INNOVATION IN PRACTICE
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Making revegetation ‘climate ready’
The Yass Area Network of Landcare Groups is preparing for the future by giving native plants their best chance to adapt to climate change. By Sonya Duus.
This has been based on the idea that such plants will be best adapted to local conditions. However, there is growing understanding among scientists and land managers that we need to shift our focus to plants that can persist as the climate changes. This involves looking at which plant species are most appropriate by focussing on species that have a wide distribution and grow in our area and also in hotter areas, and in- creasing the genetic diversity of our tubestock so they have the best potential to adapt over successive gen- erations. Our Landcare group has been tackling this issue for the past several years, working with scientists and AdaptNSW to find the best way forward. There are sev- eral key steps involved: 1. understanding our local future climate, 2. analysing whether selected local species can survive in climates like the one projected for our area, and
As a Landcare group, one of our main interests is to in- crease ecological resilience in our local area. Many of our landscapes have been cleared of vegetation in pre- vious decades, so we have the task of supporting land- holders to plant trees and shrubs to replace those that are missing. The benefits of revegetation are manifold. They include providing habitat for a range of native animals; controlling erosion and salinity; increasing farm productivity through nutrient cycling and shade and shelter for stock; and drawing down carbon from the atmosphere. But as weather patterns become more variable and we experience more climatic extremes, we need to think about which plant species – and which plant genetics – are most appropriate in our revegetation efforts. We are forced to ask will our local plantings be able to survive our future climate? Up until recently, it has been common for people to preference locally sourced seed when re-planting.
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