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The effects of grazing and browsing by terrestrial vertebrates are poorly understood for southern hemisphere saltmarshes, many of which are recovering from stock grazing. We investigated whether the native late-successional shrub, Tecticornia arbuscula, regenerating several years after the cessation of stock grazing, was grazed by wild herbivorous mammals to the degree of impeding recovery. We measured T. arbuscula growth parameters in exclosures and adjacent controls for two years and used camera trapping of animals across four consecutive austral seasons to indicate grazing pressure. Height growth was more affected by exclosure from grazing than lateral change. Notably, grazing did not prevent the recovery of the shrubs from stock grazing at either site, suggesting that the growth rate of T. arbuscula relative to total grazing pressure is at sustainable levels and these shrubs are in a trajectory of recovery, with the smaller plants growing the fastest. Also, we found little difference between our two sites in grazing impact, despite one site having twice the number of animals, largely native macropods, as the other site, which was dominated by introduced lagomorphs (rabbits and hares). These findings further the knowledge of native and non-native terrestrial vertebrates in austral saltmarsh ecology and conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish use of saltmarsh varies spatially, temporally, and with environmental conditions. The specific impact of these effects on fish assemblages in southern temperate Tasmania, Australia—the only mangrove-free Australian state—is as yet largely unknown. Seasonal variation in fish abundance, richness, diversity, and size was investigated in succulent saltmarshes in three estuaries (Marion Bay, Barilla Bay, and Ralphs Bay) in south-eastern Tasmania. All parameters varied between sampling locations. Greater numbers of fish were recorded at two sites (Marion Bay, mean density and standard error of 396.9 ± 71.3 individuals per 100 m2; Barilla Bay, mean density and standard error of 94.1 ± 30.1 individuals per 100 m2) than have been previously reported in Australian saltmarshes. Fish abundance was greatest in July–August (mean density and standard error of 200.2 ± 49.7 individuals per 100 m2) reflecting the breeding patterns of the numerically dominant Atherinosoma microstoma. Both abundance and species richness responded positively to water temperature in ordinal logistic regression models, and species richness and diversity increased with water depth in the models. It is likely that the strong differences between sampling locations are partly related to differences in water depth and water temperature between the estuaries. They may be also related to the habitat context of each estuary, especially the presence or absence of seagrass. The greater numbers of fish found in the present study relative to abundances reported in mainland Australia may relate to the absence of mangroves and the consequent differences in seascape habitat context, including greater water depths in marshes. Importantly, these results demonstrate that temperate southern hemisphere saltmarshes are year-round habitat for fish, thus emphasising their importance as a fish habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deciding whether to plant native or non-native trees in public urban green spaces is becoming complex and conflicted, and decisions purely based on biotic nativeness are likely to be hamstrung as climate change and rising urban heat push many native species beyond their natural ranges. Importantly, tree selection considerations by urban planners and environmental managers will have to move beyond a primary focus on securing conservation and ecological outcomes, to elucidate and engage with a growing interest in the socio-cultural values and services of urban trees. Building on emerging theoretical perspectives, this place-based study explores the role that perceptions of nativeness have in shaping people's relationships with native and non-native urban trees and landscapes in an Australian city. Nativeness was associated with a range of subjective meanings including cultural identity, political expression, nature connection, desirable and undesirable traits, and environmental and cultural compatibility. Our findings emphasise that the ways in which urban trees and green spaces are valued and experienced is likely mediated by people's perceptions of nativeness and its importance relative to other attributes. To provision and sustain green spaces that meet the diverse needs and preferences of urban publics, planners and managers need to elucidate and incorporate the nuanced, place-based and multifaceted subjective meanings of nativeness into urban greening decision-making and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns about the decline in uptake of secondary geography education continue despite arguments supporting the value of geography education, the power of geographical thinking, and geography's critical role in preparing students to deal with complex challenges. Already constrained by neoliberal politics of disadvantage, young people must plan and prepare for chaotic futures. Consequently, young people are becoming distressed and worried about their futures and feeling powerless as society fails to adequately address these issues. In this article, we ask what schools and universities can do as place‐based public institutions to serve young people to effectively respond to eco‐anxiety and build capacities to surf the unrelenting waves of change. We draw on journeys that brought three young doctoral candidates to study geography. From their stories, we sketch what a geographical education could offer in terms of relevance, practicality, and engagement with transformative system change. We think that under current world conditions, this is a moment to revive geography