Waterbird population and species diversity maintenance are important outcomes of wetland conservation management, but knowledge gaps regarding waterbird movements affect our ability to understand and predict waterbird responses to management at appropriate scales. Movement tracking using satellite telemetry is now allowing us to fill these knowledge gaps for highly mobile waterbirds at continental scales, including in remote areas for which data have been historically difficult to acquire. We used GPS satellite telemetry to track the movements of 122 individuals of three species of ibis and spoonbills (Threskiornithidae) in Australia from 2016 to 2023. We analysed movement distances, residency periods and areas, and foraging-site fidelity. From this we derived implications for water and wetland management for waterbird conservation. This is the first multi-year movement tracking data for ibis and spoonbills in Australia, with some individuals tracked continuously for more than five years including from natal site to first breeding attempt. Tracking revealed both inter- and intra-specific variability in movement strategies, including residency, nomadism, and migration, with individuals switching between these behaviours. During periods of residency, areas used and distances travelled to forage were highly variable and differed significantly between species. Sixty-five percent of identified residency areas were not associated with wetlands formally listed nationally or internationally as important. Tracking the movements of waterbirds provides context for coordinated allocation of management resources, such as provision of environmental water at appropriate places and times for maximum conservation benefit. This study highlights the geographic scales over which these birds function and shows how variable waterbird movements are. This illustrates the need to consider the full life cycle of these birds when making management decisions and evaluating management impacts. Increased knowledge of the spatio-temporal interactions of waterbirds with their resource needs over complete life cycles will continue to be essential for informing management aimed at increasing waterbird numbers and maintaining long-term diversity.

Context Nomadic waterbirds are highly mobile across a range of spatial and temporal scales, which makes it difficult to monitor, quantify, and predict their habitat use with traditional methods, especially between breeding events when individuals and flocks can move over vast areas. Objectives This study aimed to provide accurate information on habitat use to improve strategic conservation management of these species, particularly the provisioning of environmental water. Methods To overcome the challenges of distance and remoteness, we analysed a 7-year GPS satellite telemetry dataset from 141 individuals. We quantified habitat selection post-dispersal from breeding sites, and predicted habitat preference for two wading waterbird species of the Threskiornithidae family that frequently nest together at the same sites: straw-necked ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis) and royal spoonbill (Platalea regia). Results Both long-term and short-term landscape-scale habitat associations differed between species. Royal spoonbills used fewer and more restricted habitat types than straw-necked ibis. Spoonbills displayed strong preferences for reservoirs, marshes and permanent wetlands, while ibis used both aquatic and terrestrial habitat, including areas of intensive animal production, modified pasture, and woodlands. Analysis of nocturnal versus diurnal space use showed that roosting and foraging habitat requirements for both species are distinct. Conclusions Analysing over 1 million telemetry points revealed species-level variability in habitat use, informing resource allocation for environmental water management. Royal spoonbills are more vulnerable to habitat change due to water regime alterations, highlighting the need for focused conservation management. Differences in day and night habitat use indicate the necessity of considering roosting habitats alongside foraging habitats for effective conservation. This comprehensive understanding of waterbirds' spatiotemporal interactions with their environment is crucial for long-term management aimed at increasing waterbird numbers and maintaining diversity.

