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Investigations into how ecotourist resorts and their visitors impact local ecosystems and their wildlife have produced mixed results. One characteristic of ecotourist infrastructure is anthropogenic noise, and especially how fluctuations of visitors contribute to it. Furthermore, we do not understand how these noise levels influence animal species richness and/or assemblages. Here, we used passive acoustic recording over nine months to quantify how variation in weekly and seasonal human activity influence local bird assemblages at a popular ecotourist resort situated on K'gari (Fraser Island), Australia, a UNESCO World Heritage site and an Important Bird Area (Birdlife International). Background noise levels were highest during peak tourist season, especially proximate to main buildings. This noise was primarily associated with machinery and vehicles, but not human voices or music. Bird species richness correlated with noise (levels and detections), but did not appear to be sensitive to peak seasons or human voices. Community composition, however, was influenced by temporal and spatial fluctuations across peak tourist seasons. This study has implications for the development and maintenance of ecotourist infrastructure attempting to support visitors seeking sightings of rare or sensitive bird species and highlights anthropogenic noise as an important consideration for the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ghost crabs can be abundant at beaches where sea turtles nest, but the food web dynamics are poorly understood. Using multiple dietary methods, our research aimed to characterise the diet of the golden ghost crab Ocypode convexa at rookeries of the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta on the west coast of Australia, with a focus on determining the importance of sea turtle eggs and hatchlings to its diet. We achieved this through combining complementary methods: gut content analysis (GCA); DNA analysis of gut contents; stable isotope analysis (SIA); and controlled feeding experiments. GCA showed that O. convexa is a facultative scavenger with an omnivorous diet comprising high contributions (> 55%) of abundant beach-cast leafy brown algae. However, DNA analysis identified C. caretta in ≥ 20% of crab guts, and stable isotope mixing models suggested that sea turtle contributed 40–62% of assimilated C and N for male and 21–40% for female ghost crabs during the nesting season, while other animal and algal sources were also likely to be consumed when sea turtle eggs and hatchlings were absent or present. Aquarium-based feeding assays showed that ghost crabs prefer sea turtle and fish carrion over leafy brown algae (0.81 vs 0.10 vs 0.03 g/h consumed). Sea turtles provide large amounts of nutrients to consumers in the form of eggs and hatchlings, and golden ghost crabs benefit substantially from this pulsed resource along the Ningaloo coast, a World Heritage Area. Through the combined use of SIA, GCA, DNA, and feeding trials, this study highlights the important roles of both sea turtles and ghost crabs in energy fluxes and nutrient cycling at generally nutrient-poor sandy beach ecosystems. However, high consumption rates in the region can possibly put the long-term survival of the C. caretta population at risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Avoiding the undesirable impacts of invasive species requires robustly evaluating the effects of alternative management scenarios. Such evaluations depend on reliable spatio‐temporal projections of changes in the distribution and abundance of the invasive species under different scenarios. However, commonly used modelling approaches are constrained for this purpose because they do not incorporate demographic processes and are seldom validated.We develop a spatially and temporally explicit grid‐based population model for invasive fallow deer Dama dama in Tasmania, Australia, validated against observed distribution and abundance 'targets' using a pattern‐oriented approach. We use this validated model to project the future invasion patterns of deer, including encroachment into areas of high conservation value, under eight harvest and habitat suitability scenarios.Projected population sizes of deer differ greatly depending on harvest and habitat suitability scenarios. Without harvest, the population grows sixfold, from about 80,000 deer in 2019 to over 500,000 by 2100. In contrast, the population stabilises at 32,000–41,000 deer with 25% annual harvest. Abundance in the environmentally sensitive Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA), a region of high conservation value, increases in all scenarios. We identify likely areas in the expanding range of deer where targeted removal should be most effective at minimising deer numbers in the TWWHA.Synthesis and applications: Using a pattern‐oriented model validated with spatio‐temporal data, we show how the future distribution and abundance of invasive fallow deer in Tasmania can be substantially reduced by targeted increases in harvest and prioritising areas for removal around high conservation value regions. Our approach can be used to project likely effects of management interventions on future distributions and abundances for a range of invasive taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

North‐western Australia is considered a refuge to several highly threatened elasmobranch species, but there has been little research effort targeting lesser known, large‐bodied rhino rays. This study identified 2,343 records of globally threatened rays of the order Rhinopristiformes from the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with a focus on the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area and adjacent Exmouth Gulf.Occurrence data were compiled from various sources including commercial fishing reports (35%), citizen science records (34%), targeted scientific surveys (30%) and published literature (1%). The region was inhabited by all of Australia's Pristidae (four sawfish species), all of Australia's Rhinidae (three wedgefish species) and the sole Australian representative of the Glaucostegidae (giant shovelnose ray). Of the 2,343 records, ~49% were sawfishes, while giant guitarfish and wedgefishes contributed to ~33% and 18% of records, respectively.The Exmouth Gulf appears to be a globally important refuge and pupping area for green sawfish (Pristis zijsron) which was the most commonly encountered pristid. Bottlenose wedgefish (Rhynchobatus australiae) were the most commonly identified rhinid, with less frequent encounters of shark rays (Rhina ancylostoma) and eyebrow wedgefish (Rhynchobatus palpebratus). The Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area and adjacent Exmouth Gulf host all life stages of giant shovelnose ray (Glaucostegus typus).The combined use of several data sources has highlighted the study region as a 'lifeboat' for these globally threatened large‐bodied rays. These data are essential in creating effective conservation and management plans in this globally important refuge, and are highly relevant to global conservation initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia has recently completed their term as member of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, securing the seat from 2017 to 2021. Australia has 20 sites inscribed on the World Heritage Listi1. Australia has more natural World Heritage sites than any other country. During the 2017 - 2021 term, Australia worked to strengthen the operation of the Committee, placing emphasis on the effective management of existing properties, and encouraging greater geographic balance in the list and more focus on listing natural places of Outstanding Universal Value. However, funding is always a problem, particularly where historic populations of Indigenous and non-Indigenous exist. What is proposed to cope with such problems, is a new model using the concept of public private partnerships. Corporations wishing to reduce their footprints could purchase from the governments carbon and diversity credits, which are directly tied to the maintenance of highly forested areas, which are often subject to almost complete devastation from fires and floods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia’s coastal marine ecosystems have a deep cultural significance to Indigenous Australians, include multiple World Heritage sites, and support the nation’s rapidly growing blue economy. Yet, increasing local pressures and global climate change are expected to undermine the biological, social, cultural, and economic value of these ecosystems within a human generation. Mitigating the causes of climate change is the most urgent action to secure their future; however, conventional and new management actions will play roles in preserving ecosystem function and value until that is achieved. This includes strategies codeveloped with Indigenous Australians that are guided by traditional ecological knowledge and