Final Report: Baseline Measurements at the Direct-Seeding Revegetation Sites for Biodiversity and Carbon, Moree, NSW

Abstract

This study was contracted by the Border Rivers - Gwydir Catchment Management Authority (BRGCMA) to report on some of the baseline biodiversity and carbon values at the field trial sites for the BRGCMA project, 'Large-Scale Direct-Drill Revegetation for Biodiversity Trials'. The project is managed by Leah MacKinnon, Biodiversity Officer, Moree, for BRGCMA, and aims to develop inclusive efficient methods for large-scale revegation in the Border Rivers - Gwydir Catchment for improved biodiversity outcomes. Four trial sites on private property were selected by L. MacKinnon for the project in association with the participating owners. The selected properties were 'Canada' (25 km south-east of Moree), 'Iolanthe' (53 km north-west of Moree) and 'Koiwon' (42 km south-south-west of Moree), New South Wales. Two sites were selected in adjacent loops of the Carole Creek at Iolanthe, with 1 site on the remaining properties, making a total of 4 trial sites. Each site consisted of a cleared area that had been recently cultivated and sown to cereals in the past and proposed for revegetation. In this revegetation area, two 1 x 1-ha monitoring plots were established side by side at each site to establish the baseline biodiversity condition of these 'revegetation' or 'treatment' plots. In addition, at each site in a nearby area of native vegetation on as similar soils as possible, a third 'control' plot was established in native vegetation. This report was commissioned by the BRGCMA in June 2008, with the objectives of providing baseline measurements and comparisons of the control and revegetation plots, with regards to: (1) topsoil carbon; (2) topsoil chemistry, macro-invertebrates, bulk density and soil moisture; (3) vegetation; (4) landscape function; and (5) birds and their habitat.