ABSTRACTWaterbirds are highly mobile and have the ability to respond to environmental conditions opportunistically at multiple scales. Mobility is particularly crucial for aggregate‐nesting species dependent on breeding habitat in arid and semi‐arid wetlands, which can be ephemeral and unpredictable. We aimed to address knowledge gaps about movement routes for aggregate‐nesting nomadic waterbird species by tracking them in numbers sufficient to make robust assessment of their movement patterns. We hypothesised that analysis of long‐distance movements would identify common routes with consistent environmental features that would be useful as context for conservation management. We used GPS satellite telemetry to track the movements of 73 straw‐necked ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis) and 42 royal spoonbills (Platalea regia) over 7 years (2016‐2023). We used these data to identify long‐distance movements and to demarcate and characterise movement routes. We identified common routes used by both species, including a ‘flyway’ over 2000 km long, spanning Australia's Murray–Darling Basin from the south‐west to the north‐east. This flyway connects important breeding sites and is characterised by flat, open/unforested areas with low elevations of < 350 m and mid to high rainfall. The flyway corresponds to an area west of Australia's Great Dividing Range, which appears to act as a low‐permeability barrier to the movement of both species. Identification of an inland flyway for waterbirds in Australia provides important context for multi‐jurisdictional cooperation and strategic management. Where resources are limited, water and wetland management efforts (e.g., environmental watering) should be preferentially located within this route. Similarly, targeting threat mitigation within common movement routes may have disproportionate importance for long‐term population viability. Given the widespread distribution of similar species globally, there are likely to be other flyways worthy of scientific and conservation management attention that could be identified using our approach.

As the world recognises the need to adapt to unavoidable climate change, diverse adaptation planning and risk assessment guides have emerged, with the legitimate intent of providing context- or sector-specific guidance. Despite this, adaptation seems challenged to move to action, and users of guides often report being overwhelmed or confused. New guides seem to continually re-invent the details of the adaptation cycle of planning and implementation, whereas it may be better to focus more on making these details salient to users at different stages of their adaptation journey, in terms of levels of experience or organisational process. We review 39 guides to identify leading practice around a basic set of six core steps in an adaptation cycle, which could be the starting point for any new guide. We then argue that it should be standard to provide guidance about different modes of applying an adaptation cycle in practice, which can help practitioners with different types of use and as they evolve their understanding of their adaptation needs. We show how defining three archetypal modes of adaptation cycle – Scan, Portfolio and Project – helps to sharpen the advice about the approaches to apply in each of the steps within each mode, and particularly to simplify the journey to action for practitioners considering climate adaptation for the first time. We discuss what response users have had to some applications of this approach. We conclude that it is time for adaptation researchers and practitioners to move on from putting energy into re-inventing the adaptation cycle, and instead provide more differentiated guidance for how the cycle can be applied as the user's context changes through their adaptation journey.

2019 Annual Forum presentation - overview of the research delivered over the five year EWKR project

Changes in Earth's climate are accelerating, prompting increasing calls to ensure that investments in ecological restoration and nature conservation accommodate such changes. To acknowledge this need, we propose the term “ecological renovation” to describe ecological management and nature conservation actions that actively allow for environmental change. To evaluate and progress the development of ecological renovation and related intervention options in a climate change context, we reviewed the literature and established a typology of options that have been proposed. We explored how these options address emerging principles underpinning climate‐adapted conservation goals and whether the balance of approaches reflected in our typology is likely to be sufficient given expected rapid rates of climate change. Our typology recognizes a matrix of 23 intervention option types arranged on the basis of underpinning ecological mechanisms (“ameliorate changing conditions” or “build adaptive capacity”) on one axis, and the nature of the tools used to manipulate them (“low regrets” or “climate targeted”) on the other. Despite a burgeoning literature since 2008, we found that the majority of effort has consistently focused on low‐regrets adaptation approaches that aim to build adaptive capacity. This is in many ways desirable, but a paradigm shift enabling greater attention to climate‐targeted approaches is likely to be needed as climate change accelerates. When assessed against five emerging principles for setting nature conservation goals in a changing climate, only one option type could deliver to all five, and we identified a conflict between climate‐targeted options and “wildness” values that calls for deeper evaluation. Importantly, much of the inference in the 473 reviewed studies was drawn from ecological reasoning and modeling, with only 16% offering new empirical evidence. We also noted significant biases toward North America and Europe, forest ecosystems, trees, and vertebrates. To address these limitations and help shift the paradigm toward humans as “renovators” rather than “restorers” of a prior world, we propose that ecological researchers contribute by (1) informing societal discourse toward adapting nature conservation goals to climate change, (2) adjusting and upscaling conservation planning to accommodate this suite of climate‐adapted goals, and (3) reconceptualizing experimental approaches to increase empirical evidence and expedite innovation of tools to address change.

