KEY THREATS AND SUGGESTED CONSERVATION ACTIONS Vegetation clearance and There are many benefits to the long-term fragmentation protection of native biodiversity. Australia’s Patches of native vegetation, such as the Clearing and fragmentation of vegetation Grey Box Grassy Woodlands ecological continue to pose serious threats to the Grey community, provide a range of ecosystem Box Grassy Woodlands ecological services including management of water community. Much of the listed community tables and flows, soil nutrient cycling, coincides with what is now the wheat-sheep erosion and salinity reduction, carbon belt of eastern Australia and the community storage, and habitat for important functional has been extensively cleared since species such as pollinators or predators of European settlement as a result of its open, insect pests. They also provide wind grassy structure and its association with breaks, shelter and food for stock, and relatively fertile soils. exhibit some resilience to drought. Cultivation for cropping destroys the Most of the remaining areas of this propagule bank, which can include seeds, ecological community occur on private land. rhizomes and tubers of native species. At present, less than 1% of what remains of Sites that have never been cultivated may the listed community in NSW is in formal retain a propagule bank for many years, conservation reserves. Slightly more of the allowing previously-dormant species to community occurs in formal reserves in recover when conditions allow. Victoria, with around 8% of the remaining Fragmentation due to continued vegetation area protected. The level of protection in clearance results in areas of native South Australia is unknown but is likely to vegetation becoming isolated with be similarly low. This section identifies the key threats to the Grey Box Grassy Woodlands ecological connectivity between them being lost. Many community, and possible actions that land of the remaining areas of the ecological managers may take to conserve the listed community are small and highly community on their land (Table 2). This list fragmented. Smaller, more isolated areas is become less able to support viable populations of native species or to maintain the ecosystem processes and services that sustain the ecological community. not exhaustive, but highlights conservation actions that are a high priority at this time. Small patches also have a lot of area ‘edge’ and area. Some species, little ‘core’ including many declining woodland birds,
KEY THREATS AND SUGGESTED CONSERVATION ACTIONS There are many benefits to the long-term protection of Australia’s native biodiversity. Patches of native vegetation, such as the Grey Box Grassy Woodlands ecological community, provide a range of ecosystem services including management of water tables and flows, soil nutrient cycling, erosion and salinity reduction, carbon storage, and habitat for important functional species such as pollinators or predators of insect pests. They also provide wind breaks, shelter and food for stock, and exhibit some resilience to drought. Most of the remaining areas of this ecological community occur on private land. At present, less than 1% of what remains of the listed community in NSW is in formal conservation reserves. Slightly more of the community occurs in formal reserves in Victoria, with around 8% of the remaining area protected. The level of protection in South Australia is unknown but is likely to be similarly low. This section identifies the key threats to the Grey Box Grassy Woodlands ecological community, and possible actions that land managers may take to conserve the listed community on their land (Table 2). This list is not exhaustive, but highlights conservation actions that are a high priority at this time. Vegetation clearance and fragmentation Clearing and fragmentation of vegetation continue to pose serious threats to the Grey Box Grassy Woodlands ecological community. Much of the listed community coincides with what is now the wheat-sheep belt of eastern Australia and the community has been extensively cleared since European settlement as a result of its open, grassy structure and its association with relatively fertile soils. Cultivation for cropping destroys the propagule bank, which can include seeds, rhizomes and tubers of native species. Sites that have never been cultivated may retain a propagule bank for many years, allowing previously-dormant species to recover when conditions allow. Fragmentation due to continued vegetation clearance results in areas of native vegetation becoming isolated with connectivity between them being lost. Many of the remaining areas of the ecological community are small and highly fragmented. Smaller, more isolated areas become less able to support viable populations of native species or to maintain the ecosystem processes and services that sustain the ecological community. Small patches also have a lot of ‘edge’ area and little ‘core’ area. Some species, including many declining woodland birds,
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