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Mineral extraction activities are intensely disruptive to ecosystems and their associated fauna. Few countries globally have comprehensive legislation surrounding mine site restoration, but within Australia, restoration of discontinued mine sites is a legislative requirement. However, substantial ambiguity regarding the optimal techniques for restoring biodiverse and functional fauna assemblages remains, and monitoring activities typically focus on vegetation communities despite functioning ecosystems being reliant on key trophic interactions involving fauna. When fauna are considered, monitoring efforts typically yield baseline surveys of species richness and the presence or absence of conservation‐significant taxa. Even where complete ecosystem recovery is not the goal of post‐mining ecological recovery, we argue that there is a critical need for a life‐of‐mine approach to fauna monitoring underpinned by greater dialog between researchers, environmental regulators, and the mining industry. Environmental Impact Assessments should include requirements for the consideration of all potential impacts of mining on the structure, behavior, and ecological roles of fauna communities, restoration practices must facilitate the return of functional, resilient, and biodiverse fauna communities to restored post‐mining landscapes, and the scope of monitoring practices should be broadened to a holistic examination of fauna communities. Recognizing, quantifying, and monitoring the impacts of mining activities and subsequent rehabilitation or restoration on fauna is vital to understanding how anthropogenic disturbances affect natural ecosystems, and in assisting in the successful recovery of ecosystem functionality to areas that have been damaged, degraded, or destroyed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the behavioural responses of animals to habitat change is vital to their conservation in landscapes undergoing restoration. Studies of animal responses to habitat restoration typically assess species presence/absence; however, such studies may be restricted in their ability to show whether restoration is facilitating the return of self-sustaining and functional fauna populations. We present a case study using VHF/GPS tracking of a young adult perentie (Varanus giganteus), to demonstrate the range of applications of the Time Local Convex Hull method of home-range construction in analysing the behavioural responses of fauna to habitat change and restoration. Presence/absence studies provide single point locations of an animal, and the Minimum Convex Polygon method provides an invariant estimate of habitat use across the whole home range. However, the Time Local Convex Hull method provides a useful method for assessing movement and behavioural responses of fauna to habitat change and restoration, and the specific habitat requirements for the long-term support of populations. The breadth and multidimensionality of data generated indicates strongly that understanding the complex interactions between animals and their environment is fundamental to their conservation in the face of ever-increasing rates of human-induced habitat change and degradation. Understanding the processes driving animal responses to habitat change is vital to their conservation. We use GPS/VHF tracking and the T-LoCoH method to analyse movement and activity of a Varanus giganteus to habitat alteration and differing thermal environments at a Mid West Western Australian mine site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most revegetation conducted for biodiversity conservation aims to mimic reference ecosystems present predisturbance. However, revegetation can overshoot or undershoot targets, particularly in the early stages of a recovery process, resulting in conditions different from the reference model. Revegetation that has, as yet, failed to fully meet revegetation targets may, nonetheless, provide habitat for threatened species not present in reference ecosystems. To investigate this possibility, we surveyed Quokka ( Setonix brachyurus), a threatened macropod, in a mining landscape in south-western Australia. We established four sites in each of riparian forest, which is the preferred habitat of quokkas but is not mined, mid-slope forest, which is the premining reference ecosystem but is not suitable habitat for quokkas, and revegetated forest on mine pits 16-21 years postmining. We recorded quokkas in all riparian forest sites and two revegetated forest sites but not in any mid-slope forest sites. Occupied revegetated sites had greater cover between 0 and 2 m and were spatially closer to riparian forest than unoccupied revegetated sites, suggesting predation pressure was likely influencing which mine pits were occupied. Our study demonstrated postmining revegetation can provide new habitat for a threatened species and suggested that revegetating a small proportion of sites to provide new habitat for threatened species could be considered as a management option in some scenarios. This could improve landscape connectivity and increase both the area of available habitat and between-site heterogeneity, which could all potentially increase the ability of revegetation to conserve biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restoration can be important in