Changes in Earth's climate are accelerating, prompting increasing calls to ensure that investments in ecological restoration and nature conservation accommodate such changes. To acknowledge this need, we propose the term "ecological renovation" to describe ecological management and nature conservation actions that actively allow for environmental change. To evaluate and progress the development of ecological renovation and related intervention options in a climate change context, we reviewed the literature and established a typology of options that have been proposed. We explored how these options address emerging principles underpinning climate-adapted conservation goals and whether the balance of approaches reflected in our typology is likely to be sufficient given expected rapid rates of climate change. Our typology recognizes a matrix of 23 intervention option types arranged on the basis of underpinning ecological mechanisms ("ameliorate changing conditions" or "build adaptive capacity") on one axis, and the nature of the tools used to manipulate them ("low regrets" or "climate targeted") on the other. Despite a burgeoning literature since 2008, we found that the majority of effort has consistently focused on low-regrets adaptation approaches that aim to build adaptive capacity. This is in many ways desirable, but a paradigm shift enabling greater attention to climate-targeted approaches is likely to be needed as climate change accelerates. When assessed against five emerging principles for setting nature conservation goals in a changing climate, only one option type could deliver to all five, and we identified a conflict between climate-targeted options and "wildness" values that calls for deeper evaluation. Importantly, much of the inference in the 473 reviewed studies was drawn from ecological reasoning and modeling, with only 16% offering new empirical evidence. We also noted significant biases toward North America and Europe, forest ecosystems, trees, and vertebrates. To address these limitations and help shift the paradigm toward humans as "renovators" rather than "restorers" of a prior world, we propose that ecological researchers contribute by (1) informing societal discourse toward adapting nature conservation goals to climate change, (2) adjusting and upscaling conservation planning to accommodate this suite of climate-adapted goals, and (3) reconceptualizing experimental approaches to increase empirical evidence and expedite innovation of tools to address change.

Preparing for climate change represents a significant challenge to environmental managers and is influenced by their ability to access and use the latest information. However, communicating and delivering adaption science across diverse stakeholder groups remain a significant challenge. We explore the utility of concepts from personality research to improve understanding of stakeholder capacity. Specifically, we defined eight potential climate-related personality 'axes' for natural resource management (NRM) organisations. We surveyed 80% of Australia's 56 regional NRM organisations to characterise their traits in relation to these axes. Through cluster analysis and trait mapping, we defined six NRM 'personality types'. These types were unrelated to external factors such as geographic location or land use activities. Rather, five organisational personality axes were important in defining personality type: where information is sourced, strategic skill sets for learning and reorganising, perceptions of risk and the ability to manage for uncertainty, perceptions of the role of NRM groups, and strategies for engagement. Identifying NRM personality type allows organisations to identify and capitalise on their strengths to target their adaptation efforts to maximise success. Organisations can also recognise what they might find most challenging and deliberately collaborate with other personalities with strengths in those areas. Finally, information providers can better understand how to tailor information delivery for improved knowledge exchange between research providers and organisations responsible for sustainability of natural resources, which enables stronger relationships and facilitates evidence-based decision-making.

