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Richard Thackway_A system for tracking anthropogenic changes in condition of Australia's plant communities
Richard Thackway developed the VAST-2 system for tracking anthropogenic changes in the condition of Australia's plant communities over time. VAST-2 uses a framework of 22 diagnostic attributes across 10 attribute groups and 3 condition components (regenerative capacity, vegetation structure, and species composition) to document changes at sites relative to pre-European reference states. Case studies applying VAST-2 show changes in vegetation condition associated with various land uses and management practices over historical time periods. VAST-2 engages collaborators to synthesize information on vegetation transformations and supports reporting on progress toward vegetation condition targets.
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Richard Thackway_A system for tracking anthropogenic changes in condition of Australia's plant communities
- 1. A system fortracking the anthropogenic changes in the condition of Australia’s plant communities Richard Thackway University of Queensland TERN Symposium Feb 2013, Canberra
- 2. Outline Drivers for vegetationcondition information Concepts and definitions Why VAST-2 was developed VAST-2 system Case studies Conclusions
- 3. Drivers for informationon changes in condition of vegetation types • NRM policy and program design e.g. • Implementing guidelines for conservation and management of threatened species EPBC ACT • Resource condition of native vegetation e.g. • A measure of sustainable use and management (public & private) • Monitoring and reporting and improvement e.g. • National, state & regional reporting e.g. SoE & SOFR
- 4. What is vegetationcondition and transformation? • Changes vegetation caused by landuse /management • Structure • Composition Vegetation condition • Regenerative capacity • Condition and transformation are relative to a reference state for a plant community
- 5. VAST - Aframework for reporting changes in vegetation condition Increasing vegetation modification from unmodified state 0 I II III IV V VI Vegetation thresholds Naturally Unmodified Modified Transformed Replaced - Replaced - Replaced - bare Adventive Managed Removed Condition states Transitions = trend Reference for Native vegetation Non-native vegetation each veg type (NVIS) cover cover Diagnostic attributes of VAST states: • Vegetation structure National Vegetation • Species composition Information System • Regenerative capacity Thackway & Lesslie (2008) Environmental Vegetation Assets States and Transitions (VAST) framework Management, 42, 572-90
- 6. Vegetation condition –a snapshot Thackway & Lesslie (2008) NB: Input dataset biophysical naturalness reclassified using Environmental Management, 42, 572-90 VAST framework
- 7. Why VAST-2 wasdeveloped? • To implement the ‘T’ (Transition) of the VAST framework • i.e. track changes in vegetation condition over time • To propose a standardised national system • for compiling data on cause & effect of management on native plant communities • For reporting changes in vegetation condition over time
- 8. Models of ecosystemchange Reference Settlement Change in vegetation indicator 0 1000 Time Source: Adamson and Fox (1982).
- 9. Models of ecosystemchange Reference Anthropogenic change Change in vegetation indicator Net impact Relaxation Occupation 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 Time Based on Hamilton, Brown & Nolan 2008. FWPA PRO7.1050. pg 18 Land use impacts on biodiversity and Life Cycle Analysis
- 10.
- 11. Aim to developa national system for reporting veg transformations Long Long term term disturbance rainfall e.g. Reference state Indigenous wildfire, cycl land ones management Site 1 First modification explorers Degree of Grazing Logging Revegetation Site 2 Cropping Site 3 Time
- 12. Extensive network ofcollaborators used to compile an historical record Inputs • Land use • Land management practices • Natural events e.g. droughts, fires, floods, cyclones, average rainfall 1900-2012 etc • Observed interactions e.g. rabbits, sheep and drought • Observations and quantitative measures of effects • Include written, oral, artistic, photographic and remote sensing
- 13. General process fortracking changes Transformation site VAST-2 system Reference state/sites Step 1a Step 3a Use a checklist of 22 indicators to compile Literature review to determine the changes in LU & LMP* and plant baseline conditions for 22 indicators community responses over time Step 2 Step 4 Step 3b Step 1b Document responses of 22 Document the reference Evaluate the influence of climate, soil Evaluate the influence of climate, soil and indicators over time states for 22 indicators and landform for the reference site landform on the historical record Step 3c Step 1c Compile indicator data for 22 Evaluate impacts on the plant community indicators for reference site over time Step 5 Score all 22 indicators for ‘transformation site’ relative to the ‘reference site’. 0 = major change; 1 = no change Step 6 Derive weighted indices for the three components for the ‘transformation site’ i.e. regenerative capacity (58%), vegetation structure (27%) and species composition (18%) by adding predefined indicators Step 7 Add the indices for the three components to generate total transformation index for the ‘transformation site’ for each year of the historical record . * LU Land use Validate using Expert Knowledge LMP Land management practices
- 14. Condition Attribute Description of loss or gain relative to pre settlement indicator reference state components groups (22) (3) (10) Fire regime Area /size of fire foot prints Number of fire starts Soil hydrology Soil surface water availability Regenerative capacity Ground water availability Soil physical Depth of the A horizon state Soil structure Soil nutrient Nutrient stress – rundown (deficiency) relative to soil fertility state Nutrient stress – excess (toxicity) relative to soil fertility Soil biological Recyclers responsible for maintaining soil porosity and nutrient recycling state Surface organic matter, soil crusts Reproductive Reproductive potential of overstorey structuring species potential Reproductive potential of understorey structuring species Overstorey Overstorey top height (mean) of the plant community Vegetation structure structure Overstorey foliage projective cover (mean) of the plant community Overstorey structural diversity (i.e. a diversity of age classes) of the stand Understorey Understorey top height (mean) of the plant community structure Understorey ground cover (mean) of the plant community Understorey structural diversity (i.e. a diversity of age classes) of the plant Overstorey Densities of overstorey species functional groups Composition composition Species Relative number of overstorey species (richness) of indigenous to exotic species Understorey Densities of understorey species functional groups composition Relative number of understorey species (richness) of indigenous to exotic species
- 15. 1 VAST-2 hierarchy 3 Vegetation 10 Transformation score 22 Diagnostic attributes Regenerative Vegetation Species Capacity Structure Composition (55%) (27%) (18%) Attribute Reprod groups Fire Soil Overstorey Understorey Overstorey Understorey potent (3) (3) (2) (2) (2) (2) Structure Nutrients Biology Hydrology (2) (2) (2) (2) Indicators
- 16.
