Threatened Species and Farming

There is increasing interest in and commitment to ecologically sustainable development of agriculture, both by government and individual farmers.

The ESAI, led by DPI and DSE, investigated new ways of protecting the natural environment while maintaining the economic viability of farm enterprises. Many farmers are aware of the environmental impacts of agriculture but require additional resources and knowledge to tackle these.

This project, Threatened Species and Farming, contributes to the Initiative by examining some of the underlying conservation issues and illustrating practical management options via case studies of threatened species of flora and fauna that exist on farmland.

Image: Threatened Species Montage

About two-thirds of Victoria is private land, largely cleared of native vegetation and primarily used for agriculture. Many threatened native plants and animals occur in these landscapes and are affected by agricultural practices.

Agricultural land now provides the last refuge for some species, and its management is therefore crucial to their long-term survival. Some landholders are already managing threatened species as part of a broader aim of native habitat conservation on their farms.

Thretened Species in Agriculture

Objectives

Improved understanding by stakeholders in the agricultural community of the conservation of threatened species on farmland.
Documentation of management techniques that combine protection of threatened species with sustainable agricultural production.

Outcomes

Reports on modifications to existing agricultural management practices, and design of new practices, to protect selected threatened species.
Reports on opinions of relevant agricultural extension program staff, and of farmers, about the barriers and opportunities for conservation of threatened species.
Delivery of information on case studies of practices needed to protect selected threatened species to agricultural land managers and advisers.

Reports

Image: Threatened Species Final Report Cover

Threatened Species and Farming - Final Report June 2006 (PDF 769KB)

To view the information PDF requires the use of a PDF reader. This can be installed for free from the Adobe website (external link).

Contact
Annette Muir (project leader), DSE, Melbourne.

Related Links

Department of Sustainability and Environment Website (external link).

DSE Plants and Animals (external link).

DSE Native Plants and Animals (external link).

Threatened Species Information Notes on the DSE website (external link).

Information about the Drivers of Land Use Change project on the DSE website (external link).

The National Land and Water Resources Audit (external link) provides a nation-wide assessment of Australia's biological, land and water resources in order to support sustainable development. Through the NLWRA website, access to data, information, map generation and reports published by the Audit can be obtained.

Information on the Advisory List of Rare or Threatened Plants in Victoria is available on the DSE website (external link).

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There is increasing interest in and commitment to ecologically sustainable development of agriculture, both by government and individual farmers. The ESAI, led by DPI and DSE, investigated new ways of protecting the natural environment while maintaining the economic viability of farm enterprises. Many farmers are aware of the environmental impacts of agriculture but require additional resources and knowledge to tackle these. This project, Threatened Species and Farming, contributes to the Initiative by examining some of the underlying conservation issues and illustrating practical management options via case studies of threatened species of flora and fauna that exist on farmland.
About two-thirds of Victoria is private land, largely cleared of native vegetation and primarily used for agriculture. Many threatened native plants and animals occur in these landscapes and are affected by agricultural practices. Agricultural land now provides the last refuge for some species, and its management is therefore crucial to their long-term survival. Some landholders are already managing threatened species as part of a broader aim of native habitat conservation on their farms.	Thretened Species in Agriculture
Objectives Improved understanding by stakeholders in the agricultural community of the conservation of threatened species on farmland. Documentation of management techniques that combine protection of threatened species with sustainable agricultural production.