Environmental Weeds

Environmental Weeds PDF

Author: Kate Blood

Publisher: C.H. Jerram & Associates

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13:

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Details over 175 environmental weeds in south eastern Australia. This field guide contains entries that include weed shape and size, history and uses, taxonomic relationships, origin, weedy distribution, description, reproductive and growth characteristics and confusing look-a-likes. It is useful for farmers, amateur naturalists and others.

Wetland Weeds

Wetland Weeds PDF

Author: Nick Romanowski

Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING

Published: 2011-09-05

Total Pages: 185

ISBN-13: 064310397X

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This comprehensive guide to wetland weeds covers both native and introduced species, ranging from minor or localised environmental problems to those that should not be tolerated in any situation. The author takes a pragmatic approach to weed control, recognising that some weeds may not be possible to eradicate, and emphasising the need to assess the extent and future potential of any infestation before taking action. Weed control should be planned in the context of the overall management goals for any type of wetland, the types of habitat weeds provide or overrun, and whether they can be replaced successfully with more appropriate plants. A range of strategies for controlling wetland weeds are considered, from containment actions to prevent the development of a soil seed bank to physical removal, and biological approaches from biocontrol to shading, overplanting and use of turbidity. The widespread use of chemical controls is also discussed, with the warning that these are often only a short-term cure and can cause more harm to aquatic ecosystems than the weeds they are holding at bay. More than 130 species of established weeds are included with information on their origins, nutrient responses, environmental effects, habitat values, prospects for containment or eradication, and even culinary uses. Other sections look at native plants as weeds, including a number of species of uncertain origins, and potential weeds still being legally sold through the aquarium and nursery trades.

Australia's Megafires

Australia's Megafires PDF

Author: Stephen van Leeuwen

Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING

Published: 2023-02

Total Pages: 513

ISBN-13: 1486316654

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The Australian wildfires of 2019–20 (Black Summer) were devastating and unprecedented. These megafires burnt more than 10 million hectares, mostly of forests in southern and eastern Australia. Many of the fires were uncontrollable. These megafires affected many of Australia’s most important conservation areas and severely impacted threatened species and ecological communities. They were a consequence of climate change – and offered a glimpse of how this is likely to continue to affect our future. Australia’s Megafires includes contributions by more than 200 researchers and managers with direct involvement in the management and conservation of the biodiversity affected by the Black Summer wildfires. It provides a comprehensive review of the impacts of these fires on all components of biodiversity, and on Indigenous cultural values. These fires also triggered an extraordinary and highly collaborative response by governments, NGOs, Indigenous groups, scientists, landholders and others, seeking to recover the fire-affected species and environments – to restore Country. This book documents that response. It draws lessons that should be heeded to sustain that recovery and to be better prepared for the inevitable future comparable catastrophes. Such lessons are of global relevance, for wildfires increasingly threaten biodiversity and livelihoods across the globe.

Biological Control of Weeds in Australia

Biological Control of Weeds in Australia PDF

Author: Jim Cullen

Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING

Published: 2012-03-05

Total Pages: 641

ISBN-13: 0643104216

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Biological control of weeds has been practised for over 100 years and Australia has been a leader in this weed management technique. The classical example of control of prickly pears in Australia by the cactus moth Cactoblastis cactorum, which was imported from the Americas, helped to set the future for biocontrol of weeds in many countries. Since then there have been many projects using Classical Biological Control to manage numerous weed species, many of which have been successful. Importantly, there have been no serious negative non-target impacts – the technique, when practised as it is in Australia, is safe and environmentally friendly. Economic assessments have shown that biocontrol of weeds in Australia has provided exceedingly high benefit-to-cost ratios. This book reviews biological control of weeds in Australia to 2011, covering over 90 weed species and a multitude of biological control agents and potential agents. Each chapter has been written by practising biological control of weeds researchers and provides details of the weed, the history of its biological control, exploration for agents, potential agents studied and agents released and the outcomes of those releases. Many weeds were successfully controlled, some were not, many projects are still underway, some have just begun, however all are reported in detail in this book. Biological Control of Weeds in Australia will provide invaluable information for biological control researchers in Australia and elsewhere. Agents used in Australia could be of immense value to other countries that suffer from the same weeds as Australia. The studies reported here provide direction to future research and provide examples and knowledge for researchers and students.

Weed Risk Assessment

Weed Risk Assessment PDF

Author: R. H. Groves

Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 9780643065611

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The impact of invasive species on native vegetation is a major threat to biodiversity all over the world - a threat ranked second only to habitat destruction. Other negative effects of weed invasions include reduced ecosystem services, loss to agricultural production and impacts on human health. This work covers the discipline of risk assessment as applied to the invasion ecology of plants. Taking a global context, it synthesizes theories on plant invasions, introduces a variety of models for weed risk assessment, and addresses procedures for ranking invasive species on a range of scales to determine weeds of national significance. It shows how the application of risk assessment to weed invasion may help reduce weed impact and thereby improve living conditions for people throughout the world. This text is aimed at invasions ecologists, botanists, quarantine officers, policy-makers and community groups wanting to know more about this developing discipline.

Agroforestry and Biodiversity Conservation in Tropical Landscapes

Agroforestry and Biodiversity Conservation in Tropical Landscapes PDF

Author: Götz Schroth

Publisher: Island Press

Published: 2013-03-22

Total Pages: 537

ISBN-13: 1597267449

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Agroforestry -- the practice of integrating trees and other large woody perennials on farms and throughout the agricultural landscape -- is increasingly recognized as a useful and promising strategy that diversifies production for greater social, economic, and environmental benefits. Agroforestry and BiodiversityConservation in Tropical Landscapes brings together 46 scientists and practitioners from 13 countries with decades of field experience in tropical regions to explore how agroforestry practices can help promote biodiversity conservation in human-dominated landscapes, to synthesize the current state of knowledge in the field, and to identify areas where further research is needed. Agroforestry and Biodiversity Conservation in Tropical Landscapes is the first comprehensive synthesis of the role of agroforestry systems in conserving biodiversity in tropical landscapes, and contains in-depth review chapters of most agroforestry systems, with examples from many different countries. It is a valuable source of information for scientists, researchers, professors, and students in the fields of conservation biology, resource management, tropical ecology, rural development, agroforestry, and agroecology.

Parasitic Plants

Parasitic Plants PDF

Author: Ana Maria Gonzalez

Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand

Published: 2022-01-26

Total Pages: 110

ISBN-13: 1839694483

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Over six chapters, this book deals with different aspects of parasitic plants, from generalities to specific case studies. A large part of the book deals with holoparasites that cause damage in agriculture, such as those of the genus Cuscuta. Their biology, forms of management, interaction with hosts as transmitting vectors, and even their phytochemistry and medicinal uses are analyzed. Cases of parasitic plants approached from the cultural relationship with humans are presented for an area of Africa, as well as a review of the biology of the American genus Lophophytum, a holoparasite that is not harmful to agriculture and is even in danger of conservation.