a modeling and decision support framework. We provide examples of developments at one of Australia’s most iconic ecosystems, the Great Barrier Reef, where recent, large block funding supports research, governance, and engagement to accelerate the development of tools for management under climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defining spaces and places in retrojective Geographical Information Systems (GIS) of land use and occupancy is not an easy task. Research into the areas described as suitable for land use and occupancy need to incorporate multiple perspectives of what makes a land use patch useful or salient ecologically. The effect of the concept of 'Terra Nullius' and European colonisation is deeply apparent in the current GIS models of historical land use and occupancy of Aboriginal communities within arid zones in Australia. Biocultural zones of land use and occupancy zones omit spaces and places of habitation due to European bias of what a suitable ecological or hydrological land use zone should look like. This article employs Exploratory GIS methods to interrogate the data layers within the Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Area, NSW, Australia. This work conclusively demonstrates that there are ranges of areas and land suitability zones prior to colonisation in the nineteenth century. In turn, these Exploratory GIS models of an active Country comprehensively address the question of why visually salient areas of hydrological and ecological Indigenous land use and occupancy continue to be ignored, destroyed, and damaged by settlements in semi-arid regions. Biocultural GIS mapping unpacks the myth that areas were empty or uninhabited by Aboriginal communities and underlines the need for biocultural GIS mapping tools to understand the habitable spaces and places of the arid zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Mitigation of wildfires at the wildland-urban interface (WUI) will be enhanced by understanding the flammability of plants growing in this zone. Aims. We aimed to: (1) compare shoot flammability among wildland native, and both urban native and urban exotic ornamental plants; (2) quantify relationships between shoot traits and flammability; and (3) establish flammability scores to distinguish low-from high-flammability species. Methods. Flammability and traits of field-collected shoots were measured and relationships quantified in 44 species from the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, Australia. Key results. In our study area, urban exotic plants were less flammable than wildland and urban native plants. Slow-igniting shoots had high fuel moisture and bulk density; short-burning shoots had low bulk density and volume; shoots recording low maximum temperatures had high fuel moisture, low bulk density and volume; and shoots with low biomass consumed in flames had high fuel moisture and low volume. Our novel flammability scores distinguished low-flammability (e.g. Lophostemon confertus) from high-flammability native species (e.g. Callistemon citrinus). Conclusions and implications. Low-flammability plantings at the WUI should preferably use native species given potential ecological impacts of exotics. We suggest that future work should seek to identify broader suites of low-flammability native species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Climatic events can have rapid and widespread environmental impacts on peatlands. This is concerning because peatlands are restricted environments in Australia and are vulnerable to degradation. Aims. This study aimed to investigate the loss of carbon from a burnt and eroded peatland. The cumulative effects of drought, bushfire and erosion events in south-eastern Australia was documented in a peatland in the Kings Tableland region within the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area in New South Wales, Australia. Methods. Following a fire and subsequent rain event, soil classification and the total export of soil materials and nutrients were quantified. Key results. The fire and erosional events caused an estimated loss of 28.80 t of organic material and 3.46 t of carbon from this site in a single 3-month period. Conclusions. Peatlands are slow-forming accretionary systems and this study highlights the potential for considerable loss of organic material and carbon from peatland systems due to rapid, climatic-driven changes. Implications. Peatland degradation in world heritage areas can have implications for carbon accounting and soil erosional loss, which may impact downstream environments and the functioning of these sensitive systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scale is a critical factor in biodiversity assessments; assessments at inappropriate scales can compromise assessments and drive poor management outcomes. A key dataset for many conservation reserves is a map of vegetation patterns. However, the appropriateness, scale and accuracy of mapped vegetation values is rarely assessed. This study assessed vegetation mapping undertaken at differing scales using two common competing methods. The aim was to assess map utility for management planning within an important conservation reserve (Mugii Murum-ban State Conservation Area—MSCA) integral to the globally significant Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area in eastern Australia. Mapping typical of a common modelling approach failed to detect six of 21 vegetation types within MSCA. These vegetation types are part of four rare and/or endangered ecosystems. Overall accuracy (66%) was lower than sub-regional scale mapping based on air photo interpretation (77%) backed by higher levels of field data and local knowledge. Thus higher levels of spatial attribution applied to the modelling was not associated with increased map accuracy, although accuracy varied largely among vegetation types. The modelled map product has a consistent methodology across the state of New South Wales and provides important context for sub-regional mapping, but proved inappropriate for reserve management planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geological heritage of Australia's landscapes and World Heritage areas has generally been underpromoted to the public by the tourism industry. However, in 2008, the fledgling world of geotourism in Australia received a significant boost with two events: the Inaugural Global Geotourism Conference 'Discover the Earth beneath our Feet' held in Fremantle, Western Australia, and the declaration of the UNESCO Kanawinka Global Geopark, which linked volcanic regions in South Australia and Victoria. Simultaneously the Australian Federal Government launched the 'Australian National Landscapes' (ANL) program. However, this impetus was not sustained when the Kanawinka Global Geopark was deregistered as a UNESCO-branded geopark in 2012, and the ANL program faded within a decade. Despite these setbacks, as an outcome of the 2008 Fremantle conference, several productive lines of geotourism have developed across Australia. This paper reviews the history of Australian geotourism since 2008. It examines the impacts of the experiences, lessons learned, problems for geology as perceived by National Parks and the Environment movement, geological communication problems, and the subsequent evolution of Australian geotourism. From these issues, new non-government bodies and initiatives have arisen, including the Australian Geoparks Network, the Australian Geoscience Council, and the recent development of a National Geotourism Strategy. Strong elements emerging from these initiatives are the increasing development of geotrails (which suit the large Australian continent) and the new Australian concept of 'GeoRegions'. These are in response to an awareness that geotourism requires a flexible outlook to widen the appreciation and appeal of geological heritage and landscapes to the broader public. A further new direction is suggested: for Australian geotourism to combine with some elements of ICOMOS Cultural Routes. An outstanding example, the ICOMOS Overland Telegraph Line (OTL) Cultural Route that crosses Australia from south to north, is considered. For 2000 km, the construction of this line in the 1870s followed the regional geology and hydrology, relying upon the available biota but bringing about a clash of human cultures. The six colonies of Australia were finally linked to the world by wire, but the arrival of the OTL had a significant impact on the country's Indigenous inhabitants. In Australia and globally, geotourism is incorporating the A–B–Cs (abiotic, biotic and cultural elements) to more effectively encourage the public to value their landscapes and the associated stories. The OTL provides an example of a newly introduced fourth dimension for geotourism, which gives consideration to the socio-political context of landscape adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sphagnum bogs in Australia are small, with a limited distribution, but of high conservation