Research Catalog

Title

A continent transformed : human impact on the natural vegetation of Australia / Jamie Kirkpatrick.

Author

Kirkpatrick, J. B. (James Barrie)

Publication

Melbourne ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1994.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

x, 133 pages : illustrations; 22 cm.

Series Statement

Meridian

Uniform Title

Meridian.

Subjects

• Plant conservation > Australia
• Vegetation dynamics > Australia
• Nature > Effect of human beings on > Australia

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. [121]-125) and index.

Contents

• 1. Introduction. The importance of biological diversity. The importance of Australia's biodiversity. Ecologically sustainable development. Some comments on science and plant geography/ecology -- 2. Understanding the distribution of species and ecosystems. Species and genotypes. Evolution and extinction. Describing the distribution of species. Explaining the distribution of species. Ecosystems and communities. Richness and diversity. An integrated explanation of species distribution patterns -- 3. Glaciers and Aborigines. Prehuman environmental history. Sources of evidence on the prehistoric human impact. The arrival of Homo sapiens. The nature of the prehistoric human impact. People in harmony with nature? Current Aboriginal interaction with the environment -- 4. Bush destruction and the creation of cultural vegetation. The incidence and magnitude of European bush destruction. Bush resistance to clearance. The transformation of the plains. Technology and bush destruction. Tree farming. Urbanisation.
• The characteristics and ecology of Australian cultural vegetation. The convergence of clearance and reservation -- 5. The impact of forest use. A very brief history of wood extraction. The forestry paradigm. The impact of silvicultural systems on eucalypt forest. The impact of rainforest logging. Impact on forests of the wet/dry tropics. Some ecological arguments related to forest logging -- 6. Fire. A brief history of post-invasion fire regimes. Fire-susceptible vegetation. Fire management in rainforest and alpine vegetation. Fuel reduction burning. Seasonality of burns. The interaction between fire and grazing. Interaction of fire with exotic plants. Fire management in protected areas -- 7. The invaders. A brief history of introductions. Is disturbance necessary for exotic invasion? Characteristics and distribution. Eutrophication and invasion. Time bombs. Suburban and farm escapees. Control of environmental weeds. Our most threatening plant invader - the Cinnamon Fungus.
• The impact of invading animals. Our most threatening animal invader - the rabbit -- 8. Conserving the bush. Criteria for protected area selection. Size of reserves. Location of reserves. People management problems. A synopsis of the state of various vegetation types. Integrated land management.

ISBN

0195534735 (pbk.)

OCLC

ocm32075668

Owning Institutions

Columbia University Libraries