Journal article
An International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List ecosystems risk assessment for alpine snow patch herbfields, South-Eastern Australia
RJ Williams, C-H Wahren, KAJ Stott, J Camac, M White, E Burns, S Harris, M Nash, JW Morgan, S Venn, WA Papst, AA Hoffmann
AUSTRAL ECOLOGY | WILEY-BLACKWELL | Published : 2015
DOI: 10.1111/aec.12266
Abstract
Alpine ecosystems are globally at risk from climate change. We use the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Criteria for ecosystems to assess the risk of ecosystem collapse in Australian alpine snow patch herbfields. These ecosystems occur on both mainland Australia and Tasmania. They are restricted to steep, south-easterly slopes where snow pack persists well into the summer growing season. Consequently, they are rare, and have high conservation significance. We evaluated the risk of snow patch herbfield 'ecosystem collapse' against criteria that accounted for the ecosystem's restricted distribution, projected decline in the snowpack and increased rates of inva..
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Awarded by Australian Research Council ARC Linkage Project
Funding Acknowledgements
We thank the LTERN for supporting the ecological monitoring of snow patch herbfields on the Bogong High Plains in 2011-2012. The Australian Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (ACEAS) and the Australian Research Council ARC Linkage Project No LP13010043 supported the workshop that led to the papers in this Special Issue. Elaine Thomas (Parks Victoria) provided logistical support during the surveys on the Bogong High Plains. Nick Bell, Imogen Fraser, Verity Fyfe, Juan Hermandez, Annie Leschen, Lincoln Palamountain, Karina Salmon, Anita Wild, Ben Zeeman provided expert assistance in the field. Umit Nuri Aydin and Petr Yutnov assisted with the development of databases. David Keith spent hours in patient, helpful discussion.