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BIODIVERSITY Native Vegetation Trends • Vegetation Extent: STABLE • Vegetation Condition: UNKNOWN OVERALL but IMPROVED slightly for Kingoonya District in the Pastoral region ‘Lose no species’ is a statement of • Area of land under Protected Status: aspiration. Species decline and become INCREASED 1% since 2003, but slowing extinct naturally. This aspiration reflects compared to last SoE Report the foresight, mindset and commitment needed by all South Australians if we are • Indigenous Revegetation activity: to prevent further loss of our known native DECREASING species due to human impacts, and if we are to conserve our biodiversity for future generations. Goals T3.1 Lose no species: lose no known native Native Vegetation species as a result of human impacts. and a sustainable South Australian Strategic Plan 2007 South Australia T3.2 Land biodiversity: by 2010 have five To achieve a sustainable future for well-established biodiversity corridors South Australia one of the key targets aimed at maximising ecological outcomes for sustainability in the South Australian particularly in the face of climate change. Strategic Plan is to Lose No Species. Native vegetation is an integral South Australian Strategic Plan 2007 component of our natural environment. 162 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT 2008 Native Vegetation As indigenous species provide habitat the importance of native vegetation in for animals native vegetation is maintaining a sustainable environment fundamental to sustainability. for humans. The economic value of these ecosystem services is identified Natural landscapes and the native as pertinent to ensure that their value is vegetation they contain are important included in economic considerations. components of the Australian identity. Native vegetation provides places of In conjunction with afforestation and scenic beauty that are very important to reafforestation, native vegetation could our tourism industry and at an individual provide a response to climate change as level, support our cultural, spiritual and carbon sinks included in emission trading recreational needs. Natural landscapes schemes (Australian Greenhouse Office are utilised to derive livelihood and 2006). Climate change is likely to result native vegetation in particular has a in rising temperatures and changes in role in supporting farming and other rainfall patterns, in turn affecting the production activities. intensity and frequency of droughts, bushfires, floods and storms (Australian Native vegetation is an economic Greenhouse Office 2006). Climate resource for genetic, biochemical change is expected to impact on Paddock trees and agricultural products, such as native vegetation but the extent of that tannins or quandong fruits. Importantly, is currently unknown (DEH 2007). The Paddock trees are defined as native vegetation protects landscapes dependence of species or communities scattered trees or small patches against land and water degradation. of species on the existing climate and of trees located in paddocks used Preventing degradation and loss of native their ability to respond to changes is an predominantly for grazing and vegetation is significantly less costly than important consideration for the future cropping. In SA, as in most other restoring and replacing it (Williams 2005). sustainability of native vegetation. temperate regions of Australia In gaining support for the conservation they are not mapped and their or sustainable management of native distribution and contribution vegetation, the value that it can bring to overall vegetation cover is to the quality of people’s lives is a critical Indicators unknown. Paddock trees represent consideration. The benefit of native tree species such as Red, Blue vegetation falls into the triple bottomline CONDITION INDICATOR and Pink Gum that are not well concept of social, economic and conserved in patches of intact environmental benefits. native vegetation. Paddock trees • Extent and Condition of remnant provide resources to all manner Many of the environmental benefits, such vegetation of wildlife. as protecting soil from wind and water The extent and condition of native erosion, are identified as ecosystem A case study to map paddock vegetation is considered the best services. Stemming from the observation trees across an area of 270,000 available measure currently available to that ecosystems provide a range of Ha in the state’s South East region determine the condition of ecosystem goods and services that underpin and was completed in 2005 (Carruthers diversity. benefit our economic production systems 2005). Canopy cover of these trees and quality of human life, ecosystem was found to represent 14.4% of the total native vegetation cover for services are defined as the conditions RESPONSE INDICATORS and processes through which natural the area. Results demonstrate that ecosystems sustain and fulfil human life • Area of land held under protected paddock trees are a geographically widespread feature of the region, (Williams 2005). status distributed over approximately Over the last few years there has been A comprehensive, adequate and half of the study area. Within this greater recognition of the role of native representative reserve system is necessary distribution, paddock trees at very vegetation ecosystems in supporting the to protect and maintain ecosystem, low densities (i.e. up to 2% canopy healthy functioning of our catchments species and genetic biodiversity. cover or 0.25 to 4 trees per Ha) and landscapes. In Victoria, an cover one quarter of the study area. assessment of the ecosystem services for the Goulbourn Broken Catchment • Area of revegetation using indigenous The study found that tree highlighted vegetation including native species, native species and exotics recruitment in paddocks in species, for its value to ecosystems the region is negligible. Legal While revegetated areas do not have the services (Binning et al 2001). clearance is the main threat to same environmental benefits as remnant paddock trees in the study area. Case studies by Eamus et al (2005) drew native vegetation, they contribute Extrapolating current rates of attention to the role of native vegetation towards the restoration of many clearance and dieback, paddock in the provision of ecosystem services. ecological values. It is critical that land is trees are predicted to disappear Services included carbon sequestration, revegetated with locally occurring native from the study area within 150 years. climate regulation, maintenance of species to achieve maximum biodiversity hydrological balance in catchments outcomes. and water quality. These underscore STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT 2008 163 BIODIVERSITY Map 5.1: Remnant native vegetation cover across the agricultural zone of South Australia Australia (IBRA version 6.1) subregions What is the current (Thackway and Cresswell 1995). These bioregions provide an indication of situation? the unique geographic and natural features of the State and are used to CONDITION INDICATOR: Extent and report biodiversity priorities. Within these condition of remnant vegetation regions, 33 of 56 have greater than 90% native vegetation cover and would be This indicator is considered the best considered intact landscapes (McIntrye available measure of the condition of and Hobbs 2000). These bioregions terrestrial biodiversity. The extent shows have not been cleared because of an how much remains after clearing but is arid climate. Three other subregions only half the picture. Humans have had included in the northern area are large an impact on most of South Australia areas of salt lakes that are typically and this has greatly altered the condition bare. In the remaining 19 bioregions of much of the native vegetation. It is clearance occurred for agricultural important to also consider that condition. pursuits and 26.5% of the native While 86% of South Australia is covered vegetation remains. (Table 5.1 and by native vegetation the majority of Map 5.2) this area experiences an arid climate and there has been minimal clearance. Instead, the land is managed under a Condition of native vegetation range of activities that have resulted in The importance of vegetation condition modification of the vegetation. In the in land management policy has State’s agricultural region where rainfall is increased in recent years, in particular higher the amount of clearance has been through Natural Resource Management high with only 29.5% of native vegetation (NRM). In its broadest sense vegetation remaining. This figure is based on the condition is about the state of being same definition of the agricultural region or health of the vegetation, which as was used in the State of Environment includes the process of change (Keith 2003 and remains unchanged. and Gorrod 2005). However, there South Australia has been mapped remains debate about how to measure into 56 bioregions based on Interim condition depending on the purpose Biogeographic Regionalisation for and practical difficulties of ecological 164 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT 2008 Native Vegetation Map 5.2: Percentage of native vegetation cover within IBRA sub regions of South Australia processes (Keith and Gorrod 2005). Pastoral zone Within the National Natural Resource During dry times, particularly in the early and Management Monitoring and years of European occupation, large Evaluation Framework vegetation numbers of livestock concentrated condition has been defined as an around the few permanent water supplies indicator
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