value. They are restricted to cool, wet environments that are typically fire free and are poorly adapted to recover from fire disturbance, unlike most Australian flora. Increased fire activity due to anthropogenic climate change is threatening Sphagnum bogs. This increased threat has stimulated interest in their restoration. Compared with the northern hemisphere, there have been few studies of the ecology of Sphagnum restoration in the southern hemisphere. Here, we report on a field experiment in Tasmania, in an area burned by an extensive fire in 2016. We investigated the role of shade, fertilizer and transplants, factors demonstrated to be important in the restoration of burnt bogs on the Australian mainland. Treatments commenced three to 4 years after the fire. Overall, we found that fire‐damaged Sphagnum recovers very slowly, and that there was no recovery in severely burned areas. The addition of shade increased recovery of damaged Sphagnum, but fertilizer was harmful, even to healthy Sphagnum. Transplants in fire‐killed Sphagnum grew poorly in both moderately and severely burnt Sphagnum areas. Our findings support the use of shading in post‐fire Sphagnum recovery projects, although further work is required to determine the optimal approach and duration of providing shade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Report cards that are designed to monitor environmental trends have the potential to provide a powerful communication tool because they are easy to understand and accessible to the general public, scientists, managers and policy makers. Given this functionality, they are increasingly popular in marine ecosystem reporting. We describe a report card method for seagrass that incorporates spatial and temporal variability in three metrics—meadow area, species and biomass—developed using long-term (greater than 10 years) monitoring data. This framework summarises large amounts of spatially and temporally complex data to give a numeric score that provides reliable comparisons of seagrass condition in both persistent and naturally variable meadows. We provide an example of how this is applied to seagrass meadows in an industrial port in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area of north-eastern Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tropical and subtropical rainforests of eastern Australia are a major component of the Forests of East Australia global hotspot. Australian rainforests are maintained orographically and are embedded within vast tracts of pyrogenic open forest and woodland. Australian tropical and subtropical forests stretch over 24° of latitude from Cape York, Queensland, to south of Sydney, New South Wales. Since European colonization in 1788 these rainforests have been reduced in extent by about 30%. The most abundant and functionally significant animal species within these forests are arthropods. These have attracted the attention of western science since before formal colonization. Through the twentieth century this focus increased and comparative biogeographic studies began to emerge. Some taxa have received much more attention than others. Selected butterflies and beetles plus economically important species stand out in this respect. From the late 1980s mass sampling approaches developed. Recent research foci have included tropical and subtropical elevational transects, latitudinally diverse multi-method one-hectare surveys, and use of canopy knockdown as a way of sampling the canopy. Important and distinct patterns reflecting latitude, altitude and vertical position have emerged. A focus on moths in remnant and elevational studies has led to the identification of indicator sets of species which may be most useful for tracking the impacts of environmental degradation and global warming. Arthropods are increasingly being nominated on lists of rare, threatened and endangered species; a range of species of insects, particularly butterflies, have been so identified in Australia but few of these are rainforest species. The vulnerable Richmond Birdwing butterfly, a species of subtropical rainforests, has become an icon of how recovery methods can be applied to invertebrate species. Regarding the entire rainforest community—microbiota, plants, vertebrates and invertebrates—as the 'object' to be conserved is an essential and much more realistic mindset for future conservation efforts. Most of Australia's tropical and subtropical rainforests are held in National Parks and they are defining features of two of Australia's largest World Heritage Areas. Growing impacts of global warming means they cannot be regarded as 'safe' from a conservation point of view. Increasing frequency of wildfires impinging upon rainforest areas is having a devastating effect on some of these fire-sensitive forests. Implications for insect conservation: Most of Australia's tropical and subtropical rainforests are held in National Parks and they are defining features of two of Australia's largest World Heritage Areas. Nevertheless the growing impacts of global warming means they cannot be regarded as 'safe' from a conservation point of view. Increasing frequency of wildfires impinging upon rainforest areas is having a devastating effect on these fire-sensitive forests. Regarding the entire rainforest community—microbiota, plants, vertebrates and invertebrates—as the 'object' to be conserved is an essential and much more realistic mindset for future conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The spectacled flying fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) is an endangered frugivorous megabat with a restricted habitat in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area in far north Queensland, Australia. Its population is in decline, and as such, mortality events in the species require investigation and the development of mitigation strategies. Cleft palate syndrome, first observed in the spectacled flying fox population in 1998, has produced sporadic neonatal mortality events over the past two decades. This study presents the rudimentary morphological signs of cleft palate syndrome in spectacled flying fox neonates, presenting gross pathology of syndromic signs upon visual inspection and a histological examination of palate malformations. It examines syndrome incidence data from the past two decades and reviews recent flying fox research to develop hypotheses related to the causes of the syndrome and to develop future research focuses. This, and future studies, will provide a greater understanding of the risk factors associated with the syndrome to guide the development of mitigation strategies that can deliver conservation outcomes for an endangered species, while presenting a unique opportunity for a novel comparative study into syndromic cleft palate in mammalian species. Cleft palate syndrome, first observed in the spectacled flying fox population in 1998, has produced sporadic neonatal mortality events over the past two decades, with an estimated incidence of up to 1/1000 births per year. This study presents a rudimentary characterisation of the syndrome, presenting gross pathology of syndromic signs upon visual inspection, a histological examination of palate malformations, and syndrome incidence data representing the past two decades. The syndrome presents with a range of signs, primarily congenital palate malformations ranging from a pinhole cleft to a complete hard and soft palate deficit, resulting in the death or abandonment of neonates shortly after birth. The congenital palate malformations are often associated with claw deformities, wiry facial hair, and in some instances, muscle weakness and neurological signs. The natural occurrence of the lethal congenital orofacial birth defects in the spectacled flying fox presents a unique opportunity for the investigation of putative aetiologies, drawing parallels between bat and other mammalian cleft palate risk factors. Further syndrome investigation has the potential to deliver both biodiversity conservation and comparative veterinary and biomedical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Treeless areas in forested landscapes are an enduring ecological puzzle globally. A fire-mediated alternative stable state (FMASS) model has been proposed to explain mosaics of forest and sedgeland in Tasmania, whereby shifts in fire frequency change vegetation and soil patterns. This model is controversial, and a key step in proving it demands elucidating post-fire vegetation dynamics at landscape-scales and over historical timeframes. Objectives: To quantify historical changes in extent of a large sedgeland patch surrounded by tall Eucalyptus forest and evaluate post-fire recovery after a large wildfire burned the area in 2019. Methods: We mapped historical vegetation changes by analysing sequences of aerial photography from 1947 to 2010, and in 2020 used UAS LiDAR to geolocate the current forest boundary. Satellite imagery, field measures of char: canopy height ratio, and stem mortality were