slowing, or reducing, rates of biodiversity loss, but needs to consider the factors influencing fauna recolonization as part of the recovery process. Although many studies of factors influencing faunal recolonization have examined the influence of in situ site factors, fewer have examined the influence of neighborhood landscape factors, especially in landscapes with permeablematrices. To assess the relative influence of landscape and site factors on reptile recolonization in a production landscape with a permeablematrix, we surveyed reptiles at intact reference sites and post-mining restoration sites (3-20 years post-mining [YPM]) in a forest ecosystem in southwestern Australia. Reptile assemblages in restoration sites never converged on those in reference habitat. Reptile species composition and individual species abundances (>20 detections) in restoration sites were primarily influenced by site factors such as canopy height, litter cover, and coarse woody debris volume, and not by landscape factors. We suggest that the most common reptile species in our study area are primarily influenced by site factors, not landscape factors, and most reptiles detected in restoration sites were present by 3-4 YPM. Therefore, it is likely that habitat suitability is the main barrier to most species' recolonization of restoration sites in landscapes with permeable matrices. Management should continue to focus on restoring microhabitats and vegetation structure, which is similar to reference habitat to promote recolonization of restoration sites by reptiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Provision of key habitat resources is essential for effectively managing species that have specific ecological requirements and occur in production landscapes. Threatened black cockatoos in the jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest of Western Australia have a wide range, so their conservation requires support from all land tenures, not just reserves. Mining in the jarrah forest temporarily removes cockatoo feeding habitat, so it is important to understand how cockatoos exploit revegetated areas for food resources. Aims. We aimed to determine whether there were successional patterns in cockatoo feeding activity in revegetation aged from 4 to 23 years at three mine sites in the jarrah forest in south-western Australia. Methods. We surveyed 232 plots in revegetation to document (1) structural and floristic variation in vegetation across mine sites and revegetation ages, (2) differences in cockatoo feeding activity across mine sites and revegetation ages on the basis of feeding residues and (3) any edge effect reflecting preferential use of vegetation at the interior or exterior of mine pits. We also documented the frequency of occurrence of cockatoo food plants and feeding residues in 480 plots in unmined forest to compare with revegetated areas. Key results. Marri (Corymbia calophylla) and jarrah were commonly consumed in unmined forest and Banksia and Hakea species were also fed on to a lesser extent. Revegetated mine pits provided food within 4 years and continued to do so up until the oldest plots studied (23 years). The relative importance of food plants shifted from proteaceous species in young revegetation to myrtaceous species in intermediate to older revegetation. However, extent of feeding on myrtaceous species in older revegetation did not equate to feeding rates in unmined forest, with lower frequencies recorded in revegetation. Conclusions. Black cockatoos fed in revegetation at all three mine sites, despite variations in vegetation age, structure and floristics. Feeding on proteaceous and myrtaceous food plants occurred within 4 and 7 years of revegetation being established, respectively, indicating that some food resources are restored quickly after mining disturbance of the jarrah forest. Implications. Our results emphasise the importance of monitoring fauna recolonisation over appropriate time scales, to understand how successional processes in revegetation influence fauna population persistence in production landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

State-and-transition models are increasingly used as a tool to inform management of post-disturbance succession and effective conservation of biodiversity in production landscapes. However, if they are to do this effectively, they need to represent faunal, as well as vegetation, succession. We assessed the congruence between vegetation and avian succession by sampling avian communities in each state of a state-and-transition model used to inform management of post-mining restoration in a production landscape in southwestern Australia. While avian communities differed significantly among states classified as on a desirable successional pathway, they did not differ between desirable and deviated states of the same post-mining age. overall, we concluded there was poor congruence between vegetation and avian succession in this state-and-transition model. We identified four factors that likely contributed to this lack of congruence, which were that long-term monitoring of succession in restored mine pits was not used to update and improve models, states were not defined based on ecological processes and thresholds, states were not defined by criteria that were important in structuring the avian community, and states were not