Conserving biodiversity in highly modified production landscapes

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Conserving biodiversity in our forestry and agricultural landscapes is a massive challenge for managers, planners, producers and researchers. Our existing system of conservation reserves is not sufficient to protect biodiversity, and commodity production relies on vital services provided by biodiversity. Biodiversity also enhances the landscape’s resilience — its capacity to recover from disturbances (such as droughts) or management mistakes.

Until recently there hasn’t been a science-based practical set of strategies outlining how biodiversity can best be conserved in production landscapes. This has now been addressed by ecologists at The Australian National University who have compiled a list of ten such strategies.

These strategies fall into two categories. The first five address landscape patterns (that is the size, shape and composition of different components that make up the landscape), and the second five focus on ecological processes (that is interactions between the various components that make up the landscape). In combination, the ten strategies are a practical guide to the management of production landscapes that recognises the complementarity between patterns and processes in landscape ecology.

Elements of the strategies will already be familiar to those involved in planning and managing for conservation. However, elements of these strategies are often considered in isolation or taken at ‘face value’. Considering the strategies as a whole, and understanding the ecological basis and assumptions behind each one, is important for more effective on-ground conservation outcomes. It will also help develop capacity and confidence amongst those faced with the challenge of planning and managing for conservation outcomes in production landscapes.