RC6. Climate change in intact vs. fragmented landscapes: Biodiversity adaptation in the Great Western Woodlands and the Western Australian wheatbelt

18th November 2008, at CSIRO, Floreat in Perth, WA.

SPEAKERS INCLUDE Suzanne Prober - CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems (Leader) Kevin Thiele - Dept Environment and Conservation, WA (Leader) Alexander Watson - The Wilderness Society Sandy Berry - Australian National U Barry Traill - Pew Environment Group Kerrie Wilson - U Queensland Phil Rundel - U California LA, USA Harry Recher - Edith Cowan U Paul Flemons - Australian Museum Paula Deegan - Gondwana Link Tom Lyons, Murdoch University Grant Wardell-Johnson, Curtin University John Scott, CSIRO Entomology Craig McFarlane, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems Les Christidis, Australian Museum Paul Bowers, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and Arts Ian Herford, Department of Environment and Conservation Colin Yates, Department of Environment and Conservation

On Tuesday 18th November there will be an intensive 1-day research course offered, open to interested researchers and ECR and HDR.

During the remainder of the week working group participants will work towards developing a research program built around a unique opportunity to compare climate-related issues in the fragmented vegetation of the WA wheatbelt and the adjacent, intact Great Western Woodlands.

The Great Western Woodlands comprise a 16 million hectare mosaic of temperate woodland, heathland and mallee vegetation in semi-arid south-west WA (Fig. 1). The region is extraordinary in that it has remained largely intact since European settlement, owing to the variable rainfall and lack of readily accessible groundwater (Watson et al 2008). The woodland component of the region is globally unique: no other area of similar rainfall (in e.g. California and South Africa) supports woodland vegetation (Milewski 1981). Further, other temperate woodlands around the world have typically become highly fragmented and degraded through agricultural use. The Great Western Woodlands thus provide a unique model for studying how naturally functioning, intact ecosystems can adapt to climate change, and for understanding how woodland ecosystems in highly variable climates function at site and landscape scales. The Woodlands also have a rising international profile, including with international conservation funding organisations.

The Western Australian wheatbelt, climatically, geologically (Anand and Paine 2002) and in vegetation, is similar to the Great Western Woodlands, being separated from them only by the Rabbit Proof Fence and the clearing line. Rainfall is slightly wetter on average in the wheatbelt (300–450 mm) than the Great Western Woodlands (250–400 mm). Under average climate change scenarios, rainfall and temperature conditions currently experienced in the Great Western Woodlands reflect 2070 predictions for the WA wheatbelt. The wheatbelt, however, is extensively fragmented and degraded, and undergoing multi-million dollar restoration efforts. This provides a unique opportunity to test and implement ‘climate-resilient’ restoration and adaptive management activities, informed by studies of ecological processes and resilience of the Great Western Woodlands.

Last Updated October 2008