Principles underpinning the goals of nature conservation and ecological restoration have traditionally involved preventing ecological change or restoring ecosystems or populations towards preferred historical states. Under global climate change, it is increasingly recognised that this may no longer be achievable, but there has been limited debate regarding new principles that can help guide goal-setting for nature conservation and ecological restoration in dynamic environments. To stimulate such debate, we established a framework of human motivations implicit in historically focussed nature conservation approaches. We drew on this and a literature survey to propose a palette of five principles to guide goal-setting for nature conservation and ecological restoration in a changing climate. Our framework proposes three broad sets of human motivations relevant to nature conservation: (1) basic survival and material needs (akin to provisioning and regulating ecosystem services), (2) psychological and cultural needs such as a sense of place (reflecting cultural ecosystem services), and (3) the need to fulfil moral or ethical obligations (e.g. intergenerational and interspecies equity). Meeting basic needs for current and future generations is supported by a commonly proposed principle to optimise ecological processes and functions (Principle 1); which in turn is dependent on maintaining the ongoing evolutionary potential in the world’s biota (Principle 2). Beyond this, motivations relating to psychological, cultural and moral needs demand not only an emphasis on healthy ecosystem functioning, but on the character and diversity of the ecosystems and species that contribute to these functions. Our subsequent three principles, minimise native species losses (Principle 3), maintain the evolutionary character and biogeographic structuring of the biota (Principle 4), and maintain wild natural ecosystems (Principle 5) contribute to these further goals. Although these principles can sometimes be conflicting, we argue that by connecting directly with underlying motivations, this broader palette will help take us forward towards more effective nature conservation in a rapidly changing world.

Landscape-scale conservation planning is key to the protection of biodiversity globally. Central to this approach is the development of multifunctional rural landscapes (MRLs) that maintain the viability of natural ecosystems and promote animal and plant dispersal alongside agricultural land uses. We investigate evidence that non-native grasses (NNGs) in rangelands and other low-intensity agricultural systems pose a critical threat to landscape conservation initiatives in MRLs both in Australia and globally. We first establish a simple socio-ecological model that classifies different rural landscape elements within typical MRLs based on their joint conservation and agro-economic value. We then quantify the impacts of eight Australian NNGs (Andropogon gayanus, Cenchrus ciliaris, Eragrostis curvula, Hyparrhenia hirta, Nassella neesiana, Nassella trichotoma, Phalaris aquatica and Urochloa mutica) on different landscape elements and then classify and describe the socio-ecological transformations that result at the MRL scale. Our data indicate that two broad classes of NNGs exist. The first reduces both conservation and agro-economic value ('co-degrading' species) of invaded landscapes, while the second improves agro-economic value at the expense of conservation value ('trade-off' species). Crucially, however, both classes cause hardening of the landscape matrix, agricultural intensification, reduced habitat connectivity, and the loss of multi-value land use types that are vital for landscape conservation. NNGs drive socio-ecological transformations that pose a growing threat to landscape-scale connectivity and conservation initiatives in Australia and globally. There is an urgent need for further research into the impacts of NNGs on habitat connectivity and biodiversity within multifunctional landscapes, and the socio-ecological goals that can be achieved when landscape transformation and degradation by these species is unavoidable.

