Play Video
Topic Grassland management
Question How can these threats be managed?
Expert Dr John Morgan
Dr John Morgan is a research scientist in the Department of Botany at La Trobe University, Bundoora. John has worked for many years in the grassy ecosystems of southern Australia, concentrating on understanding the long-term changes that occur in species composition in the context of land-use change, ecological management and plant invasions, relating his findings to conservation and biodiversity.
Firstly, by maintaining appropriate disturbance regimes as part of the natural dynamic of grasslands – either by fire or some mechanisms that reduce biomass. Biomass accumulation can smother inter-tussock species. Climate change needs to be dealt with by moving species to new locations – they can’t get there by themselves, because of the highly fragmented nature of the landscape. Weed invasions are the hardest to deal with. They require ongoing management vigilance.
Questions
