Books | Resources – ANU Sustainable Farms

The Future of Farming and Biodiversity in Agricultural Landscapes: the Muttama Creek Catchment Area

Genevieve Newey — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 03:49:01 +0000

The Muttama Creek Catchment is a tributary of the Murrumbidgee River and stretches from North of Cootamundra to North of Gundagai. The catchment area has experienced a lot of change and is facing increasing volatility and pressures, such as climatic and demographic changes and market pressures. The project sought to understand different land-use priorities and explore the future of farming and biodiversity.

The project team, comprised of Leuphana University of Lüneburg in Germany, Australian National University Sustainable Farms and the Muttama Creek Landcare Group wrote a booklet which summarises the key findings from this project. It includes a guest chapter on natural assets on farms by Suzannah Macbeth from Sustainable Farms and a chapter on Indigenous knowledge and land management written by Peter Beath from the Cootamundra Aboriginal Working Party.

Read our blog post below to find out more. Click the PDF link to download a PDF copy or contact us if you would like a hard-copy.

The post The Future of Farming and Biodiversity in Agricultural Landscapes: the Muttama Creek Catchment Area appeared first on ANU Sustainable Farms.

Natural Asset Farming

Suzannah — Sun, 20 Mar 2022 00:11:33 +0000

Published by CSIRO Publishing, Natural Asset Farming: Creating Productive and Biodiverse Farms is authored by four members of the Sustainable Farms team – Lead Scientist David Lindenmayer, Project Director and social scientist Michelle Young, ecologist Dave Smith and communications manager and writer Suzannah Macbeth.

The book emerges from the work of the Sustainable Farms project at The Australian National University, bringing together the experience of farmers, expertise from the Landcare movement, and the results of 20 years of detailed ecological studies undertaken on farms in Australia’s south-eastern wheat-sheep belt.

There are many approaches to sustainable agriculture, but Natural Asset Farming has something to offer for everyone managing farming land in Australia. Whether it’s a relatively small project like fencing a paddock tree, or a larger project such as enhancing a farm dam, protecting natural assets can help improve biodiversity and farm resilience.

Click here to order your copy via CSIRO Publishing today.

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Learning From Experience book

Christiaan — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 01:49:19 +0000

The farms featured are dotted across the South West Slopes region of New South Wales and the Upper Murray of Victoria, areas that have been heavily modified by agricultural practices. The landscape was formerly dominated by temperate eucalypt woodland but 85 per cent is now intensively grazed, cropped and cultivated as agricultural land. The stories are from farmers seeking to find a balance between productivity and biodiversity, and to retain or increase the natural capital on their properties.

Each property is different, and the individuals, families and generations interviewed for this book varied in their approaches to living productively on the land. From the diverse stories in this book, we hope that others might glean ideas and strive for more sustainable farming practices on their land.

Please contact us if you would like to order a printed copy of the book, or click the link below to download a PDF copy.

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Rocky Outcrops in Australia

Suzannah — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 08:07:38 +0000

Rocky outcrops are landscape features with disproportionately high biodiversity values relative to their size. They support specialised plants and animals, and a wide variety of endemic species. To Indigenous Australians, they are sacred places and provide valuable resources.

Despite their ecological and cultural importance, many rocky outcrops and associated biota are threatened by agricultural and recreational activities, forestry and mining operations, invasive weeds, altered fire regimes and climate change.

Rocky Outcrops in Australia: Ecology, Conservation and Management is written by Dr Damian Michael and Professor David Lindenmayer, and received the 2018 Whitley Certificate of Commendation for Landscape Zoology.

Click here to purchase Rocky Outcrops in Australia via CSIRO Publishing.

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Woodlands: A disappearing landscape

Suzannah — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 08:51:30 +0000

Woodlands are distinguished from forests by the fact that their canopies do not touch, tree heights are usually lower and they usually have a grassy understorey. They support a fascinating and diverse array of birds, mammals, reptiles, frogs, invertebrates and plants, and have been under massive pressure from grazing and agriculture over the past 200 years. In many cases only small remnant patches of some types of woodland survive. Understanding and appreciating woodlands is an important way forward for promoting their sustainable management and conservation.

Woodlands: A Disappearing Landscape explains with lucid text and spectacular photographs the role that woodlands play in supporting a range of native plants and animals that has existed there for millions of years.

It is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding more about the woodland ecosystem that underpins the southeastern agricultural region of Australia.

Click here to purchase Woodlands via CSIRO Publishing.

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