Kunzea robusta) that have developed following

Many of New Zealand’s native bird species have declined due to introduction of exotic mammalian predators and habitat loss. Captive breeding and reintroduction of birds to predator‐controlled environments offer a promising means for species recovery. However, these actions pose challenges to a founder population’s ability to become established. This study evaluates home range attributes and roosting

Fear may elicit behavioural and physiological responses in animals. We conducted a pilot study aiming to reduce bird nest predation in Tasmania by the introduced Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps) by broadcasting calls of predatory owls. We designed a solar‐powered, automated weatherproof stereo for long‐term call broadcast in a forest environment. This device may have useful applications in other environments

Here, we identify an easily implemented wetland design feature that can prolong tadpole survival of the threatened Green and Golden Bell Frog (Litoria aurea). We observed small depressions that naturally formed within some wetlands following the construction of habitat for this species. We observed that wetlands containing depressions prolonged the survival of Green and Golden Bell Frog tadpoles during

Monitoring animals after release to the wild is often limited due to financial and logistical constraints. Microchip‐automated technology has the potential to provide data on microchipped animals’ survival after release and allows access to only the intended, microchipped animals. We aimed to determine whether Northern Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus) trained to use microchip‐automated nest boxes

Fire has important implications for the availability of suitable types of habitat for animals. Different species vary in their responses to fire, and quantifying the responses of key habitat attributes may facilitate manipulation of fire regimes to improve conditions for species of conservation concern. The Orange‐bellied Parrot Neophema chrysogaster prefers recently burned habitat for foraging when

A conflict management training workshop was delivered in October 2019 in Vientiane, Laos, to fisheries practitioners. Discussions held during the workshop highlighted conflict as a key issue within community‐based fisheries management and the need for fisheries staff from various sectors, and the communities they work with, to have an understanding of conflict management concepts and related skills

The ‘cure’ for maintaining the health of our human populations from COVID‐19 has been halting social functioning, which is unravelling economic systems and damaging the livelihoods of many people. There will be winners and losers, and social institutions and economies may take long timeframes to recover. Indeed, they may not be the same again. This is not dissimilar to the ecological consequences of

Operation Crayweed focuses on the restoration of underwater forests that disappeared from the coastline of Sydney, Australia’s largest city, 40 years previously. We show how a combination of science, hands‐on restoration, community engagement and art has helped the project to reach its goals as well as raise awareness about the importance of underwater kelp forests that are experiencing global decline

Fire is an important ecological process that shapes vegetation structure and habitat for faunal assemblages globally. Prescribed burns are increasingly being used in conservation and management to restore fire regimes in fire‐suppressed vegetation communities. Small threatened macropods require structurally complex habitat that allows them to evade detection by predators. Given that fire can alter

Feral European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera ) has been identified as a potential nest competitor for Australian hollow nesting species, but few studies have investigated the impact of feral honey bee competition on Threatened species. Our study used data from Glossy Black‐cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus ) nests on Kangaroo Island, monitored and managed over an 11‐year period, and found

Coarse woody debris (CWD) has many benefits in restoration, including protecting seedlings from herbivory, and it is often reintroduced where CWD is depauperate. At Calperum Station on the Murray River floodplain, artificially applied CWD (‘branching’) is being trialled to restore erosion scalds. At two erosion scalds, we applied 900 m2 of branching and created a 900 m2 branching‐free control. We predicted

Volunteer labour is often used for planting native seedlings for revegetation projects. The survival of such plantings is seldom monitored and reported. The overall survival of seedlings at three years of age was assessed for eight years of plantings established by nearly 15,000 volunteers in the Lower Cotter River catchment in the Australian Capital Territory. Mean survival was 66.8% across all years

Habitat preferences need to be understood if species are to be adequately managed or conserved. Habitat preferences are presumed to reflect requirements for food, shelter and breeding, as well as interactions with predators and competitors. However, one or more of these requirements may dominate. Tree‐cavity‐dependent wildlife species are one example where shelter or breeding site requirements may

It is generally assumed that population supplementation will improve the genetic diversity of the recipient populations. However, the genetic outcomes of supplementations are rarely tested. We used population modelling to predict how the supplementation programme in a translocated Woylie (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi ) population influences their genetic makeup. Our model projections were then compared

Nest boxes have grown in popularity as a habitat management tool in Australia during the last decade. This management use remains contentious because some studies suggest nest boxes are ineffective. There are three recent contentions: (i) nest boxes mostly benefit common species, (ii) exotic species may be dominant users of nest boxes, and (iii) species of conservation concern use nest boxes infrequently

Appropriate fire management strategies are needed to protect forests and large old ecologically and culturally significant trees in natural landscapes. The aim of this study was to determine the age of large old and relic trees of cultural significance that included Cypress Pine (Callitris columellaris F. Muell.), a species that is sensitive to crown scorching fires in a fire‐prone landscape, and to

Measuring and monitoring population size and growth are critical to assessing the progress and ultimately the success (or failure) of a reintroduction. The Woylie (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi ) is one of Australia's threatened critical weight range mammals. To increase the species' area of occupancy, extent of occurrence, number of sub‐populations and global population size, in addition to creating

Australia already has the highest rate of species loss of any region in the world, yet the risks suddenly worsened in the spring–summer of 2019–20, with an unprecedented chain of wildfires covering 10 M ha of the nation’s forest and woodland estate. Fires of this scale were unprecedented and not factored into recovery plans for Threatened Species or ecosystem management in general. EMR asks one of

The aspiration of EMR is to help bridge the gap between science and practice; and the feature articles that are (uniquely for any journal) published in each issue of EMR play an important role in that aspiration. It is no surprise then, that the mechanisms we decided to use to celebrate the journal’s 20 years of publication was to compile a virtual issue that republishes over 20 feature articles representing

Islands hold a special place in Australia’s conservation landscape. We do not tend to think of Australia as a meta‐archipelago; however, Australia holds stewardship over more islands than the Caribbean Archipelago and New Zealand combined. Islands play an important role in Australia’s conservation landscape not only for their own unique ecosystems but also as safe havens for translocated species that