Neil Burrows - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Neil Burrows
Conservation of Australia's Forest Fauna, 2004
The dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) is a significant invasive species in Australia. It is a... more The dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) is a significant invasive species in Australia. It is an unusual pest species that is of large body size with relatively low fecundity compared with other pest species. Camels are highly adapted to the arid regions that characterize a large proportion of Australia and occupy an almost completely undisturbed area of !3 million km 2 . They have no history of invasion elsewhere in the world. Despite this, their population has been expanding at approximately 80,000 camels per annum, with the most recent estimate of population size around 1,000,000 individuals. We employed a landscape-genetic approach to evaluate the population structure and molecular ecology of Australian camels. We combined mitochondrial control region sequence (n ¼ 209 animals) with 18 microsatellite markers to profile over 800 adult camels to identify the presence of a single panmictic population. We showed that demographically defined neighborhoods for wild camels are about 200 km; this value was supported by home range estimates. Distances greater than this display no pattern of isolation by distance across the Australian continent. The result is the largest single geographical population so far recorded for an invasive species in Australia. This pattern may be explained by the impressive and near-nomadic dispersal pattern of camels, in combination with an unpredictable environment virtually devoid of barriers to movement and predatory suppression. Although it is technically feasible, the reality is that it would not be economically or politically viable to have continental eradication of wild camels in Australia because of the vast size and movement dynamics of the camel population. As such, we advocate a change away from an expensive solution to an intractable reduction program (that is almost entirely focused on protection of biological refugia) and moves to include cultural, economic, and biodiversity asset protection for the management of this most unorthodox of invasive species.
It^ I, Jf: l, TTf, 4G Tvr
![Research paper thumbnail of Regeneration of Eucalyptus wandoo following fire [Western Australia]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/42448143/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](
Searching for signs of bilby (Macrotis lagotis) activity in central Western Australia using observers on horseback
Lindenmayer et al. proposed that logging makes "some kinds of forests more prone to increased pro... more Lindenmayer et al. proposed that logging makes "some kinds of forests more prone to increased probability of ignition and increased fire severity." The proposition was developed most strongly in relation to the wet eucalypt forests of south-eastern Australia. A key argument was that logging in wet forests results in drier forests that tend to be more fire-prone, and this argument has gained prominence both in the literature and in policy debate. We find no support for that argument from considerations of eucalypt stand development, and from reanalysis of the only Australian study cited by Lindenmayer et al. In addition, there is no evidence from recent megafires in Victoria that younger regrowth (<10 years) burnt with greater severity than older forest (>70 years); furthermore, forests in reserves (with no logging) did not burn with less severity than multiple-use forests (with some logging). The flammability of stands of different ages can be explained in terms of stand structure and fuel accumulation, rather than as a dichotomy of regrowth stands being highly flammable but mature and old-growth stands not highly flammable. Lack of management of fire-adapted ecosystems carries long-term social, economic, and environmental consequences.
Fire hazard reduction by grazing cattle in Pinus radiata D. Don plantations in the Blackwood Valley
Backburning in forest areas
Aspects of fire behaviour and fire suppression in a Pinus pinaster plantation
Patch-burning to create a fine-grained mosaic of vegetation at different post-fire stages is one ... more Patch-burning to create a fine-grained mosaic of vegetation at different post-fire stages is one management strategy to maintain habitat heterogeneity across space and time. However, the landscape and fire environment context, the ecologically appropriate range of fire regime diversity, and the operational guidelines for implementation all remain poorly understood. Here we provide the landscape and fire environment context for a patch burning mosaic in four types of landscape in south-western Australia. We also introduce a technique for mapping burn severity classes and intersecting these with vegetation complexes to quantify which components of the landscape burn, and with what severity under a range of burning conditions. We aim to analyse and compare the emergent burn patchiness under a variety of seasonal and weather conditions; and expect high intensity fires burning under dry conditions to reduce mosaic patchiness in comparison with low to moderate intensity fires burning under moist conditions. However, we also expect greater vegetation heterogeneity to lead to greater variability in burn patchiness. We believe that there is potential to implement fine-scale fire mosaics by patch burning, and to use this approach to better predict fire patchiness and scale in a variety of landscapes under a range of conditions.