Managing and restoring connectivity that enables wildlife movement through landscapes is the primary approach to reduce harmful effects of habitat loss and fragmentation. Improved connectivity is also increasingly invoked as a strategy to mitigate negative impacts of climate change by ehabling species to track preferred environments and maintain evolutionary processes. Although initiatives to improve connectivity Using restoration are becoming commonplace, we do not know how successful these actions are, nor which mechanisms underlie biotic responses.Most ecological monitoring focuses on site condition or quality rather than those landscape-scale processes that connectivity is intended to facilitate. To assess biodivetsity responses to connectivity initiatives, we argue that new monitoring approaches are needed that distinguish the roles of connectivity restoration from those of habitat augmentation or improvement.To address this critical gap, we developed a conceptual model of the hypothesised roles of connectivity in complex landscapes and a linked framework to guide design of connectivity monitoring approaches ill an adaptive management context. We demonstrate that integrated monitoring approaches using complementary methods are essential to reveal whether long-term landscape-stale goals are being achieved, and to determine whether connectivity management and restoration are the mechanisms responsible.We summarize a real-world example of applying our approach to assist government develop a monitoring plan for a large-scale connectivity conservation initiative in the Australian Capital Territory. As well as highlighting the utility of the framework to help managers make informed choices about monitoring, this example illustrates the difficulties of convincing funding bodies to include monitoring in project budgets and the questions more likely to be answered with limited funds.Synthesis and applications. Implementing an effective strategy to monitor connectivity conservation initiatives necessarily involves more work but we argue it is an essential investment rather than an additional cost. By optimizing allocation of limited monitoring resources, we can more effectively implement managefrient that improves functional connectivity, and understand how changing connectivity affects population persistence. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Despite the proliferation of connectivity modelling approaches, static models have limited usefulness for decision-making by policy-makers and land managers, particularly where significant changes in land uses might be expected into the future. This study presents a flexible, scenario-based approach for modelling fine-scaled connectivity using graph-theory with least-cost paths for modelling connectivity at the regional scale and circuit theory at the local scale. The method allows for the assessment of a range of scenarios based on varying land use practices. Using the Lower Hunter region, Australia as a case study we tested five scenarios that describe the impact of different development choices on connectivity, ranging from high rates of urbanisation to revegetation of a designated green corridor. The changes in connectivity from the current state were assessed by visualising component boundaries and link locations and calculating patch- and landscape-scale graph metrics. In the Lower Hunter we found the green corridor scenario increased connectivity both visually and quantitatively, as shown by a 105% increase in the integral index of connectivity (IIC) which measures habitat availability (reachability) at the landscape scale. In contrast the urbanisation scenario resulted in a decrease in connectivity, with a 39% decrease in the IIC. The approach outlined in this paper is flexible, enabling a range of interests to be included, depending on the datasets available and the issues that need to be addressed. Such methods can be readily and rapidly applied by consultants or government agencies, in this region and elsewhere, to incorporate connectivity modelling into development plans.

Fine-scale landscape features such as scattered trees are increasingly thought to be critical for dispersal, and need to be considered in connectivity modelling and planning. Yet existing modelling approaches struggle to adequately take fine-scale features and threshold dynamics of dispersal behaviour into account, in part because of computational limitations. We present a framework for modelling connectivity at fine spatial resolutions over large spatial extents. Our framework involves a novel approach to characterising fine-scale dispersal behaviour within the context of existing modelling methods, and uses key parameters of dispersal behaviour to link models and their interpretation at multiple scales. We address computational limitations by creating a gap-crossing threshold layer, which identifies areas where dispersal is possible because of the presence and spacing of fine-scale connectivity elements. This layer is combined with a dispersal-cost layer within a graph-network analysis to identify the optimal least-cost path between patches. Graph metrics are used to assess the importance of specific patches at the regional-scale and to describe connectivity for the whole landscape. A local-scale connectivity model using the Circuitscape software complements the regional analysis outputs by considering all possible pathways across a landscape simultaneously rather than a single least-cost path. The framework was designed specifically to be applied by land use planners who need to quantify the impacts of property development on fine-scale connectivity, yet need to assess implications at the regional scale. We demonstrate the framework by applying it in the Lower Hunter region, Australia. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Systematic reviews provide a rigorous, repeatable and quantitative method for assessing and synthesizing all available empirical evidence to evaluate a specific research, management, or policy question. They are particularly well suited for evaluating the effectiveness of environmental management actions, and thus for underpinning evidence-based adaptive natural resource management. However, their current utility may be limited in countries like Australia, where both the amount of research relative to land area and of well-monitored, active land management for environmental purposes are relatively low. Based on our experience conducting two of the first ecological systematic reviews in Australia, we have developed a number of recommendations for conducting systematic reviews in situations where resources and/or primary research data are limited. We discuss potential modification or augmentation of most aspects of the systematic review process including selection of a review team, question formulation, search strategy, data analysis, and the communication of results, as well as the inherent tradeoffs between systematic thoroughness and available resources that are involved in these changes. We hope that our recommendations will encourage more ecologists to undertake systematic reviews even if primary research and resources to conduct the review appear to be limited, as even a modified systematic review can provide more defensible evidence-based guidelines for management of natural resources.