used to gauge fire severity, while vegetative and seedling regeneration were used to assess post-fire recovery. Results: Forest-sedgeland boundaries were stable over the 73-year period. Sedgeland and scrub communities experienced high severity fires, reflecting their low stature compared to taller forest, which suffered minimal canopy impact. The dominant sedge and tree species in the three communities were post-fire resprouters, resulting in rapid recovery of vegetation structure, with prolific seeding of species killed by the fire. Conclusion: Forest-sedgeland boundaries in western Tasmania are resilient to fire because of keystone resprouter species, and geographically stable in historical time frames, a finding inconsistent with the FMASS model. Our study contributes to global question of treeless area in climate zones suitable for forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Biocultural mapping: unpacking the myth of an unsuitable Country in the arid zone, Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Area, Australia." The correction acknowledges the omission of an Elder, Joan Slade, in the acknowledgements section of the original article. The revised acknowledgement includes gratitude to the Indigenous communities for their consultation and support, as well as specific individuals who contributed to the project. The research was supported by various grants and funding sources. The publisher, Springer Nature, remains neutral in terms of jurisdictional claims and affiliations. [Extracted from the article]

Montane ecosystems cover approximately 20% of the Earth's terrestrial surface and are centres of endemism. Globally, anthropogenic climate change is driving population declines and local extinctions across multiple montane taxa, including amphibians. We applied the maximum entropy approach to predict the impacts of climate change on the distribution of two poorly known amphibian species (Philoria kundagungan and Philoria richmondensis) endemic to the subtropical uplands of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, World Heritage Area (GRAWHA). Firstly, under current climate conditions and also future (2055) low and high warming scenarios. We validated current distribution models against models developed using presence-absence field data. Our models were highly concordant with known distributions and predicted the current distribution of P. kundagungan to contract by 64% under the low warming scenario and by 91% under the high warming scenario and that P. richmondensis would contract by 50% and 85%, respectively. With large areas of habitat already impacted by wildfires, conservation efforts for both these species need to be initiated urgently. We propose several options, including establishing ex-situ insurance populations increasing the long-term viability of both species in the wild through conservation translocations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban freshwater ecosystems exhibit distinct patterns of elevated major ions (calcium, potassium and bicarbonate) and metals, referred to as the 'urban geochemical signature'. However, the implications of this urban fingerprint at the water-sediment interface within sensitive freshwater systems are not well-known. Temperate Highland Peat Swamps on Sandstone are unique freshwater wetlands found within and surrounding the high-conservation value Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and are a listed 'endangered ecological community' in Australia. Water and sediment chemistry were assessed within four urban and four naturally vegetated swamp catchments, through field monitoring and novel laboratory techniques (including X-ray diffraction). Urban swamps had distinct elemental signatures compared to naturally vegetated swamps. Urban swamp water displayed increased pH, elevated ionic strength, major ions (calcium and bicarbonate) and metals (strontium, barium, manganese and iron). Urban swamp sediment had higher calcium, with calcium hydroxide detected at two urban sites. Urban development and concrete drainage infrastructure in swamp catchments modify natural hydrology and water chemistry. Findings suggest swamp sediments may act as sinks of metals and alkalinity, with urbanization remaining a potential source. However, the consequences for high-conservation value systems are not well understood. As urbanization continues to expand, this has implications for fragile freshwater environments worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This timely collation of case studies, written by and with Traditional Owners of diverse Australian offshore islands, offers direct insights into benefits arising from strategic and participatory action planning for biocultural island conservation and monitoring. We pay respect to the Old People and Elders whose dedicated care of their island homelands means we today can still experience their cultural and natural diversity. We extend greetings to our Pacifika neighbours, and to carers of islands around Earth. Our paper scopes socio-economic benefits arising from planning for islands, for Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders, and more generally. Global, national, state and local co-investments support place-specific planning for some islands by Traditional Owners as a starting point toward shared governance and caring for Country. Case studies describe Country planning for Mayala Country in Australia's northwest, Woppaburra experiences within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and integrated biocultural health monitoring arising from remote island Indigenous Protected Area planning in Torres Strait. New institutional initiatives are also seeking to create solid foundations for more substantive island research collaborations. Across Australia, novel relationships grounded in culturally assured, holistically integrated approaches to island governance and caring for Country involving Traditional Owners and island resource users/managers are creating equity in livelihoods and stronger wellbeing. Australia's innovative Sea Country collaborations, with priorities initiated and led by island Traditional Owners, carry real value for sustained island conservation and provide positive inspirations for global humanity in the accelerating Anthropocene. Earth's islands face grave challenges. In Australia, innovation in island knowledge sharing between Traditional Owners and other island users and managers is moving beyond the participatory action planning space to generate equity in livelihoods and wellbeing on Sea Country. The tangible benefits arising are grounded in cultural governance and authority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2003, human footprints were discovered preserved in silt in Australia's Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area. Excavations revealed over 400 footprints. Optically stimulated luminescence dating of the sediments indicated the footprints were created 20,000 years ago. Erosion of the overlying sediments exposed the site. Conservation strategies were formulated after discussion between the First Nations custodians, archaeologists and government agencies. The excavated site was reburied on the recommendation of a detailed management plan. Various models were considered for keeping the site open. The decision to rebury the footprints was the only practical option for preservation due to the harsh local conditions and the remote location. The dynamic nature of the landscape generates challenges for the site, and more footprints are periodically exposed. Further work is planned to create more detailed 3-D scans of all the prints. The site provides a powerful link with the ancestors of the current First Nations community of the region. It is also a unique snapshot of life as Australia became increasingly arid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers a problematic dynamic in the protection of natural World Heritage properties for sites that also possess significant cultural assets, but that fall short of the World Heritage designation 'outstanding universal value' standard for cultural significance. The destruction of cultural heritage places in natural settings is a global concern and we use an Australian case study to illustrate the argument that cultural assets located within natural properties should be given an allied protection status. We argue that protection problems arise, represented by a nature/culture binary trope, despite significant progress in using more holistic approaches, as exemplified by cultural landscapes. To demonstrate our argument, we consider controversy surrounding a development proposal within the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area (GBMWHA), located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. We find that a development proposal to raise a storage dam wall triggers significant problems for protecting both natural and cultural heritage features across the GBMWHA landscape and, in this context, we recommend a