education and give it renewed purpose to encourage young people to develop skills and competences to tackle wicked problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation changes in saltmarsh habitat can influence fish assemblages and abundance. In Tasmania, Australia, mid‐latitude succulent saltmarsh communities have been invaded by the introduced tall grass, Spartina anglica. Eradication efforts have been ongoing since the 1990s with purported benefits for fish access to intertidal foraging grounds, but a lack of knowledge of the impact of S. anglica on fish limits understanding of the benefits and effectiveness of native habitat restoration. Here, we investigate whether fish assemblages in native saltmarshes and non‐native S. anglica grassland differ in species diversity, fish abundance, and size class distribution. We used buoyant pop nets to sample fishes in Sarcocornia quinqueflora herbland and S. anglica grassland swards at three sampling stations in northwest Tasmania. Very few individuals and low species diversity were recorded in both vegetation types at the sampling station with the most well‐established S. anglica infestation. Elsewhere, richness and diversity were higher in S. quinqueflora herbland. Overall fish abundance was higher in S. quinqueflora than in S. anglica, with a very strong effect at one sampling station. Fewer small individuals of the numerically dominant Atherinosoma microstoma were recorded in S. anglica, potentially indicating impaired nursery function. Our results provide important insights for S. anglica control, as we are the first to demonstrate a relationship between S. anglica presence and fish characteristics in southern Australian saltmarsh. These results indicate that S. anglica control is valuable for fish conservation. An extension of our research to document the effects of S. anglica removal on fishes is desirable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planning laws promoting sustainable development have not stopped the depletion of natural capital and global life-support systems, fuelling arguments for degrowth and transitions to steady-state economies. To address this weakness, we employ scarcity multiplier theory (SMT) in a case study of Tasmania, Australia, where planning laws have the statutory objective of promoting sustainable development. By drawing on two seminal contributions of John Kenneth Galbraith, his squirrel wheel and problem of social balance, SMT explains how we fail to limit growth to match natural capital capacity. This application of SMT shows that new industrial developments in regions with circumstances similar to those of Tasmania produce two forms of unsustainability: 'unsustainability of satisfactions of wants' and 'unsustainability of per capita abundance of natural capital', the former producing an addiction to economic growth. We thereby argue that applications for approval of new industrial developments under Tasmania's planning laws should be rejected unless these expansions are countered by a commensurate contraction elsewhere in that economy. In addition, we employ SMT to identify deficiencies in those planning laws that stop them producing sustainable development, demonstrating a need to reform government (and planning) to prevent such failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is wide recognition, championed by the Ramsar Convention, of the need to increase the public appreciation of wetlands and their conservation by providing meaningful experiences for visitors to Ramsar sites. In a case study of an Australian Ramsar site on the 50th anniversary of the treaty, we investigate the public's awareness of this internationally significant wetland and their understanding of wetland biota and ecosystem services. To inform future communication, education, participation and awareness (CEPA), we also investigate public preferences for particular wetland-related knowledge, on-site activities, facilities and communication media. Less than half of the 326 survey respondents expressed some familiarity with wetlands. Notably, they were not aware of the existence of the Ramsar site, despite having driven past and being within close proximity to the wetland at the time of surveying. Non-extractive and non-commodified recreational activities such as trail walking and photography were preferred over extractive uses such as fishing and duck hunting and activities such as boat cruises and guided tours. There was a high demand for on-site facilities such as walking tracks and viewing platforms and for communication through web-based sources. Visitation to further the goals of Ramsar CEPA could be encouraged through the resourcing of locally appropriate infrastructure, promotion of activities and better communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea of which species are native, based on their biogeographic origin, is central to many policies and programmes. Yet definitions are contested and the meanings of 'nativeness' are often complex and confusing for many people. For example, a plant that would be considered 'native' in Australia might have a native bioregion that is thousands of kilometres from a given garden planting. The idea of nativeness is culturally constructed and connotes different meanings in different contexts. As conservation research and practice increasingly incorporate human values and behaviours, operationalising the social dimensions of abstract ecological concepts such as nativeness is needed to generate a more holistic evidence base and improve the management of native and non‐native species.We used a sequential mixed‐methods systematic review approach to review and synthesise literature on people's (including general publics, gardeners, conservationists) perceptions of nativeness of species and landscapes. A meta‐synthesis of qualitative research identified six dimensions that underlie people's perceptions in relation to nativeness: Belonging (a sense that there is a right or wrong place for a species to exist); human influence (the role of humans in moving species outside of their historic ranges); functional compatibility (a species' alignment with the local environment and ecology); amenity (desirable and useful features provided by a species); negative impacts (risk and manageability of detrimental impacts caused by a species); and identity (species forming part of one's place‐based identity).A systematic review of the quantitative urban literature found that most research on perceptions of native and non‐native species and landscapes did not operationalise nativeness in a multidimensional way, focusing predominantly on the 'Negative impacts' dimension. This may often be inadequate for meaningfully capturing people's views.Our results also highlight the need to strengthen interdisciplinarity between natural and social sciences, and for better integration of social science theories to improve the interpretability and transferability of research findings.We provide recommendations for future research that operationalises nativeness using a broader range of meanings that will inform a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the human dimensions of conservation issues, especially within the contested and briskly evolving terrain of urban greening. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are increasing pressures within the higher education sector to incorporate digital pedagogies into teaching and learning, a trend amplified by recent extensive recourse to online delivery within the sector. This trend carries with it both opportunities and challenges in effectively fostering those graduate competences that a converging consensus identifies as essential for sustainability education to nurture. The challenge for educators is to design programs capable of fostering a range of competences fit for wicked sustainability problems. The principal objective of this paper is to review the literature regarding the competences that would adequately equip graduates of sustainability coursework programs with substantial online delivery components for a professional environment of uncertainty, complexity, and wicked problems. From the review of scholarship focused on competences for online experiential learning, sustainability education and wicked problems solving, we assemble a set of precepts to guide the design of effective learning outcomes, settings and pedagogies for an approach to sustainability education that better prepares students for such a challenging environment. While the precepts apply to sustainability education generally, we argue that they provide particular guidance for educators concerned with e-learning. We also present educational, social and technological enablers to underpin design, development and delivery processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total organic carbon (TOC) sediment stocks as a CO2 mitigation service require exclusion of allochthonous black (BC) and particulate inorganic carbon corrected for water–atmospheric equilibrium (PICeq). For the first time, we address this bias for a temperate salt marsh and a coastal tropical seagrass in BC hotspots that represent two different blue carbon ecosystems of Malaysia and Australia. Seagrass TOC stocks were similar to the salt marshes with soil depths < 1 m (59.3 ± 11.3 and 74.9 ± 18.9 MgC ha− 1, CI 95 % respectively). Both ecosystems showed larger BC constraints than did their pristine counterparts. However, the seagrass meadows’ mitigation services were largely constrained by both higher BC/TOC and PICeq/TOC fractions (38.0 % ± 6.6 and 43.4 % ± 5.9 %, CI 95 %) and salt marshes around a third (22 % ± 10.2 and 6.0 % ± 3.1 % CI 95 %). The results provide useful data from underrepresented regions, and, reiterates the need to consider both BC and PIC for more reliable blue carbon mitigation assessments to ensure that greenhouse gas emitters do not exceed the ecosystems’ capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing body of research highlighting the importance of saltmarshes as habitats for fish for feeding, refuge from predation and reproduction. However, more work is needed on fish on vegetated marsh flats (or surfaces). We reviewed 60 studies that used 21 methods to sample fish assemblages on saltmarsh flats. Drop samplers, fyke nets and pop nets were most frequently employed, with considerably more studies being conducted in graminoid than succulent marsh. Reporting of sampling temporal and tidal details, environmental variables and fish attributes was inconsistent. Most of the papers focussed on one or more of conservation management, comparisons among habitat types, and the use of saltmarsh (including fish activity type or residency status). Important potential areas of research include the relationships between the fish assemblages of saltmarsh flats and coastal fisheries, the effects of invasive plant species and marsh restoration efforts in areas outside the United States, and the potential effects of sea-level rise on vegetated flats as fish habitat. Sampling methods that provide density measures are likely to be most useful for most of this research. Thus, drop samplers and pop nets are an appropriate choice, the former in graminoid saltmarshes and the latter in succulent saltmarshes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperate Australian saltmarshes, including those in the southern island state of Tasmania, are considered to be a threatened ecological community under Australian federal legislation. There is a need to improve our understanding of the ecological components, functional relationships and threatening processes of Tasmanian coastal saltmarshes and distil research priorities that could assist recovery actions. A semisystematic review of the literature on Tasmanian coastal saltmarshes supported by expert local knowledge identified 75 studies from 1947 to 2019. Existing