SEMINAR: Plant Biology Research Seminar

Conservation of large, relatively intact landscapes in the face of widespread development such as resource extraction is a challenge of global conservation significance. Growing human populations and economies and increasing scarcity of natural resources are pushing the frontiers of rapidly proliferating development into areas that have remained relatively intact until recent times; diminishing or degrading those landscapes. In this thesis I present research that aims to provide approaches, information and insights that can be used to ameliorate these impacts, using the largest and most intact remaining temperate woodland on earth as a case study. The Great Western Woodlands (GWW) is a region of international ecological significance and also a highly productive mining province, with a rich history of gold, nickel and iron ore mining evidenced by numerous exploration tracks, drilling remains, mine pits and waste dumps. I investigated the following overarching questions in the context of mining in the GWW: 1. What is the scope of ecological impacts that require mitigation to successfully conserve intact landscapes? 2. How significant is linear infrastructure (e.g. roads, tracks, and railways) as a component of disturbance? 3. How does linear infrastructure affect key ecosystem processes, such as predation and water movement?