reconsideration of the rigid natural/cultural heritage binary of World Heritage classifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malleodectes? wentworthi, sp. nov. is a highly specialized durophagous marsupial from a Middle Miocene limestone cave deposit in the Riversleigh World Heritage area, northern Australia. It provides the first information regarding the lower dentition of malleodectids, an extinct family of dasyuromorphians. It is also the smallest durophagous member of Metatheria (marsupials and their stem relatives) known to date, with an estimated body mass of ∼70–90 g, an order of magnitude smaller than other known malleodectids (Malleodectes mirabilis and Ma. moenia ∼1 kg). As in other malleodectids, Ma.? wentworthi has a hypertrophied, dome-like premolar specialized for crushing hard foods. Tentative assignment to the genus Malleodectes is based on derived similarities of the premolar and molar dentition to those of larger species of Malleodectes (known only from upper dentitions), and occlusal compatibility. Quantitative morphofunctional analyses of dental indices and mandibular bending strength are congruent with the previously proposed hypothesis that malleodectids may have been uniquely specialized snail-eaters. Maximum parsimony phylogenetic analysis of a 173 morphological character dataset, with a molecular scaffold enforced, placed Ma.? wentworthi within Dasyuromorphia, in a basal polytomy with Dasyuridae and Mutpuracinus archibaldi, to the exclusion of Barinya wangala, Myrmecobiidae and Thylacinidae. Bayesian analysis of a total evidence dataset that combined morphological with nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence data places Ma.? wentworthi as a sister taxon to crown-clade Dasyuridae, although support for this relationship is weak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploratory GIS models present multiple different conceptual versions of space. This article focusses on the landscape level pathways between areas defined as suitable for land use and occupancy within the Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Area (WLRWHA), New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Models of the potential connections between ecologically significant land use patches and key hydrology provide iterative networks of functional connectivity, highlighting salient pathways of past land use and occupancy of Country. The shape of the connections between places is important to understanding Country from the inside. Outputs from these network models are a powerful visualisation tool because they display areas where contact with the 19thc Europeans, particularly through fence construction and ground water appropriation, caused greater levels of exploitation and damage than currently recognised. Concomitantly, the benefit of situating these network techniques within an exploratory framework cannot be understated. The iterative nature of the exploratory design allows for multiple presentations of the connectivity between the spaces within the WLRWHA and therefore multiple ways of knowing and seeing space. Modelling the potential pathways between suitable patches opens the door to discussions about the diverse possible corridors of activity within pre-European settlement of Country and the corollary discussion of how European settlement substantially impacted upon these connections and continues to impact on a living Country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many authors have suggested that the vulnerability of montane biodiversity to climate change worldwide is significantly higher than in most other ecosystems. Despite the extensive variety of studies predicting severe impacts of climate change globally, few studies have empirically validated the predicted changes in distribution and population density. Here, we used 17 years (2000–2016) of standardised bird monitoring across latitudinal/elevational gradients in the rainforest of the Australian Wet Tropics World Heritage Area to assess changes in local abundance and elevational distribution. We used relative abundance in 1977 surveys across 114 sites ranging from 0-1500m above sea level and utilised a trend analysis approach (TRIM) to investigate elevational shifts in abundance of 42 species. The local abundance of most mid and high elevation species has declined at the lower edges of their distribution by >40% while lowland species increased by up to 190% into higher elevation areas. Upland-specialised species and regional endemics have undergone dramatic population declines of almost 50%. The "Outstanding Universal Value" of the Australian Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, one of the most irreplaceable biodiversity hotspots on Earth, is rapidly degrading. These observed impacts are likely to be similar in many tropical montane ecosystems globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA) in north eastern Australia spans 2500 km of coastline and covers an area of ~ 350,000 km2. It includes one of the world's largest seagrass resources. To provide a foundation to monitor, establish trends and manage the protection of seagrass meadows in the GBRWHA we quantified potential seagrass community extent using six random forest models that include environmental data and seagrass sampling history. We identified 88,331 km2 of potential seagrass habitat in intertidal and subtidal areas: 1111 km2 in estuaries, 16,276 km2 in coastal areas, and 70,934 km2 in reef areas. Thirty-six seagrass community types were defined by species assemblages within these habitat types using multivariate regression tree models. We show that the structure, location and distribution of the seagrass communities is the result of complex environmental interactions. These environmental conditions include depth, tidal exposure, latitude, current speed, benthic light, proportion of mud in the sediment, water type, water temperature, salinity, and wind speed. Our analysis will underpin spatial planning, can be used in the design of monitoring programs to represent the diversity of seagrass communities and will facilitate our understanding of environmental risk to these habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angiosperms have co‐evolved with animals over thousands of years leading to an array of mutualistic relationships. Passage of plant seeds through animal intestines leads to an important mutualism providing the animal with food and the plant with seed dispersal and enhanced germination. This phenomenon is well studied in terrestrial angiosperms, but there is less research in aquatic environments. We studied the effect of gut passage in marine mega‐herbivores (green sea turtles and dugongs) on seed germination for a common Australian seagrass, Zostera muelleri. We collected fecal samples likely to contain seeds, as well as seagrass seeds from plants at two coastal seagrass meadows in the central Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, Australia. Seeds collected from feces and plants were subjected to germination trials across different temperature treatments: low (19°C), medium (26°C), and high (32°C). We found excreted seeds had a significantly greater germination probability (two to four times greater) and germinated significantly faster (18–61% faster) than seeds from the plant. Excreted seeds which had not germinated at the end of the experiment were significantly less likely to be viable compared with seeds taken from the plant. Seeds released from the plant have a slow germination and low germination probability compared with excreted seeds, but retain a high percentage of seed viability. Our study is the first record of marine mega‐herbivores enhancing germination of Z. muelleri seeds. By transporting seeds to new locations and enhancing germination, these animals are important in seagrass resilience and connectivity among metapopulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a reconstruction of the Holocene evolution of the Inskip Peninsula in SE Queensland. The peninsula links two major dune fields, the Cooloola Sand Mass to the south and K'gari (Fraser Island) to the north. Geomorphic features of this peninsula include remnant parabolic dunes, numerous beach ridges with foredunes, and a series of spits. Together these features provide insight into Holocene coastal evolution and changing marine conditions. A remnant beach ridge/foredune complex at the northern portion of Inskip may have been connected to K'gari and a river/tidal channel near Rainbow Beach township which separated it from the Cooloola Sand Mass to the south. This channel avulsed northward in the early mid-Holocene (after 8.8 ka) with spit development from the south. This was followed by a phase of beach-ridge/foredune complex development that started by ~6.7 ka. Stratigraphic evidence from the highest and best developed parabolic dunes in the northern portion of Inskip Peninsula indicates dune development from the mid-Holocene beach complex by 4.8 ka. Beach ridges with foredunes