Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Title

Australian Journal of Botany

Volume

69

Issue

2

First Page

53

Last Page

84

Publisher

CSIRO

School

Centre for Ecosystem Management / School of Science

RAS ID

32974

Funders

Australian Research Council

Grant Number

ARC Number : LP170100075

Grant Link

http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP170100075

Comments

Ritchie, A. L., Svejcar, L. N., Ayre, B. M., Bolleter, J., Brace, A., Craig, M. D., … Hobbs, R. J. (2021). A threatened ecological community: Research advances and priorities for banksia woodlands. Australian Journal of Botany, 69(2), 53-84. https://doi.org/10.1071/BT20089

Abstract

The rapid expansion of urban areas worldwide is leading to native habitat loss and ecosystem fragmentation and degradation. Although the study of urbanisation's impact on biodiversity is gaining increasing interest globally, there is still a disconnect between research recommendations and urbanisation strategies. Expansion of the Perth metropolitan area on the Swan Coastal Plain in south-western Australia, one of the world's thirty-six biodiversity hotspots, continues to affect the Banksia Woodlands (BWs) ecosystem, a federally listed Threatened Ecological Community (TEC). Here, we utilise the framework of a 1989 review of the state of knowledge of BWs ecology and conservation to examine scientific advances made in understanding the composition, processes and functions of BWs and BWs' species over the last 30 years. We highlight key advances in our understanding of the ecological function and role of mechanisms in BWs that are critical to the management of this ecosystem. The most encouraging change since 1989 is the integration of research between historically disparate ecological disciplines. We outline remaining ecological knowledge gaps and identify key research priorities to improve conservation efforts for this TEC. We promote a holistic consideration of BWs with our review providing a comprehensive document that researchers, planners and managers may reference. To effectively conserve ecosystems threatened by urban expansion, a range of stakeholders must be involved in the development and implementation of best practices to conserve and maintain both biodiversity and human wellbeing.

DOI

10.1071/BT20089

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

Share

 
COinS