based on criteria that related to values in the reference community. We believe that consideration of these four factors in the development of state-and-transition models should improve their ability to accurately represent faunal, as well as vegetation, succession. Developing state-and-transition models that better incorporate patterns of faunal succession should improve the ability to manage post-disturbance succession across a range of ecosystems for biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems has emerged as a critical tool in the fight to reverse and ameliorate the current loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Approaches derived from different genetic disciplines are extending the theoretical and applied frameworks on which ecological restoration is based. We performed a search of scientific articles and identified 160 articles that employed a genetic approach within a restoration context to shed light on the links between genetics and restoration. These articles were then classified on whether they examined association between genetics and fitness or the application of genetics in demographic studies, and on the way the studies informed restoration practice. Although genetic research in restoration is rapidly growing, we found that studies could make better use of the extensive toolbox developed by applied fields in genetics. Overall, 41% of reviewed studies used genetic information to evaluate or monitor restoration, and 59% provided genetic information to guide prerestoration decision-making processes. Reviewed studies suggest that restoration practitioners often overlook the importance of including genetic aspects within their restoration goals. Even though there is a genetic basis influencing the provision of ecosystem services, few studies explored this relationship. We provide a view of research gaps, future directions and challenges in the genetics of restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The loss of suitable macro- and microhabitats can negatively affect an animal's ability to persist in an area, ultimately leading to range contractions. The western quoll D asyurus geoffroii is a wide-ranging Australian carnivore that has suffered a catastrophic range contraction since European settlement, partly due to landscape fragmentation. Bauxite mining in the jarrah forest of south-western Australia, where western quoll currently persist, disturbs and fragments large areas, potentially reducing habitat available to quolls. We examined macro- and microhabitat use by western quolls in fragmented landscapes containing remnants of unmined jarrah forest and bauxite mine restoration to determine the impacts of this fragmentation on its ecology. Specifically, we aimed to identify the microhabitats required by western quoll for denning and movement and if post-mining restored forests provided these microhabitats. Quolls used restoration of varying ages for denning. They were adaptable in den substrates used, selecting subterranean burrows associated with surface rocks in restoration where preferred substrates used in unmined forest (hollow logs and stumps) were less available. Logs were also an important microhabitat used by quolls to traverse through unmined forest and we recommend more logs are restored post-mining. Our results suggest that post-mining restoration provides a permeable matrix for western quolls, and individuals quickly re-colonize restored areas and use available habitat, particularly for denning. Important microhabitats such as logs, stumps and large hollow-bearing trees are relatively sparse in restored forest. Our study does not explicitly consider the potential effects of this on quoll survival and demography so further studies of breeding success and long-term survival across multiple generations of quoll are recommended. We concluded that forest restoration can be an important strategy in managing fragmented landscapes for wide-ranging species by providing pathways for movement, habitat for re-colonization and improved landscape connectivity for these species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Coarse woody debris is important yet is poorly studied in restored forests. [•] We examined effects of coarse woody debris on vertebrates in young restored forests. [•] Overall effects of coarse woody debris were weak because restored forests were young. [•] Still, coarse woody debris accelerated recolonisation by some reptile species. [•] Temporal continuity of coarse woody debris requires management of restored forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many Mediterranean-type ecosystems (MTEs) are now vulnerable to climate change, with some regions predicted to undergo a shift towards much drier and hotter conditions. Although MTE woodlands are highly resilient to periods of drought and perturbations such as fire, this shift increases the already wide range of threatening processes they face. Without intervention, such as revegetation, many of these woodlands could degrade to the point where they support little of the original biota. However, in MTEs with hard to predict breaks in the season and nutrient poor soils; seedling establishment success is often very low. Using degraded Eucalyptus gomptrocephala woodlands as a case study, we undertook two field trials with five commercially available plant treatments