understanding pertains to saltmarsh plants, soils, invertebrates and human impacts with ongoing studies currently adding to this knowledge base. Several knowledge gaps remain, and the present review recommends six key priority areas for research: (1) citizen science–organised inventory of (initially) saltmarsh birds, plants and human impacts with the potential for expansion of datasets; (2) use of saltmarsh by marine transient species including fish and decapods; (3) use of saltmarsh by, and interactions with, native and introduced mammals; (4) invertebrates and their interactions with predators (e.g. birds, fish) and prey (e.g. insects, plants, detritus); (5) historic saltmarsh loss and priority areas for conservation; (6) monitoring changes to saltmarsh due to both localised human impacts (e.g. grazing, eutrophication, destruction) and global change factors (e.g. climate change, sea-level rise). Addressing these research priorities will help in developing a better understanding of the ecological character of Tasmanian coastal saltmarshes and improve their conservation management. A semisystematic literature review supported by expert local knowledge documents existing knowledge on the ecological components, functional relationships and threatening processes of Tasmanian coastal saltmarshes. Research gaps and priorities are identified to assist saltmarsh recovery actions and improve its conservation status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Three case studies spanning tropical, subtropical and temperate environments highlight the minimum potential benefits of investing in repair of coastal seascapes. Fisheries, a market benefit indicator readily understood by a range of stakeholders from policymakers to community advocates, were used as a surrogate for ecosystem services generated through seascape habitat restoration. For each case study, while recognising that biological information will always remain imperfect, the prospects for seascape repair are compelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective conservation of saltmarshes involves detailed and accurate mapping of their range, area of occupancy and plant community composition as part of region‐wide inventories. There is also a need to identify the major mesoscale influences on the distributions of types of saltmarsh, obligate saltmarsh plants and salt pans, and evaluate possible responses to macroclimatic changes.Tidal saltmarshes of Tasmania and its offshore islands (coastline of 4,882 km, spanning latitudes 39°40′ to 43°40′S), off south‐eastern Australia, were mapped at a high spatial resolution of 1 : 500–1 : 3,000. The distributions of types of saltmarsh, obligate plant taxa and salt pans were related to climatic, geomorphic and land‐use variation. The future distribution of climatically controlled species and communities was determined for two climate change scenarios.There was 58.6 km2 of tidal saltmarsh in Tasmania in 61 mesoscale complexes. The complexes were classified into three broad saltmarsh groups, which together offer a more ecologically relevant planning unit for saltmarsh conservation than macroscale bioregions. The small median patch size of 0.2 ha demonstrates the effectiveness of the manual interpretation and mapping with extensive field checking. Mapping of these smaller saltmarshes provides them recognition within the land use planning and approvals process.Climatic, but not geomorphic and land‐use, factors have strong effects on the distribution of saltmarsh plant communities, species and salt pans in Tasmania. Mean annual rainfall was most significant in predicting saltmarsh extent, range, plant community composition, salt pans and the three saltmarsh groups. Mean annual daily minimum temperature and saltmarsh area best predicted obligate plant distributions.Projected wetter and drier climatic change by 2100 is not expected to substantially alter macroscale plant community patterns but may reduce the range of the rare herb Wilsonia humilis R.Br. However, stochastic disturbances may continue to play an important role at local scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish use of coastal saltmarsh wetlands has been documented for many parts of Australia with the notable exception of Tasmania. An initial investigation to examine the diversity, density and patterns of fish use in the Circular Head coast saltmarshes of north-west Tasmania was undertaken. To aid decision making in repair strategies, the effect of saltmarsh condition on fish assemblages was studied using paired sites of predominantly unaltered and altered saltmarshes where levees were present. In all, 851 fish from 11 species were caught in 37 of the 48 pop nets. Three species, Aldrichetta forsteri , Arripis truttaceus and Rhombosolea tapirina , are important to commercial and recreational fisheries and contributed ~20% of the total catch numbers. The mean density of >72 fish per 100 m2 is the highest yet reported from Australian studies and indicates that Tasmanian saltmarshes provide higher value habitat for fish compared with elsewhere in Australia, likely due to more frequent and prolonged flooding, and the lack of adjacent mangroves. There was no significant difference in fish assemblages between unaltered and altered marshes. The results suggest that restoring basic saltmarsh structure through tidal reconnection will deliver substantial benefits for fish productivity through habitat expansion. A Improving our understanding of fish use of saltmarshes could raise much needed public awareness and material support for saltmarsh rehabilitation. In all, 851 fish from 11 species were caught at a mean density of >72 fish per 100 m2. The results suggest that restoring basic saltmarsh structure through tidal reconnection will deliver benefits for fish productivity through habitat expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tamar Saltmarsh Monitoring Program is a citizen science