Rocky Outcrops in Australia
Ecology, Conservation and Management
By: Damian Michael, David B Lindenmayer
Discover the incredible biodiversity on rocky outcrops and the importance of conserving these crucial landscape features.
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. + Full description
Rocky Outcrops in Australia: Ecology, Conservation and Management contains chapters on why this habitat is important, the animals that live and depend on these formations, key threatening processes and how rocky outcrops can be managed to improve biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes, state forests and protected areas. This book will be an important reference for landholders, Landcare groups, naturalists interested in Australian wildlife and natural resource managers.
Recipient of the 2018 Whitley Certificate of Commendation for Landscape Zoology
- Short descriptionReviews
"As an ecologist with a keen interest in herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians), I was particularly interested in reading more about the various saxicolous fauna i.e. animals that specialise, or are dependant, on rocky outcrops to survive. There is a great amount of detail on microhabitat preferences and species specific habitat preferences that are unique to fauna dependant on rocky outcrops... This book identifies management and conservation advice that may assist land managers to successfully manage these biodiversity hotspots. If nothing else, it provides us all with a glimpse of the unique and little known world that lies within these sometimes vast and seemingly inhospitable places."
De-Anne Attard, Land for Wildlife South East Queensland, April 2018
"I was mesmerised by the colourful images depicting all things rock-related from columnar basalt to rock-wallabies to rock engravings."
Sarah Taylor, The Niche Magazine, June 2019
"This book makes a substantial contribution to public understanding of the relationships between rocks and biodiversity, a field which previously has been neglected at this continental scale. Especially praiseworthy are the general guide to rock micro-habitats and the classification of rocky outcrop condition, both well-illustrated and having great practical value. An attractive book and an excellent introduction to the ecology of rocky outcrops in Australia."
Deirdre Dragovich, Australian Geographer 50(3), February 2019
Details
Paperback | February 2018 | $ 49.95ISBN: 9781486307906 | 184 pages | 245 x 170 mm
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Colour photographs, Illustrations
ePDF | February 2018
ISBN: 9781486307913
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers
ePUB | February 2018
ISBN: 9781486307920
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers
Features
- First book on the ecology of rocky outcrops in Australia, including threats to this habitat type and how to manage and improve rocky outcrop habitats in agricultural landscapes
- Highlights the diverse (and often contrasting) ecological, cultural and economic values of rocky outcrops in Australia
- Illustrated throughout with high quality colour photographs
Contents
PrefaceAcknowledgements
Glossary
Chapter 1: Introduction and background
Chapter 2: Rocky outcrop values
Chapter 3: Australian rock-dwelling fauna
Chapter 4: Threatening processes
Chapter 5: Managing rocky outcrops for biodiversity conservation
Appendix 1: Australian rock-dwelling fauna and their conservation status
Index
View the full table of contents.
Authors
Dr Damian Michael is a Senior Research Officer in Ecology at The Australian National University. He has broad interests in landscape ecology, biodiversity conservation, herpetology and understanding the ecological importance of rocky outcrops in agricultural landscapes. He manages several large-scale biodiversity monitoring programs in New South Wales and has published 90 scientific papers and six books.
Dr David Lindenmayer is a Professor at The Australian National University. He has worked on the conservation of forests and their wildlife for more than 35 years. He has published 45 books and over 1100 scientific papers, and has broad interests in conservation biology, landscape ecology, vertebrate ecology, forest ecology and woodland conservation. He has received numerous awards and is a member of the Australian Academy of Science and an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow.
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