continued to prograde but notably declined in size during the late-Holocene. In the latest Holocene (<4.8 ka) many of the late-Holocene beach ridges/foredune complexes have been truncated by a re-orientation of the shoreline and longshore sediment transport has promoted the growth of the modern spit at the northern end of the peninsula. Erosive and longshore processes continue to be highly active because of tidal interactions between Great Sandy Strait and the Coral Sea. This detailed study of Inskip Peninsula's evolution aids significantly in future coastal management decisions, and provides evidence for World Heritage Area extension for the Cooloola Sand Mass, including the incorporation of Inskip Peninsula itself. It also contributes to the global understanding to coastal evolution in an area of strong wave and tidal interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six tropical freshwater species were used to assess the toxicity of mine waters from a uranium mine adjacent to a World Heritage area in northern Australia. Key contaminants of potential concern for the mine were U, Mg, Mn, and total ammonia nitrogen (TAN). Direct toxicity assessments were carried out to assess whether the established site‐specific guideline values for individual contaminants would be protective with the contaminants occurring as mixtures. Metal speciation was calculated for contaminants to determine which were the major contributors of toxicity, with 84 to 96% of Mg predicted in the free‐ion form as Mg2+, and 76 to 92% of Mn predicted as Mn2+. Uranium, Al, and Cu were predicted to be strongly bound to fulvic acid. Uranium, Mg, Mn, and Cu were incorporated into concentration addition or independent action mixture toxicity models to compare the observed toxicity in each of the waters with predicted toxicity. For >90% of the data, mine‐water toxicity was less than predicted by the concentration addition model. Instances where toxicity was greater than predicted were accompanied by exceedances of individual metal guideline values in all but one case (i.e., a Mg concentration within 10% of the guideline value). This indicates that existing individual water quality guideline values for U, Mg, Mn, and TAN would adequately protect ecosystems downstream of the mine. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:2334–2346. © 2021 Commonwealth of Australia. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry © 2021 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area in Queensland, Australia contains globally significant seagrasses supporting key ecosystem services, including habitat and food for threatened populations of dugong and turtle. We compiled 35 years of data in a spatial database, including 81,387 data points with georeferenced seagrass and species presence/absence, depth, dominant sediment type, and collection date. We include data collected under commercial contract that have not been publicly available. Twelve seagrass species were recorded. The deepest seagrass was found at 76 m. Seagrass meadows are at risk from anthropogenic, climate and weather processes. Our database is a valuable resource that provides coastal managers and the global marine community with a long‐term spatial resource describing seagrass populations from the mid‐1980s against which to benchmark change. We address the data issues involved in hindcasting over 30 years to ensure confidence in the accuracy and reliability of data included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Willandra Lakes region is a series of once interconnected and now-dry lake basins in the arid zone of southeastern Australia. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of cultural, archaeological, and geological significance, preserving records of Aboriginal occupation and environmental change stretching back to at least 50 ka. Linking the archaeology with the commensurate palaeoenvironmental information is complicated by the millennial time spans represented by the past hydrological record preserved in the sediment vs. the subdecadal evidence of each archaeological site. Oxygen isotope records across annual growth rings of fish otoliths (ear stones) can elucidate flooding and drying regimes on subannual scales. Otoliths from hearth sites (fireplaces) link lake hydrology with people eating fish on the lakeshore. Oxygen isotopic trends in hearth otoliths from the last glacial maximum (LGM) were previously interpreted in terms of high evaporation under dry conditions. However, this ignored hydrology-driven changes in water δ18O. Here, a mass balance model is constructed to test the effect lake desiccation has on water δ18O and how this compares with the LGM otolith records. Based on this modelling, we suggest that Lake Mungo otolith signatures are better explained by evaporation acting on full lakes rather than by lake drying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding feeding ecology of extinct kangaroos is fundamental to understanding the evolution of kangaroos and the Australia paleoenvironment during the Oligo-Miocene. Comparisons with extant species have suggested that the macropodiforms of the Oligo/Miocene (kangaroos and allies) from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northern Australia, were predominantly folivorous browsers or fungivores, unlike the majority of extant species. To further test this hypothesis, we investigate the relationship between variation in cranial and mandibular shape of extant and extinct macropodiforms and ecological factors such as diet, locomotion, and body mass using 3D geometric morphometric analysis of 42 living species and eight extinct species from two radiations (the extinct clade of Balbaridae and some early representatives of the extant Macropodidae. Dietary class (fungivore, browser, grazer, and mixed feeder) correlated strongly with variation in cranial shape (20–25% of variance explained). There was also significant association between cranial shape, and both locomotor mode and body mass. In a principal component analysis of shape variation for crania (including the shape of the molar row), Riversleigh macropodiforms cluster with extant folivorous browsers on principal components (PC) 1 and 3, providing support for previous interpretations of these species as browsing kangaroos. However, as a group and regardless of phylogenetic association, the shape centroid of extinct species differs significantly from that of extant species. Riversleigh macropodiforms cluster with regular hoppers or arboreal tree kangaroos, but this may be a result of the correlation between diet and locomotor mode in kangaroos. Their similarity to extant browsers supports previous interpretations of rainforest and woodland environments at Riversleigh during the early and middle Miocene, respectively. Procrustes ANOVA Analysis of the full shape dataset and diet also shows that diet accounts for a significant portion of variation; however, when phylogeny is taken into account these results become nonsignificant. In analyses of dentary shape, some balbarid species cluster with extant mixed feeders, although this may reflect phylogenetic differences rather than ecological signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

K'gari in South East Queensland, Australia, is the world's largest sand island and a UNESCO World Heritage Area. The island is covered by extensive coastal dune fields that have been divided into seven morphological units (the Awinya, Yankee Jack, Bowarrady, Triangle Cliff, Freshwater, Station Hill, and Cape). Optically-Stimulated Luminescence dating of the dune sequences indicate that the Awinya unit is > 340 ka, and the Yankee Jack and Bowarrady units are ca. 180 ka old. Holocene dune sequences comprise Triangle Cliff (ca. 8.5 ka); Freshwater (ca. 4 ka); Station Hill (ca. 1.5 ka) and Cape (ca. < 0.5 ka). Combining these data with dune ages from the adjacent Cooloola Sand Mass, we demonstrate that for at least the last three glacial cycles the dunes were emplaced during intermediate to high sea-levels. At shorter time intervals (decades to centuries), some dune formation is affected by storminess. Initial formation of the dune field occurred in the mid-Pleistocene, but the most recent widespread stabilisation of dunes occurred late in Marine Isotope Stage 7 (MIS 7: 190–240 ka). The preservation of dunes relates to antecedent topography coupled with the duration and height of individual interglacial high sea-stands. This research confirms K'gari as an outstanding example of geomorphological processes and supports its World Heritage listing. • First chronology of all the major parabolic dune units on K'gari (formerly Fraser Island), the world's largest sand island. • The dune units are emplaced during intermediate to high sea-levels at least as far back Marine Isotope Stage 7. • A major Late Holocene scarp suggests that major cyclones can penetrate SE Queensland on occasions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sheath-tailed bats (Family Emballonuridae) from