program started in 2016 as part of a State-wide effort to better map, monitor and manage Tasmanian saltmarsh ecosystems. Now in its third year (2018), the Program has facilitated the involvement of community volunteers in surveying and documenting the natural values of the Tamar River estuary saltmarshes, along with the human impacts they face. In addition to collecting valuable ecological data, the surveys have raised the profile of these ecosystems among the local community and identified key areas for improved management. Many survey volunteers had previously never stepped foot in a saltmarsh and, through their involvement in the program, have built knowledge, awareness and deeper connections with their local environment. The Tamar Saltmarsh Monitoring Program provides a salient case study to illustrate both the process and potential for the wider adoption of citizen science saltmarsh monitoring in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent Forum Essay in Pacific Conservation Biology, the well known ecologist Harry Recher argued that over the past three decades Australia had experienced a 'failure of science' and a concomitant 'death of nature'. In this essay we examine some of the propositions put forward by Recher (2015), with particular reference to the role played by neoliberal ideology in nature conservation in Australia. Since the early 1980s the neoliberal value system has effectively shaped a new paradigm for nature conservation in Australia with its own language, tools and institutions, and through such a process has redefined nature in its own terms. We focus on two of the most significant neoliberal, free-market mechanisms - (1) monetary valuation of biodiversity and of ecosystem services and (2) the provision of complementary areas to offset losses of high-quality habitat - and show how they have come to dominate policy development and on-ground activities in wetland management and conservation in Australia. Despite the wide reach of neoliberal ideology, ecologists and conservation biologists seem largely unaware of its practical implications. In some cases, such as with offset programs and with carbon valuation, they have become complicit with the ruling ideology, without, it seems to us, being fully aware of their involvement, tacit or explicit or of the likely connotations of that participation. Hedging the future of wetland conservation to 'market-driven environmentalism' is simply an expected overreach in the broader context of neoliberal economic and political ideology and provides rich grounds for a critique in support of a more considered approach to nature conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising sea levels and changing wind climates are widely expected to be associated with receding coastlines, creating a planning need for coastal change prediction, especially for soft shores like those associated with saltmarsh. We ask whether it is possible use a simple cartographic wind-wave fetch method to estimate the spatial pattern of progradation and recession of soft shores in swell-sheltered situations in which there is little or no input of new sediment from terrestrial sources. For points on an extensive embayment shoreline of this type we mapped change over 54 years from aerial photographs, recorded current shoreline morphology and calculated a wave fetch index (WFI). Morphological indication of strong progradation was associated with low WFI, but there was no statistically significant effect of variation in WFI on the degree of shoreline retreat. Saltmarsh shorelines averaged 14 cm per annum retreat between 1952 and 2006, a rate that did not vary significantly between air photo periods. We conclude that our geographic information system approach utilising WFI is likely to be useful as a planning tool in identifying those parts of sediment-poor saltmarsh shores where erosion is most likely or least likely to occur, but not particularly useful for predicting finer-scale variation in rates of shoreline recession within the particular substrate types in our study area. In the context of relative sea-level rise and increasing wind speeds, such modelling can help identify coastlines which are likely to support saltmarshes into the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal saltmarshes of temperate Australia are in decline and have recently been listed as a threatened ecological community under Federal legislation. Further research is required to better understand both the extent and nature of their decline in order to plan their recovery. A case study is presented of the most extensive area of saltmarshes in Tasmania, on the north-west Circular Flead coast. A mixture of aerial photographs and ground-truthing data were used to determine human impacts and saltmarsh loss between 1952 and 2006. There was an absolute loss of 219 ha since 1952, largely due to the effects of a 24.5 km network of levees. Of the 1 153 ha of saltmarshes that remained in 2006, a further 752 ha (65%) was associated with one or several of land-based human impacts. This left 401 ha (35%) of saltmarshes that had no recorded human impacts and a contiguous vegetative buffer zone of 50-100 m. These areas represent some of the least disturbed saltmarshes in Tasmania and warrant adequate conservation measures. Future planning for conservation and the use of land and marine resources should strive to promote both the extent and functional health of saltmarshes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the Australian government implementation of Ramsar Convention in Tasmania, Australia Wetlands. It says that the Ramsar Convention was initiated to protect wetlands and manage waterfowls. It mentions that the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) of the Australian government is the responsible agency for the implementation of the Ramsar Convention. It states that government has the tendency to disregard the value of wetlands.