Bushland Condition Monitoring
Projects update April 2015
Light River delta - Boxthorn control project.
Birdlife Australia, Greening Australia and the AMLR NRM Board are involved in a project to control boxthorn in areas of high infestation in the Light River delta. 7 BCM sites were established in September 2014 to provide a baseline of ecological condition in the project area for Boxthorn removal in the Light River Delta. Species diversity was good. Structural diversity variable, and recruitment levels low. Weed abundance and threat was high, while there was no significant grazing on native species. Feral deer traces were high in number and there were also signs of foxes. Canopy health was variable. Native species structural diversity was better in areas of low Boxthorn density, while canopy health was better where Boxthorn density was higher.
Density estimates were also carried out using point centred quarter methodology (PCQ) across the different zones of infestation. Densities of boxthorn ranged between 1568 plants/ha (1 plant every 4m) in highly infested areas, to 179 plants/ha (1 plant every 38m) in zones of low infestation.
Seascapes - AMLR coastal vegetation monitoring
19 sites, first established in 2012 are scheduled for re-assessment this year. Set up at sites being actively managed by the AMLR NRM Board, the results will measure changes in condition which will help to measure progress in restoration and maintenance of biodiversity and habitat structure across the coastal region.
SABAT database upgrade
Long time NCSSA volunteer Brian Knill, is helping to upgrade the South Australian Biodiversity Assessment Tool (SABAT), which is an Access database, developed by the defunct SA Department for Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation (DWLBC). The upgraded version will have some new fields to capture data that is currently not being captured, and will allow ongoing upgrade and improvements to be made more easily.
BCM Training on Eyre Peninsula
NCSSA conducted 2 two-day workshops in Port Lincoln and Streaky Bay in February. Training quadrats were set up in the bushland adjacent to the Port Lincoln Memorial gardens, and in SA Water's Robinson Basin reserve, south of Streaky Bay. Participants included EP NRM and DEWNR staff, and a private vegetation consultant. Participants learnt how to measure 14 different aspects of vegetation condition, with an emphasis on estimatingthe projective cover of different components.
BCM Training in AMLR
A 2 day workshop is scheduled for the 28th and 29th of April at the Belair Volunteers’ Centre. There are several places still available.
Upper Yorke Peninsula Mallee BCM survey
Recently returned staff member Sonia Croft will be setting up 15 new BCM monitoring sites in the mallee communities of the upper YP. This is a major gap in the vegetation health monitoring network of the NAYP region. This project is funded by the NY NRM Board
Northern and Yorke BCM vegetation community mapping
NCSSA's Sonia Croft has just completed mapping the extent of the BCM vegetation communities of the NY NRM Region. This is based on the official mapping of remnant vegetation held by DEWNR, and involved matching BCM communities definitions with existing NVIS (National Vegetation Inventory System) categories assigned to the polygons of remnant vegetation. Refinement and adjustments to the mapping will be an ongoing process as more BCM data and ground truthing information is gathered.
Trees for Life - NCSSA Rockleigh Grassy Woodland Restoration Project
The 30 BCM sites for this project were reassessed in the Spring-Summer of 2014. The results will be used to help show what progress is being made towards restoring the biodiversity and habitat integrity of these areas, due to the different combinations of bush-care and planting, being supported by Trees for Life's Bush for Life program. The data has been entered into the SABAT database, and will be analysed for differences between the two visits (between 2 and 4 years apart).
Wild Eyre
Peter Mahoney attended the Wild Eyre working group meeting in Coffin Bay on the 2nd and 3rd of February. New projects discussed included a rotational grazing trial for Sheoak grassy woodlands, and an exclosure experiment to determine the effects of rabbits, kangaroos and sheep on the understorey in Redgum grassy woodlands. Bushland Condition Monitoring data will be used to help assign condition ratings to each of the Wild Eyre CAP vegetation assets.