the early Pleistocene Rackham's Roost Site cave deposit in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, north-western Queensland are the oldest recorded occurrence for the family in Australia. The fossil remains consist of maxillary and dentary fragments, as well as isolated teeth, but until now their precise identity has not been assessed. Our study indicates that at least three taxa are represented, and these are distinguished from other Australian emballonurids based on morphometric analysis of craniodental features. Most of the Rackham's Roost Site emballonurid remains are referrable to the modern species Taphozous georgianus Thomas, 1915, but the extant species T. troughtoni Tate, 1952 also appears to be present, as well as a very large, as-yet undetermined species of Saccolaimus Temminck, 1838. We identify craniodental features that clearly distinguish T. georgianus from the externally very similar T. troughtoni. Results suggest that the distributions of T. georgianus and T. troughtoni may have overlapped in north-western Queensland since at least the early Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire in wetlands is poorly understood, yet hazard reduction burns are a common management practice and bushfires are becoming increasingly prevalent because of climate change. Fire may have long-lasting implications for the microbial component of these wetland ecosystems that regulate carbon and nutrient cycling. The extremely fire-prone Blue Mountains World Heritage Area in south-eastern Australia contains hundreds of endangered peat-forming upland swamps that regularly experience both bushfires and hazard reduction burns. In a before–after control–-impact study, we surveyed the sediment microbial community of these swamps to test the impact of a low-intensity hazard reduction burn. Along with sediment pH, moisture and organic content, we measured gene abundances including those relating to carbon cycling (quantitative PCR (qPCR) of pmoA , mcrA , bacterial 16S rRNA and archaeal 16S rRNA), and bacteria community fingerprint (terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP)). One year after the hazard reduction burn, there were no significant differences in the gene abundances or microbial community fingerprint that could be attributed to the fire, suggesting that the hazard reduction burn did not have a long-term impact on these microbial communities. A hazard reduction burn in an endangered upland peat-forming swamp in eastern Australia did not cause ongoing changes to sediment microbial community or sediment properties 1 year after the fire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flies (Diptera) are one of the most important groups of insect pollinators. Families Bombyliidae (bee flies) and Syrphidae (hover flies) are globally distributed with aproximately 5000 and 6200 described species, respectively. Many studies have attempted to quantify Syrphidae diversity in natural and agricultural environments, due to their perceived value as pollinators, decomposers of organic waste and agents of pest control. However, to date, there have been only two studies of Syrphidae communities in Australia, both of which focused on arable crops. Meanwhile, there have been very few studies of Bombyliidae diversity and none in Australia, despite the fact that bombyliid diversity can be high, far exceeding that of Syrphidae in some ecosystems. We aimed to learn more about Australia's anthophilous Diptera and their diversity in agricultural and native ecosystems. Using a combination of pan trapping and observation plot surveys, we assessed bombyliid and syrphid diversity at Bilpin, New South Wales, Australia, an important horticultural area within the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. Five syrphid species made up 62% of all individuals collected, while 22 species made up the remaining 32%, including nine species of Bombyliidae. The hover fly Melangyna viridiceps alone accounted for a third of all captured specimens. The larvae of the five most commonly encountered species are all aphidophagous. As such, aphidophagous species appear to be numerically dominant, and this is consistent with previous studies in south‐east Australian agroecosystems. M. viridiceps and Triglyphus fulvicornis were frequent visitors to flowering fruit trees and may therefore contribute to the pollination of these crops. However, most visited flowers were introduced weeds or escaped crop plants. The maintenance of diverse floral resources, which may include weeds, is important for sustaining populations of aphidophagous Syrphidae, which may contribute to both pollination and pest control. As a consequence, we recommend a more tolerant approach to weed management in orchards to better facilitate the ecosystem services provided by Diptera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current paleontological techniques to separate vertebrate fossils from encasing iron‐rich cements by chemical means are limited by the low solubility of common iron(III) hydroxide oxides such as hematite and goethite. This study examines novel geochemical extractions capable of selectively dissolving iron(III) hydroxide oxides, in aqueous solutions of pH 9–11, without damaging fossilised bones or teeth (hydroxidecarbonate‐apatite). This involves the siderophore ligands pyridoxal isonicotinoyl hydrazone (PIH), salicylaldehyde isonicotinoyl hydrazone (SIH), and acetohydroxamic acid (aHA), whose coordination complexes with iron(III) show exceptionally high formation stability constants. The methods have been tested on natural hematite and fossil containing samples from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in Australia. Both 0.01 mol dm−3 aHA and 0.001 mol dm−3 PIH at pH 9.7 were able to dissolve over 0.1 mmol dm−3 of the goethite coating bone fragments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to determine moisture thresholds for combustion of organic soils sampled from various vegetation types at 63 locations in Tasmania, Australia. To observe whether the soil sample sustained smouldering combustion, moisture content was experimentally manipulated and heat was applied. Combustion was primarily determined by moisture content, but was also influenced by soil bulk density and organic content: the gravimetric moisture content corresponding to a 50% probability of burning ranged from 25 to 94% as organic content varied from 34 to 96%. There was no evidence of differences among vegetation types in the relationship between soil combustibility and organic content. Combustion in Tasmanian organic soils occurred with moisture levels similar to those reported elsewhere, despite differences in vegetation and environment. It was also found that a hand-held meter that measured volumetric moisture content using time domain reflectometry could be used to satisfactorily predict organic soil combustion. Finally, combining the data with estimates of volumetric soil moisture based on high-resolution gridded weather data (Bureau of Meteorology Atmospheric high-resolution Regional Reanalysis for Australia, or BARRA), it was demonstrated that most Tasmanian organic soils are likely to be combustible at some time almost every summer (December to February). We experimentally determined the combustibility of organic soils from representative Tasmanian vegetation communities. We found soil combustion was primarily determined by moisture content, with a slight influence of organic content. Analysis of meteorological data shows most Tasmanian organic soils are probably combustible for at least a few days each summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia has one of the highest rates of biodiversity loss globally. Both a lack of long-term monitoring and inefficient management have been identified as major contributing factors. Reviewing national and international reports, perspectives and scientific studies on Australia's biodiversity management, I propose five steps to promote more effective management and monitoring of protected biodiversity assets by utilising available resources more efficiently. These steps involve: (1) better promotion of existing legislative instruments to protect biodiversity on private land; (2) creating strategic buffer zones around Australia's World Heritage Areas (WHAs) – such buffer zones would provide opportunities to reduce threats to the biological assets of WHAs that emanate from adjacent areas; (3) better engagement with stakeholders of the buffer zones in managing WHAs through their participation in evidence-based monitoring and early-threat detection (e.g. as 'Buffer-based Heritage Watch'); (4) targeted and coordinated restoration of native habitats adjacent to WHAs that are supported by effective carbon sequestration schemes; and (5) periodic integration of private protected areas within buffer zones into adjacent WHAs in accordance with the guidelines for extensions of WHAs by the World Heritage Committee. I demonstrate and justify the proposed steps using a spatial