Rocky outcrops | Resources – ANU Sustainable Farms

Restoring rocky habitat on farms

Suzannah — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 23:39:55 +0000

On a farm near Young, NSW, PHD student Jackie O'Sullivan from The Australian National University has been investigating the impact of scattered rocks on reptile diversity. For landholder Sam Johnson from Boxgum Grazing, looking after natural assets on his farm is all part of managing an ecologically functioning farm system.

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Powerful Pollinators: Encouraging insect pollinators in farm landscapes

Suzannah — Thu, 20 May 2021 00:44:55 +0000

Pollinators are an essential component of agricultural production and of healthy, biodiverse landscapes. Protecting and enhancing pollinator resources on farms will help support a diverse range of pollinators.

This brochure provides an introduction to encouraging insect pollinators on farms, including a guide to choosing plants that will support diverse pollinators throughout the year.

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Managing natural assets: Rocky outcrops

Christiaan — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 00:52:27 +0000

When protected from grazing and revegetated with groundcovers and low shrubs, rocky outcrops can help filter and slow runoff, leading to increased soil moisture and reducing erosion.

They are also valuable habitat for a rich variety of plants and animals, including threatened and specialised rock-dwelling species. The cracks and crevices among rocky outcrops protect vulnerable plants from grazing by livestock and other herbivores, meaning that many plants that were formerly widespread now find refuge among the rocks.

Download the PDF document for information on managing rocky outcrops on farms.

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Webinar: Powerful Pollinators

Alice Marzano — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 23:46:22 +0000

Hosted by ANU Sustainable Farms and the Wheen Bee Foundation, join ANU Professor Saul Cunningham, Sustainable Farms' ecologist Angelina Siegrist, and Anna Carrucan from Wheen Bee Foundation discussing native and European pollinators and their effect on grazing and cropping.

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Ten ways to improve natural assets on a farm

Suzannah — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 22:38:00 +0000

The Ten Ways booklet highlights how improving the management of natural assets on a farm can create new habitat for native wildlife, while supporting sustainable agriculture. The publication is underpinned by 20 years of long-term research into biodiversity on farms.

The booklet covers: paddock trees, waterways & wetlands, farm dams, native pastures, shelterbelts, creating connectivity, rocky outcrops, renmant vegetation, plantings, and farm planning.

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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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