Dispersal behaviour is a critical factor that can influence reintroduction success across multiple stages. To date, most attempts to deal with this issue have focused on either reducing or mitigating dispersal using various management tools, and solutions have focused on initial post-release dispersal without fully recognising or acknowledging the effects ongoing dispersal may have. We advocate for careful consideration of proposed sites for reintroduction, taking into account characteristics of the species (dispersal propensity and probability of mortality for dispersers), and assessments of both the release site and the surrounding landscape, including connectivity, linkages and invasive species management at the landscape scale. In some cases, existing knowledge may enable us to predict the effect of interactions between these species and site characteristics, enabling informed decisions to be made before reintroduction. We emphasise the need for reintroduction planning to incorporate an integrated landscape approach, viewing dispersal as a natural component of a species life history. Under integrated landscape management, the wider landscape beyond reintroduction sites could be managed, with the long-term goals of establishing self-sustaining populations and providing safe opportunities for dispersal and gene flow to recreate natural metapopulations.

Background: Habitat fragmentation and accompanying isolation effects are among the biggest threats to global biodiversity. The goal of restoring connectivity to offset these threats has gained even greater urgency under the looming spectre of climate change. While linear corridors have been the most commonly proposed solution to these issues, it has become increasingly recognised that structural connectivity exists in different forms with a variety of characteristics. We previously conducted a systematic review from 2008-2010 to collate and synthesise evidence regarding the relationship between these different types of structural connectivity and the actual movement of native Australian plants and animals (i.e., functional connectivity). Our previous review produced a number of management recommendations but also identified significant knowledge gaps. Given that empirical research into connectivity has become even more common since the original review and that it has been more than five years since the original literature searches, the time is ripe for an update of that review.Methods: We will update our previous systematic review by repeating a thorough search for both published and unpublished evidence on the effects of structural connectivity on animal and plant movement through heterogeneous landscapes. We will slightly broaden the scope of the original review by including data on semi-aquatic species as well as terrestrial ones. Studies will be included if they: 1) contain data on a terrestrial or semi-aquatic native Australian species; 2) have at least one study site that contains some form of structural connectivity between otherwise isolated patches of habitat; and 3) include data on movement of species through the connectivity or data that allow inference of movement (or the lack thereof). We will repeat the analyses carried out for the original review which used hierarchical linear modelling to assess the effects of numerous sources of heterogeneity (e.g., type of connectivity, width of connection, ecosystem type, taxonomic group, and many other characteristics of the species, habitat, and connectivity) on the amount of movement observed in a landscape. If increased sample sizes allow we will also carry out additional meta-analyses, which were not possible with the original dataset.

Climate adaptation presents a range of specific challenges to natural resource management (NRM) planning. These challenges are not necessarily new, but climate change and climate adaptation strengthen the need to consider them in NRM planning, potentially via innovative solutions. In this guide, we outline approaches for responding to four key challenges that, while not necessarily new for NRM bodies, can be intensified by climate change and climate adaptation. We then use a generalised planning framework to organise specific ideas about why and how planning approaches may need to shift to be effective under a changing climate. These ideas are posed as self-reflective questions, so NRM groups can consider whether their existing approaches are sufficient, need slight modification, or may need to be replaced with different approaches. We then provide specific suggestions, potential tools and examples of how to meet the challenges of climate adaptation, particularly with limited planning resources. This guide identifies questions that planners need to address to meet the challenges of climate change. Our aim is not to provide all the detailed frameworks and tools to address each question, but rather to recognise that what works best for each NRM group may be quite different. Thus, we provide some tools, links to further examples, and some suggested reading to encourage you to find tools or develop new approaches that best resonate with your approach to planning. After answering these questions and reading the case studies, you will have a clear understanding of how your planning process could be improved or extended. Our ultimate aim is to support planners, even in small ways, to make climate adaptation part of ongoing planning and action for improved NRM outcomes.