Fire and organic substrates: soil structure, water quality and biodiversity in far south-west Western Australia
ABSTRACT Organic matter in soils will accumulate according to a series of interrelated factors, n... more ABSTRACT Organic matter in soils will accumulate according to a series of interrelated factors, namely the climate (particularly temperature), topography, moisture of the soil, the rate of litter fall, the role played by soil micro flora and microfauna, the soil protective capacity (including mineralogy) and the local fire regime. In simple terms, with more organic matter, surface moisture will increase, hence the likelihood that micro climates can influence, even 'edaphically' control, fires. The reverse holds too: the drier the soil the more likely it will be to ignite when exposed to fire. Organic matter can thereby influence locally the fire regime by regulating soil moisture. In places where organic matter is likely to accumulate at the soil surface and contribute significantly to the development of the soil, such as shaded areas, depressions or other cool, moist places, wetland characteristics follow. Water quality associated with such wetland soils has a tendency towards stained, slightly acidic, stratified, dystrophic water, with bottom layers depleted in oxygen. Individual organic-rich wetlands or wetland systems have their own unique suite of invertebrate and vertebrate animals, and vascular and non-vascular plants. These biota are likely to be dependent upon local hydrology and physico-chemical characteristics regulated by the relationship between climate and the presence and condition of organic matter. Our hypothesis is that the dynamic biophysical characteristics and states of these local organic-rich systems can be altered permanently or at least disrupted by the application of an inappropriate fire regime. With frequent hot fires, or any frequent regime designed to systematically remove organic matter, fire can become a geomorphological agent by burning the soil, altering water quality by exposing anaerobic soils to air (i.e. acidification following the exposure of iron sulphides), and threatening elements of biodiversity dependent on the organic matter/moisture relationship. We support this hypothesis with evidence from several recent and on-going studies .and in doing so construct a partial bio-geography of south-west Western Australia (WA) , emphasizing the relictual nature of organic-rich, moist places, and the edaphic control of fire.
Temperate and boreal forest mega-fires: characteristics and challenges
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2015
1. Research that yields conflicting results rightly causes controversy. Where methodological weak... more 1. Research that yields conflicting results rightly causes controversy. Where methodological weaknesses are apparent, there is ready opportunity for discord within the scientific community, which may undermine the entire study. 2. We use the debate about the role of dingoes Canis dingo in conservation in Australia as a case study for a phenomenon that is relevant to all applied ecologists, where conflicting results have been published in high-quality journals and yet the problems with the methods used in these studies have led to significant controversy. 3. To alleviate such controversies, scientists need to use robust methods to ensure that their results are repeatable and defendable. To date, this has not occurred in Australia's dingo debate due to the use of unvalidated indices that rely on unsupported assumptions. 4. We highlight the problems that poor methods have caused in this debate. We also reiterate our recommendations for practitioners, statisticians and researchers to work together to develop long-term, multi-site experimental research programmes using robust methods to understand the impacts of dingoes on mesopredators. 5. Synthesis and applications. Incorporating robust methods and appropriate experimental designs is needed to ensure that conservation actions are appropriately focused and are supported with robust results. Such actions will go a long way towards resolving the debate about the role of dingoes in conservation in Australia, and other, ecological debates.
Choosing cost-effective locations for conservation fences in the local landscape
Wildlife Research, 2012
ABSTRACT Context: Exclosure fences are widely used to reintroduce locally extinct animals. These ... more ABSTRACT Context: Exclosure fences are widely used to reintroduce locally extinct animals. These fences function either as permanent landscape-scale areas free from most predators, or as small-scale temporary acclimatisation areas for newly translocated individuals to be ‘soft released’ into the wider landscape. Existing research can help managers identify the best design for their exclosure fence, but there are currently no methods available to help identify the optimal location for these exclosures in the local landscape (e.g. within a property).
The Journal of Wildlife Management, 2012
The dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) is a significant invasive species in Australia. It is a... more The dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) is a significant invasive species in Australia. It is an unusual pest species that is of large body size with relatively low fecundity compared with other pest species. Camels are highly adapted to the arid regions that characterize a large proportion of Australia and occupy an almost completely undisturbed area of !3 million km 2 . They have no history of invasion elsewhere in the world. Despite this, their population has been expanding at approximately 80,000 camels per annum, with the most recent estimate of population size around 1,000,000 individuals. We employed a landscape-genetic approach to evaluate the population structure and molecular ecology of Australian camels. We combined mitochondrial control region sequence (n ¼ 209 animals) with 18 microsatellite markers to profile over 800 adult camels to identify the presence of a single panmictic population. We showed that demographically defined neighborhoods for wild camels are about 200 km; this value was supported by home range estimates. Distances greater than this display no pattern of isolation by distance across the Australian continent. The result is the largest single geographical population so far recorded for an invasive species in Australia. This pattern may be explained by the impressive and near-nomadic dispersal pattern of camels, in combination with an unpredictable environment virtually devoid of barriers to movement and predatory suppression. Although it is technically feasible, the reality is that it would not be economically or politically viable to have continental eradication of wild camels in Australia because of the vast size and movement dynamics of the camel population. As such, we advocate a change away from an expensive solution to an intractable reduction program (that is almost entirely focused on protection of biological refugia) and moves to include cultural, economic, and biodiversity asset protection for the management of this most unorthodox of invasive species.