to evaluate their effectiveness in increasing early seedling establishment. We found that the mere addition of seedlings may not be enough to undertake successful revegetation in some degraded woodlands because a) survival rates in controls were, on average 53% at one of the study sites and b) the supplementation of nutrient resources beneath the rootball when planting increased early seedling growth and health compared with other treatments. We suggest that under emerging and well-recognized challenges to revegetation, supplementing abiotic resources, in particular nutrients applied exclusively beneath planted seedlings, may increase early establishment success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thinning and burning forests established on revegetated mine pits in jarrah ( Eucalyptus marginata) forests of south-west Australia is being considered as a management option to accelerate succession in sites with excessive tree densities. To assess the impact of thinning and burning on reptiles and small mammals, we installed trapping grids in eight thinned and burned sites, each paired with untreated controls. Of the eight pairs, four were in rehabilitated sites (planted with nonlocal species) and four were in restored sites (seeded with local species). Thinning and burning had no significant impact on the small mammal community, although Cercatetus concinnus was more abundant in rehabilitated sites. In contrast, thinning and burning significantly increased reptile abundance and species richness, with two species ( Morethia obscura and Menetia greyii) only recorded in thinned and burned sites. We concluded that thinning and burning was a successful management option in revegetated mine pits in jarrah forests, particularly because reptile communities created by thinning and burning were more similar to those in unmined forest. Although published studies for comparison are few, we expect thinning and burning to have generally positive effects on reptile communities in forest ecosystems where fire is an important disturbance agent. Our study emphasizes the importance of monitoring revegetated areas over time periods sufficient to detect deviations from desired successional trajectories, so that management options, such as thinning and burning, can be implemented if required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a survey on the impact of biodiversity conservation to bird communities in native remnants of contrasting conditions within bluegum plantations in Western Australia. It discusses the essential contribution of remnants to biodiversity in plantations fostering the value in keeping native remnants within plantation estates for biodiversity. Moreover, managing remnants as habitat to support a diversity of bird species within plantations is vital in ensuring regeneration.

1. There is increasing evidence that passive faunal recolonisation of restored areas can take decades or even centuries, reducing benefits to biodiversity from restoration. Thus, there is a need to develop restoration and management strategies that facilitate and accelerate faunal recolonisation. This requires identification of habitat features that act as filters to slow or prevent recolonisation and whether those filters are temporally unidirectional or dynamic. 2. We investigated successional patterns of reptiles and mammals in restored mine-pits in south-western Australia to identify potential filters to faunal recolonisation. We sampled reptiles and small mammals using 30 trapping grids across each of four restoration ages (4, 8, 12 and 17-years old) and unmined forest and assessed vegetation structure to identify animal-habitat relationships. 3. Mammal communities in restored areas converged on unmined forest communities as restoration matured, and all species recolonised rapidly, indicating there were no filters to mammal recolonisation. In contrast, reptile communities did not converge in the same way, indicating there were filters that slowed or prevented reptile recolonisation. We identified three reptile species that were slow, or failed, to recolonise restored areas and a fourth species that rapidly recolonised but disappeared as restoration matured. We identified low coarse woody debris (CWD) volumes and high overstorey stem densities as likely filters; the former is a unidirectional filter that will decrease gradually over long time frames, possibly centuries, while the latter is a dynamic filter that fluctuates in its intensity over short time frames of years. 4. Synthesis and applications. Our study adds to growing evidence that filters to faunal recolonisation may be widespread in restored areas, with important implications for restoration practices. Firstly, examining individual species may more effectively identify filters than examining community successional patterns. Secondly, filters can persist over long time frames, possibly centuries, so management, such as the provision and accelerated development of CWD, may need to occur over similar time frames. Lastly, filters can be dynamic and repeated management interventions, such as thinning, may be required to overcome these filters. The growing evidence for filters suggests that facilitating faunal recolonisation is more complex than simply returning vegetation to restoration sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]