Integrating agricultural land-use and management for conservation of a native grassland flora in a variegated landscape

Abstract

Management of variegated landscapes (in which the native vegetation still forms the matrix but has been modified in a variable way) requires strategies to maintain or enhance existing vegetation within the context of human land-uses such as agriculture. Using rangelands in the New England region of New South Wales as an example, spatial patterns of land-use and modification are described. Management principles for conservation of herbaceous communities in areas of pastoral production are suggested, based on the following assumptions: 1) low intensity pasture utilization and management (i.e., limited fertilization, soil disturbance and grazing) is conducive to the maintenance of species richness at a local and regional scale; 2) stratification of management intensity on farms is compatible with viable grazing operations; 3) landscape context is important as effects of management may spread beyond the managed area; 4) spatial arrangement of land-uses could be optimized to maintain or increase diversity. Although our understanding of these issues is incomplete, there is general observational and theoretical support for them. Incorporation of principles derived from these assumptions in the farm planning process is a useful strategy for preserving grassland vegetation in landscapes where opportunities for reserve conservation are limited.