analysis of protected areas in Far North Queensland, but the proposed steps have relevance to protected areas in other Australian jurisdictions. The proposed steps would make current efforts of biodiversity protection and monitoring more efficient and would thus contribute to Australia's response to its current loss of biodiversity. Australia's high loss of biodiversity demands new approaches to the conservation and management of its natural assets. Based on identified shortcomings of current biodiversity management and existing national and international legislative mechanisms for biodiversity conservation, a five-step approach is presented to respond to Australia's biodiversity crisis. The approach aims at a better synergy between private and public protected areas [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Transdisciplinary research is important where information from multiple fields is required to develop ecologically and culturally appropriate environmental planning that protects local conservation and socio-cultural values. Objectives: Here, we describe research to inform ecosystem restoration and conservation of Chumbrumba Swamp within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, Australia. Many such open wetlands in the region have been degraded through agriculture and pastoral production, but there has been little research into their status, history and conservation needs. Methods: The recent to pre-European settlement history of the site was explored, along with spatial variation of vegetation communities at the site, and these data integrated with historical and ethnographical information on the site and its cultural values. Results: The botanical and palaeoecological analyses showed that Chumbrumba Swamp comprises a unique and highly sensitive ecosystem mosaic with high biodiversity. An endangered ecosystem complex, 82 vascular plant species, several disjunct or endemic taxa, and species at new northern range limits were recorded within its 20 ha area. The site comprises a stable swamp site with fringing woodland and rainforest that has persisted for around 5000 years. European settlement overlaid changes in the vegetation from disturbance (e.g. fire, clearing, grazing). However, fire also affected the swamp site during pre-European times. Conclusions: Historical and ethnographic information contextualised the biophysical data and confirmed the cultural importance of the site and the dynamic interactions between 'people and nature'. These results have been used to inform environmental restoration and validate the importance of a transdisciplinary and precautionary approach to planning wetland restoration and conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Understanding past distributions of people across the landscape is key to understanding how people used, affected and related to the natural environment. Here, we use habitat suitability modelling to represent the landscape distribution of Tasmanian Aboriginal archaeological sites and assess the implications for patterns of past human activity. Location: Tasmania, Australia. Methods: We developed a RandomForest 'habitat suitability' model of site records in the Tasmanian Aboriginal Heritage Register. We applied a best‐effort bias correction, considered 31 predictor variables relating to climate, topography and resource proximity, and used a variable selection procedure to optimize the final model. Model uncertainty was assessed via bootstrapping and we ran an analogous MaxEnt model as a cross‐validation exercise. Results: The results from the RandomForest and MaxEnt models are highly congruent. The strongest environmental predictors of site occurrence include distance to coast, elevation, soil clay content, topographic roughness and distance to inland water. The highest habitat suitability scores are distributed across a wide range of environments in central, northern and eastern Tasmania, including coastal areas, inland water body margins and forests and savannas in the drier parts of Tasmania. With the exception of coastal areas much of western Tasmania has low habitat suitability scores, consistent with theories of low‐density Holocene Tasmanian Aboriginal settlement in this region. Main conclusions: Our modelling suggests Tasmanian Aboriginal people occupied a heterogeneity of habitats but targeted coastal areas around the whole island, and drier, less steep and/or open forest and savanna environments in the central lowlands. The western interior was identified as being rarely used by Aboriginal people in the Holocene, with the exception of isolated pockets of habitat; yet whether this is a true reflection of Aboriginal‐resourceuse demands increased archaeological surveys, particularly in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long distance dispersal (LDD) contributes to the replenishment and recovery of tropical seagrass habitats exposed to disturbance, such as cyclones and infrastructure development. However, our current knowledge regarding the physical attributes of seagrass fragments that influence LDD predominantly stems from temperate species and regions. The goal of this paper is to measure seagrass fragment density and viability in two tropical species, assessing various factors influencing their distribution. We measured the density and viability of floating seagrass fragments for two tropical seagrass species (Zostera muelleri and Halodule uninervis) in two coastal seagrass meadows in the central Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, Australia. We assessed the effect of wind speed, wind direction, seagrass growing/senescent season, seagrass meadow density, meadow location and dugong foraging intensity on fragment density. We also measured seagrass fragment structure and fragment viability; i.e., potential to establish into a new plant. We found that seagrass meadow density, season, wind direction and wind speed influenced total fragment density, while season and wind speed influenced the density of viable fragments. Dugong foraging intensity did not influence fragment density. Our results indicate that wave action from winds combined with high seagrass meadow density increases seagrass fragment creation, and that more fragments are produced during the growing than the senescent season. Seagrass fragments classified as viable for Z. muelleri and H. uninervis had significantly more shoots and leaves than non-viable fragments. We collected 0.63 (±0.08 SE) floating viable fragments 100 m−2 in the growing season, and 0.13 (±0.03 SE) viable fragments 100 m−2 in the senescent season. Over a third (38%) of all fragments collected were viable. There is likely to be a large number of viable seagrass fragments available for long distance dispersal. This study's outputs can inform dispersal and connectivity models that are used to direct seagrass ecosystem management and conservation strategies. • There are large numbers of viable seagrass fragments available for dispersal. • Moderate winds with high seagrass density increases seagrass fragment creation. • More seagrass fragments are produced during the growing than the senescent season. • Seagrass fragments have more shoots and leaves than non-viable fragments. • Over a third (38%) of all floating fragments are viable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Egerniinae (formerly the Egernia group) is a morphologically diverse clade of skinks comprising 61 extant species from eight genera, spread across Australia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. The relatively large size and robustness of many egerniines has meant that they fossilize more readily than other Australian skinks and have been more frequently recorded from paleontological excavations. The Riversleigh World Heritage Area of northeastern Australia has yielded multiple egerniine fossils, but most are isolated jaw elements, and only one taxon ('Tiliqua' pusilla) has been formally described. Articulated remains recently recovered from the mid-Miocene AL90 site (14.8 Ma) at Riversleigh are here described as Egernia gillespieae and represent the first opportunity to describe the morphology of a significant portion of a single individual of a fossil member of the Egerniinae. We include this fossil and 'T.' pusilla in an integrated analysis of morphology and published molecular data to assess their relationships and to provide calibration points for the timing of the egerniine radiation. Our calibrated tree combining molecular and morphological data suggests that the modern Australian radiation dates to the end of the Eocene (34.1 Ma). Both fossils are within the Australian crown clade Egerniinae: Egernia gillespieae is placed close to species of the living genus Egernia, whereas 'Tiliqua' pusilla likely sits basal to the divergence of the clade inclusive of Tiliqua and Cyclodomorphus. The fossils thus provide direct evidence that the Australian radiation of the Egerniinae was well underway by the mid-Miocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]