Sustainable Farms: Tree Regeneration and the Future of Farmland Biodiversity

Natural tree regeneration, or tree recruitment, is extremely limited in Australia s temperate grazing landscapes. Tree recruitment failure rivals broad-scale land clearing as a threat to biodiversity and agricultural productivity, and requires urgent investigation. Novel grazing practices may benefit tree recruitment and biodiversity conservation, but their effects are poorly understood. Sustainable Farms will redress this knowledge gap in the economically important region around Cowra, NSW. The project will be the first large-scale study to: (1) determine the extent of native tree regeneration, (2) project the distribution of trees and tree-related fauna into the future, and (3) identify more sustainable grazing practices.