Journal of Arid Environments, 2003
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2013
Conservation of Australia's Forest Fauna, 2004
The dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) is a significant invasive species in Australia. It is a... more The dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) is a significant invasive species in Australia. It is an unusual pest species that is of large body size with relatively low fecundity compared with other pest species. Camels are highly adapted to the arid regions that characterize a large proportion of Australia and occupy an almost completely undisturbed area of !3 million km 2 . They have no history of invasion elsewhere in the world. Despite this, their population has been expanding at approximately 80,000 camels per annum, with the most recent estimate of population size around 1,000,000 individuals. We employed a landscape-genetic approach to evaluate the population structure and molecular ecology of Australian camels. We combined mitochondrial control region sequence (n ¼ 209 animals) with 18 microsatellite markers to profile over 800 adult camels to identify the presence of a single panmictic population. We showed that demographically defined neighborhoods for wild camels are about 200 km; this value was supported by home range estimates. Distances greater than this display no pattern of isolation by distance across the Australian continent. The result is the largest single geographical population so far recorded for an invasive species in Australia. This pattern may be explained by the impressive and near-nomadic dispersal pattern of camels, in combination with an unpredictable environment virtually devoid of barriers to movement and predatory suppression. Although it is technically feasible, the reality is that it would not be economically or politically viable to have continental eradication of wild camels in Australia because of the vast size and movement dynamics of the camel population. As such, we advocate a change away from an expensive solution to an intractable reduction program (that is almost entirely focused on protection of biological refugia) and moves to include cultural, economic, and biodiversity asset protection for the management of this most unorthodox of invasive species.
It^ I, Jf: l, TTf, 4G Tvr
Searching for signs of bilby (Macrotis lagotis) activity in central Western Australia using observers on horseback
Lindenmayer et al. proposed that logging makes "some kinds of forests more prone to increased pro... more Lindenmayer et al. proposed that logging makes "some kinds of forests more prone to increased probability of ignition and increased fire severity." The proposition was developed most strongly in relation to the wet eucalypt forests of south-eastern Australia. A key argument was that logging in wet forests results in drier forests that tend to be more fire-prone, and this argument has gained prominence both in the literature and in policy debate. We find no support for that argument from considerations of eucalypt stand development, and from reanalysis of the only Australian study cited by Lindenmayer et al. In addition, there is no evidence from recent megafires in Victoria that younger regrowth (<10 years) burnt with greater severity than older forest (>70 years); furthermore, forests in reserves (with no logging) did not burn with less severity than multiple-use forests (with some logging). The flammability of stands of different ages can be explained in terms of stand structure and fuel accumulation, rather than as a dichotomy of regrowth stands being highly flammable but mature and old-growth stands not highly flammable. Lack of management of fire-adapted ecosystems carries long-term social, economic, and environmental consequences.
Fire hazard reduction by grazing cattle in Pinus radiata D. Don plantations in the Blackwood Valley
Backburning in forest areas
Aspects of fire behaviour and fire suppression in a Pinus pinaster plantation
Patch-burning to create a fine-grained mosaic of vegetation at different post-fire stages is one ... more Patch-burning to create a fine-grained mosaic of vegetation at different post-fire stages is one management strategy to maintain habitat heterogeneity across space and time. However, the landscape and fire environment context, the ecologically appropriate range of fire regime diversity, and the operational guidelines for implementation all remain poorly understood. Here we provide the landscape and fire environment context for a patch burning mosaic in four types of landscape in south-western Australia. We also introduce a technique for mapping burn severity classes and intersecting these with vegetation complexes to quantify which components of the landscape burn, and with what severity under a range of burning conditions. We aim to analyse and compare the emergent burn patchiness under a variety of seasonal and weather conditions; and expect high intensity fires burning under dry conditions to reduce mosaic patchiness in comparison with low to moderate intensity fires burning under moist conditions. However, we also expect greater vegetation heterogeneity to lead to greater variability in burn patchiness. We believe that there is potential to implement fine-scale fire mosaics by patch burning, and to use this approach to better predict fire patchiness and scale in a variety of landscapes under a range of conditions.
