ABSTRACT Temperate forest ecosystems globally are experiencing declines in tree hollow abundance. Nest boxes are often installed as a management response to overcome tree hollow shortages for cavity nesting birds. However, for many species it is not known how the position of a nest box in the broader landscape influences its use. We investigated nest box use by yellow‐tailed black‐cockatoos, a species associated with more intact forests but also observed feeding on Pinus plantations, a novel food source the species has not coevolved with. We sought to determine whether nest box use by yellow‐tailed black‐cockatoos was influenced by proximity to native and novel foods, extent of native vegetation in the landscape, and fire impacts to vegetation. Nest boxes were monitored in two time periods: pre‐fire (2015–2017) and after a largescale wildfire (2021–2023). The mean annual proportional rate of nest box occupancy was 0.27 pre‐fire and 0.23 post‐fire. Nesting attempts in nest boxes yielded 0.76 fledglings per attempt ( n = 59 attempts monitored from egg stage to nest completion). Pre‐fire, nest boxes that were closer to Pinus radiata plantations were more likely to be used. The 2019–2020 wildfires burnt substantial areas of P. radiata plantations and Banksia dominated vegetation. In post‐fire years, nest box use was positively associated with proximity to native Banksia dominated vegetation (a preferred native food source), and more native vegetation and a higher proportion of burnt native vegetation in a 10 km radius of nest boxes. The importance of Pinus plantations to nest site selection pre‐fire suggests that yellow‐tailed black‐cockatoos could be unintentionally impacted by forestry harvesting. Post‐fire reductions in P. radiata plantations and Banksia dominated vegetation may have increased the importance of proximity to native food resources. Our results suggest that nest boxes could play a role in the conservation of yellow‐tailed black‐cockatoos but highlight the need to consider the broader landscape matrix when selecting nest box installation sites.
ABSTRACT Alpine, subalpine and montane peatlands provide important ecosystem services, including carbon storage, water regulation and habitat provision, and are threatened by a range of disturbance and degradation processes that impact these services. However, long‐term vegetation monitoring and comprehensive peat depth assessments remain rare for peatlands in the southern hemisphere, limiting our understanding of how these ecosystems are changing over time. Here, we present an assessment of peatland vegetation data from south‐eastern Australia, analysing temporal changes across 58 sites in seven regions between 2012 and 2025, alongside spatial patterns of peat depth across 27 sites. Analysis revealed strong spatial structuring, where the dominant drivers identified by redundancy analysis (RDA) were, time since grazed (RDA: F = 17.70; p = 0.001), minimum temperature variabilit y (RDA: F = 13.53; p = 0.001) and fire history (RDA: F = 10.98; p = 0.001). Variation partitioning showed the strong spatial structuring in peatland vegetation, with regional setting explaining the largest proportion of variation (10.5%), followed by climate (3.3%), survey (2.4%), and disturbance (1.4%). Temporal change was proportionally smaller (RDA: F = 4.52; p = 0.001) with linear mixed models revealing that directional trends in plant functional groups across regions and surveys were not universal. The most disturbed peatland region (Dargo‐Dinner Plain) had significantly shallower and flatter peat depths (generalised additive model: −40.80 cm, p < 0.001, EDF = 1) compared to all other regions, while substantial heterogeneity existed both within‐ and between sites. The pronounced site‐level variation indicates that vegetation composition and peat depth patterns were driven by site‐specific factors including elevation, climate (temperature and precipitation) and disturbance (fire and grazing) histories, and that even at the site level, these ecosystems are highly heterogeneous. For effective conservation outcomes, management strategies should consider site‐specific conditions where resources allow, rather than relying on broad‐scale classifications to inform interventions. Our findings underscore the importance of long‐term vegetation and peat depth monitoring in understanding climate responses, recovery trajectories and carbon storage in mountain peatlands.
ABSTRACT Relocating large hollows to minimise the potential impacts of development on threatened species is generally considered too difficult and/or too costly. Small and medium‐sized hollows are commonly relocated, recreated by carving into a living surrogate tree, or replaced with nest boxes; however, larger hollows, which take much longer to form naturally, are far less represented in the landscape, are preferred over nest boxes by large forest owls, are being destroyed during vegetation clearing and are not being replaced. Biodiversity offsetting legislation in NSW Australia aims to place a dollar value on biodiversity and its habitat, yet does not place any direct value on good quality large hollows or their protection. This study offers considerations that support the relocation or recreation of large hollows in landscapes where they are locally scarce. We describe two case studies involving hollow‐bearing trees that showed evidence of previous owl use and were unique in their respective landscapes. In both cases, the entire hollow‐bearing tree trunk sections were relocated into nearby forests and installed vertically against large living host trees. These case studies demonstrate that, following secure installation and preparation to improve structural longevity, large hollows can be successfully relocated and that size alone is not necessarily a limiting factor. The second case study had a variety of hollows recreated, which have been used by other hollow‐dependent fauna. The result was a natural looking, low maintenance and long‐lasting apartment block for wildlife set within the foliage of a living tree. Powerful Owl ( Ninox strenua ) has successfully bred in the relocated tree for two breeding seasons. We propose survey methods that enable the consistent application of three clear considerations for assessing the value of large hollows and determining when their relocation is warranted.
ABSTRACT Habitat loss and fragmentation are causing major global biodiversity declines. Strategic ecological restoration can mitigate native vegetation decline, and is especially important for fauna with habitat and dietary specialisations, for which restoring key ecosystem features may be more critical than increasing revegetated area. The nationally threatened south‐eastern glossy black‐cockatoo ( Calyptorhynchus lathami lathami ) occurs in forests and woodlands of eastern Australia. It has declined due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Climate change‐driven increases in fire frequency and severity now threaten the remaining habitat. Glossy black‐cockatoos are dietary specialists, relying exclusively on she‐oak seeds ( Allocasuarina spp., Casuarina spp.), a food resource highly sensitive to fire. Following extensive feeding habitat loss during the 2019–2020 Black Summer fires, improving food security for this species, including via strategic ecological restoration, is a conservation priority. We investigated relationships between soils, vegetation types and glossy black‐cockatoo observations in north‐eastern New South Wales, and used these relationships to prioritise areas for feeding habitat restoration. Vegetation types containing Allocasuarina species on red or yellow podzolic soils had disproportionately high numbers of glossy black‐cockatoo observations, including feeding records. These results support earlier reports and recent mechanistic studies linking geology and soil properties to she‐oak cone productivity. The Black Summer fires severely burnt 19% of high‐value vegetation‐soil combinations in north‐eastern New South Wales, causing a substantial, sudden loss of glossy black‐cockatoo food resources. We developed a spatial prioritisation framework to guide ecological restoration planning, that integrates preferred soil‐vegetation combinations with other design considerations. The spatial prioritisation, combined with practical planting design guidance, was made available to landholders through local government portals and Landcare groups. Our study demonstrates how ecological understanding can be translated into strategic restoration guidance, providing a practical framework for improving restoration outcomes for a threatened dietary specialist under climate‐driven fire regime changes.
