How resilient are poplar box (E. populnea) woodlands in production landscapes?

Abstract

As little as 10% of the original poplar box (Eucalyptus populnea) woodlands remain in the agriculturally productive landscapes of southern inland Queensland, with most remnants significantly affected by surrounding land use practices. These woodlands have shown signs of dysfunction in the form of dieback and reduced recruitment. Little is known of the resilience of these remaining ecosystems in the face of disturbance from agriculture and other activities. Woodland ecosystems occurring in agricultural landscapes are often subject to clearing, fragmentation and grazing effects. These processes may result in altered recruitment patterns, floristic composition, and condition, changes to stand structure, soil processes, and disruption to overall ecosystem function. The decline in resilience of these systems decreases the likelihood of long term persistence and future provision of broader ecosystem functions. We summarize existing knowledge of poplar box ecosystems and develop a conceptual model of multi-scale drivers of resilience of these woodlands. We describe the field-based research underpinned by this model to test the role and strength of key potential drivers. This study will contribute to developing informed resource management actions needed to maintain and enhance the biodiversity and resilience of poplar box woodlands in these production landscapes.