Fire and organic substrates: soil structure, water quality and biodiversity in far south-west Western Australia
ABSTRACT Organic matter in soils will accumulate according to a series of interrelated factors, n... more ABSTRACT Organic matter in soils will accumulate according to a series of interrelated factors, namely the climate (particularly temperature), topography, moisture of the soil, the rate of litter fall, the role played by soil micro flora and microfauna, the soil protective capacity (including mineralogy) and the local fire regime. In simple terms, with more organic matter, surface moisture will increase, hence the likelihood that micro climates can influence, even 'edaphically' control, fires. The reverse holds too: the drier the soil the more likely it will be to ignite when exposed to fire. Organic matter can thereby influence locally the fire regime by regulating soil moisture. In places where organic matter is likely to accumulate at the soil surface and contribute significantly to the development of the soil, such as shaded areas, depressions or other cool, moist places, wetland characteristics follow. Water quality associated with such wetland soils has a tendency towards stained, slightly acidic, stratified, dystrophic water, with bottom layers depleted in oxygen. Individual organic-rich wetlands or wetland systems have their own unique suite of invertebrate and vertebrate animals, and vascular and non-vascular plants. These biota are likely to be dependent upon local hydrology and physico-chemical characteristics regulated by the relationship between climate and the presence and condition of organic matter. Our hypothesis is that the dynamic biophysical characteristics and states of these local organic-rich systems can be altered permanently or at least disrupted by the application of an inappropriate fire regime. With frequent hot fires, or any frequent regime designed to systematically remove organic matter, fire can become a geomorphological agent by burning the soil, altering water quality by exposing anaerobic soils to air (i.e. acidification following the exposure of iron sulphides), and threatening elements of biodiversity dependent on the organic matter/moisture relationship. We support this hypothesis with evidence from several recent and on-going studies .and in doing so construct a partial bio-geography of south-west Western Australia (WA) , emphasizing the relictual nature of organic-rich, moist places, and the edaphic control of fire.
Temperate and boreal forest mega-fires: characteristics and challenges
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2015
1. Research that yields conflicting results rightly causes controversy. Where methodological weak... more 1. Research that yields conflicting results rightly causes controversy. Where methodological weaknesses are apparent, there is ready opportunity for discord within the scientific community, which may undermine the entire study. 2. We use the debate about the role of dingoes Canis dingo in conservation in Australia as a case study for a phenomenon that is relevant to all applied ecologists, where conflicting results have been published in high-quality journals and yet the problems with the methods used in these studies have led to significant controversy. 3. To alleviate such controversies, scientists need to use robust methods to ensure that their results are repeatable and defendable. To date, this has not occurred in Australia's dingo debate due to the use of unvalidated indices that rely on unsupported assumptions. 4. We highlight the problems that poor methods have caused in this debate. We also reiterate our recommendations for practitioners, statisticians and researchers to work together to develop long-term, multi-site experimental research programmes using robust methods to understand the impacts of dingoes on mesopredators. 5. Synthesis and applications. Incorporating robust methods and appropriate experimental designs is needed to ensure that conservation actions are appropriately focused and are supported with robust results. Such actions will go a long way towards resolving the debate about the role of dingoes in conservation in Australia, and other, ecological debates.
Choosing cost-effective locations for conservation fences in the local landscape
Wildlife Research, 2012
ABSTRACT Context: Exclosure fences are widely used to reintroduce locally extinct animals. These ... more ABSTRACT Context: Exclosure fences are widely used to reintroduce locally extinct animals. These fences function either as permanent landscape-scale areas free from most predators, or as small-scale temporary acclimatisation areas for newly translocated individuals to be ‘soft released’ into the wider landscape. Existing research can help managers identify the best design for their exclosure fence, but there are currently no methods available to help identify the optimal location for these exclosures in the local landscape (e.g. within a property).
The Journal of Wildlife Management, 2012
The dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) is a significant invasive species in Australia. It is a... more The dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) is a significant invasive species in Australia. It is an unusual pest species that is of large body size with relatively low fecundity compared with other pest species. Camels are highly adapted to the arid regions that characterize a large proportion of Australia and occupy an almost completely undisturbed area of !3 million km 2 . They have no history of invasion elsewhere in the world. Despite this, their population has been expanding at approximately 80,000 camels per annum, with the most recent estimate of population size around 1,000,000 individuals. We employed a landscape-genetic approach to evaluate the population structure and molecular ecology of Australian camels. We combined mitochondrial control region sequence (n ¼ 209 animals) with 18 microsatellite markers to profile over 800 adult camels to identify the presence of a single panmictic population. We showed that demographically defined neighborhoods for wild camels are about 200 km; this value was supported by home range estimates. Distances greater than this display no pattern of isolation by distance across the Australian continent. The result is the largest single geographical population so far recorded for an invasive species in Australia. This pattern may be explained by the impressive and near-nomadic dispersal pattern of camels, in combination with an unpredictable environment virtually devoid of barriers to movement and predatory suppression. Although it is technically feasible, the reality is that it would not be economically or politically viable to have continental eradication of wild camels in Australia because of the vast size and movement dynamics of the camel population. As such, we advocate a change away from an expensive solution to an intractable reduction program (that is almost entirely focused on protection of biological refugia) and moves to include cultural, economic, and biodiversity asset protection for the management of this most unorthodox of invasive species.
Journal of Arid Environments, 2003
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2013