- 17. Qld, WT Bioregion,Wooroonooran Nature Refuge Reference pre-European: Complex Mesophyll Vine Forest VAST classes Unmodified Indigenous Logging Clearing & Start of Weeds & End Weed people conversion to grazing rainforest grazing removal - manage pasture pasture invading pastures Lantana the area
- 18. NSW, NNC Bioregion,Big Scrub, Rocky Creek Dam Reference pre-European: Complex notophyll vine forest VAST classes Unmodified Indigenous Clearing and Start of grazing End Removal Commenced people conversion to exotic pasture grazing of weeds monitoring of manage pasture pastures Lantana - regeneration the area Privet
- 19. NSW, NNC Bioregion,Big Scrub, Tintenbar Reference pre-European: Complex notophyll vine forest VAST classes Unmodified Indigenous Unmodified Clearing and Start of Start of End of Invasion of Rainforest people and intact conversion ploughing grazing grazing weeds seedlings manage rainforest & cropping exotic pastures including established the area pasture Camphor under dense laurel Camphor forest
- 20. ACT, SEH Bioregion,Blundells Flat, ex-coupe 424, Reference pre-European: Brown Barrel open forest VAST classes Unmodified Indigenous Water 1st rotation Coupe ripped and Area burnt by Site left to people catchment Pinus radiata mounded. 2nd severe wildfire rehabilitate manage area planted rotation P. radiata killed all pines. the area declared for planted Dead pines, Canberra pushed, heaped and burnt
- 21. NSW, SB Bioregion,Cumberland SF, ex-comp 3a, 7a, 7b, 7c Reference pre-European: Sydney Blue Gum High Forest VAST classes Unmodified Explorers Commenced Area Cleared & Ceased Area Commenced Commenced Indigenous traverse grazing logged for sown to grazing. gazetted as managing area managing people the area native building improved Area State Forest, as a future area for manage the and site pastures houses pasture for purchased commenced production recreation. area selected and fences grazing & as a future planting forest. Weed Weed control. orchard working arboretum control Arboretum forest abandoned
- 22. NSW, SB Bioregion,Cumberland SF, ex-comp 8b, 9a, 9b Reference pre-European: Sydney Blue Gum High Forest VAST classes Unmodified Site fenced. Tree cover Trees Ceased Cleared and Commenced Initiated 1st Indigenous Commenced Commenced thinned logged for grazing. commenced managing hazard people grazing cattle continuous for cattle housing, f Purchased & regrowing area reduction manage the stocking grazing ences & declared as a forest as a primarily burn area with cattle fire wood State forest future forest for production recreation
- 23. Impact and adoption Invitedcase studies (in press): • 2013 State of the Forests Report (DAFF) and Invited case studies (in prep): • Great Western Woodlands (WA DEC) • Recreation and production forestry (Forests NSW) • Mine site restoration (ALCOA Bauxite mine WA) • Brigalow recovery plan (UQ BBS bioregion)
- 24. Demonstrating sustainable landuse/ management at paired sites 100 VAST-2 transformation index 80 Change due to land management 60 Change due to other 40 causes including natural processes 20 0 time now time n + Production forestry continues unchanged Change from production forestry to conservation
- 25. TERN data portals& DOI Minting http://portal.tern.org.au/ http://aceas.org.au/portal/
- 26. Conclusions • VAST-2 highlightsthe value and importance of engaging a wide network of collaborators e.g. • ecologists, academics, land managers, environmental historians, educators, industry and community • VAST-2 acknowledges the role of land managers i.e. cause and effect of landuse/management • As a system VAST-2 has value in: • Synthesizing information and ‘telling the story’ of vegetation transformation • Reporting progress toward vegetation condition targets
- 27. More information • VAST-2sites plotted using Google earth http://aceas.org.au/portal/ • Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for VAST-2 sites http://portal.tern.org.au/search#!/q=(vegetation%20transfor mation)/p=1/tab=collection/num=10 • VAST-2 Handbook and brochure http://www.vasttransformations.com/
- 28. • University ofQueensland, Department of Geography Planning and Environmental Management for ongoing research support of the • TERN ACEAS funded my sabbatical at the University of Queensland, Brisbane in 2010-11 • CSIRO Ecosystems Sciences for hosting me as a visiting research scientist, Canberra in 2010-11 • Many public and private land managers, land management agencies, consultants and researchers have provided data and information