Links re reconstructing grassy places
Because so much of Australia's temperate grassy vegetation has been destroyed, scientists have been exploring the potential to recreate it, literally ‘from scratch’. Rather than starting with woody plants, they’ve focused on growing a diverse and sustainable ground layer of native grasses and herbs. And guess what, it works! In the vanguard has been Paul Gibson-Roy, now working in Western Sydney but formerly Lead Scientist for Greening Australia’s Grassy Groundcover Restoration Project in Victoria.
The words 'reconstruction' and 'restoration' seem to be used fairly interchangeably. I'm thinking that reconstruction - starting from scratch - is a subset of 'restoration', defined as "the practice of renewing and repairing degraded, damaged or altered ecosystems and habitats" (Land of Sweeping Plains).
This article from Greening Australia in Western Sydney summarises what grassland reconstruction is about.
This article outlines the Victorian restoration project.
This interview chronicles Paul's grassland reconstruction journey.
This article discusses the role of fire in grassland restoration.
Paul is now working on post-mining reconstruction in Western Sydney. This presentation includes before and after photos from restoration projects in NSW and Victoria.
John Delpratt from Melbourne University has also played a key role in grassland restoration.
Here’s a ‘guest blog’ by John which spruiks the idea of restoring native grasslands to roadsides.
One community group that has taken up the challenge of both grassland conservation and reconstruction is the Woorndoo Land Protection Group in Victoria.
Here’s a short video, and an article about their work.
Grassland reconstruction in Australia has drawn heart from prairie restoration projects in the USA, where “well‐developed markets for restoration have created a large, financially viable native‐herbaceous seed production and restoration sector.”
This quote, from Land of Sweeping Plains (p372), outlines Paul and John's vision for grassland restoration:
“While the process is not straightforward, simple or utterly determinable, programs conducted in other countries, and now within Australia itself, have shown without a doubt that it is possible to reconstruct native grassy communities. … Consider all the settings in which we can use herbaceous species, and how things would change if these opportunities were pursued and realised. Imagine complex reconstructed grassland dotted across our regional and urban landscapes, and more sustainable and holistic agricultural systems utilising native herbaceous species. Dare to picture the almost countless kilometres of rural and urban roadside, now largely dominated by exotic grasses, restored and converted to extensive swards of native grasses interspersed with beautiful sweeps of grassland wildflowers, and how well this would reduce their decline and create travel corridors filled with native splendour. All this is possible, the only obstacle being our individual and societal will.”
I love the idea of restoring roadsides to native grassland, or grassy woodland. It isn’t that long ago that Aussie roadsides were covered in native bluebells and daisies, and we had an appreciation of these ‘linear corridors’. I have been distressed to see the spread of exotic grasses along our roadsides. I suspect roadside mowing has accelerated the movement of weed seed into these once-native patches. Restored native grasslands would not only increase native plant diversity, they would enhance visibility for motorists. Fire-managed native grasses would present less of a bushfire risk than rampant roadside weeds. And they would look beautiful.