Shrubland and Heathland Synopsis This Synopsis Covers Evidence for the Effects of Conservation Interventions for Shrublands
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Philip A. Martin, Ricardo Rocha, Rebecca K. Smith1 & William J. Sutherland SYNOPSES OF CONSERVATION EVIDENCE SERIES © 2017 William J. Sutherland This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0), except where noted. This license allows you to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work; to adapt the work and to make commercial use of the work providing attribution is made to the authors (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Attribution should include the following information: This should be cited as: Martin P.A., Rocha R., Smith R.K., & Sutherland W.J. (2017) Shrubland and heathland conservation: Global Evidence for the Effects of Interventions. Synopses of Conservation Evidence Series. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. This document was updated on 12/04/18 Further details about CC BY licenses are available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Cover image: Prescribed burning in Kogelberg Nature Reserve, South Africa. All rights reserved. ©Brian van Wilgen. Digital material and resources associated with this synopsis are available at https://www.conservationevidence.com/ 1 Contents 1. About this book 10 2. Threat: Residential & commercial development 17 Key messages ....................................................................................................................... 17 Interventions ........................................................................................................................ 17 2.1 Remove residential or commercial development ................................................. 17 2.2 Maintain/create habitat corridors in developed areas ......................................... 17 3. Threat: Agriculture & Aquaculture 19 Key messages ....................................................................................................................... 19 Interventions ........................................................................................................................ 21 3.1 Use fences to exclude livestock from shrublands...................................................... 21 3.2 Reduce number of livestock .................................................................................. 25 3.3 Change type of livestock ............................................................................................ 30 3.4 Shorten the period during which livestock can graze ............................................... 32 4. Threat: Energy production and mining 34 Key messages ....................................................................................................................... 34 Interventions ........................................................................................................................ 34 4.1 Maintain habitat corridors in areas of energy production or mining ........................ 34 5. Threat: Biological resource use 35 5.1 Legally protect plant species affected by gathering .................................................. 35 5.2 Place signs to deter gathering of shrubland species ................................................. 36 5.3 Reduce the frequency of prescribed burning ............................................................ 36 6. Threat: Transportation and service corridors 38 Key messages ....................................................................................................................... 38 Interventions ........................................................................................................................ 38 6.1 Maintain habitat corridors over or under roads and other transportation corridors .......................................................................................................................................... 38 6.2 Create buffer zones beside roads and other transportation corridors ..................... 39 7. Threat: Human intrusions and disturbance 40 Key messages ....................................................................................................................... 40 Interventions ........................................................................................................................ 40 7.1 Re-route paths to reduce habitat disturbance .......................................................... 40 7.2 Use signs and access restrictions to reduce disturbance .......................................... 41 7.3 Plant spiny shrubs to act as barriers to people ......................................................... 41 8. Threat: Natural system modifications 42 Key messages - Modified fire regime ................................................................................... 42 Key messages - Modified vegetation management ............................................................ 43 2 Modified fire regime ............................................................................................................ 44 8.1 Use prescribed burning to mimic natural fire cycle ................................................... 45 8.2 Use prescribed burning to reduce potential for large wild fires ............................... 45 8.3 Cut strips of shrubland vegetation to reduce the spread of fire ............................... 46 Modified vegetation management ...................................................................................... 46 8.4 Reinstate the use of traditional burning practices .................................................... 46 8.5 Use cutting/mowing to mimic grazing ....................................................................... 48 8.6 Increase number of livestock ..................................................................................... 50 9. Threat: Invasive and other problematic species 55 Key Messages – Problematic tree species ........................................................................... 56 Key messages - Problematic grass species .......................................................................... 57 Key messages - Bracken ....................................................................................................... 59 Key messages - Problematic animals ................................................................................... 61 Problematic tree species ...................................................................................................... 61 9.1 Apply herbicide to trees ............................................................................................. 61 9.2 Cut trees ..................................................................................................................... 62 9.3 Cut trees and remove leaf litter ................................................................................. 64 9.4 Cut trees and remove tree seedlings ......................................................................... 65 9.5 Cut/mow shrubland to control trees ......................................................................... 66 9.6 Use prescribed burning to control trees .................................................................... 66 9.7 Use grazing to control trees ....................................................................................... 67 9.8 Cut trees and increase livestock numbers ................................................................. 68 9.9 Cut trees and apply herbicide .................................................................................... 68 9.10 Cut trees and use prescribed burning...................................................................... 71 9.11 Increase number of livestock and use prescribed burning to control trees ........... 72 Problematic grass species .................................................................................................... 73 9.12 Cut/mow to control grass ........................................................................................ 73 9.13 Cut/mow to control grass and sow seed of shrubland plants ................................. 76 9.14 Rake to control grass ............................................................................................... 77 9.15 Cut/mow and rotovate to control grass .................................................................. 78 9.16 Use herbicide to control grass ................................................................................. 78 9.17 Apply herbicide and sow seeds of shrubland plants to control grass ..................... 82 9.18 Apply herbicide and remove plants to control grass ............................................... 83 9.19 Use grazing or alter livestock type to control grass ................................................. 84 9.20 Use prescribed burning to control grass .................................................................. 85 9.21 Cut and use prescribed burning to control grass ..................................................... 86 9.22 Use herbicide and prescribed burning to control grass .......................................... 87 9.23 Strip turf to control grass ......................................................................................... 87 9.24 Rotovate to control grass ......................................................................................... 89 9.25 Add mulch to control grass ...................................................................................... 89 9.26 Add mulch to control grass and sow seed ..............................................................