
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Watson, Simon J. 
A1  - Taylor, Rick S. 
A1  - Spence-Bailey, Lisa 
A1  - Nimmo, Dale G. 
A1  - Kenny, Sally 
A1  - Kelly, Luke T. 
A1  - Haslem, Angie 
A1  - Griffioen, Peter 
A1  - Callister, Kate 
A1  - Brown, Lauren 
A1  - Avitabile, Sarah 
A1  - Bennett, Andrew F. 
A1  - Clarke, Michael F. 
T1  - The Mallee fire and biodiversity project
JF  - Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria
JO  - Proc. R. Soc. Vic.
Y1  - 2012
VL  - 124
IS  - 1
SP  - 38
EP  - 46
KW  - 
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1071/RS12038 
N2  - Fire is a widespread disturbance and an important ecological process in semi-arid mallee ecosystems of southern Australia. Understanding the effects of fire on plants and animals is a key challenge for the conservation and management of biodiversity in this ecosystem. Commencing in 2006, the Mallee Fire and Biodiversity Project is investigating the effects of fire on a range of taxa (vascular plants, invertebrates, reptiles, birds and mammals), with a focus on the influence of the properties of &#x2018;fire mosaics&#x2019; on biota. A &#x2018;whole of landscape&#x2019; design was employed, in which the flora and fauna were sampled in 28 study landscapes, each 4 km in diameter (12.5 km2) across a 104, 000 km2 area of the Murray Mallee region of Victoria, SA and NSW. Here, we summarise some key results and outputs from this project to date. These include: detailed maps of fire history and major vegetation types; a method for predicting the age of mallee vegetation; novel information about the distribution of fire age-classes in the region; and changes to vegetation structure and in the occurrence of reptile, bird and mammal species over a century-long post-fire time-frame. We also present an overview of the effects of fire mosaics (extent of particular age classes, diversity of fire age-classes) on the richness of some mallee fauna. A wealth of knowledge has been developed through the Mallee Fire and Biodiversity Project that will assist the management of mallee ecosystems in southern Australia for the future. 
ER  -

