Project 1: “Ecological Regionalization of Australia: A landscape ecosystem approach”

Collaboration: Prof Brendan Mackey, Ms Tiffany Brown and Dr Sandy Berry (ANU WildCountry Hub)

In order to protect and restore biodiversity, we must understand how landscapes work ­ in terms of both the environmental drivers of ecosystem processes (e.g. climate, soil, topography) and the response of ecosystems to natural and human perturbations. Our approach to eco-regionalization draws on new methods for analysing, classifying and mapping continental patterns in landscape ecosystem drivers and responses, and provides an integrated perspective of the Australian landscape. Eco-regionalizations provide the basis for explicit environmental “gap” analysis ­ identifying priority landscapes for conservation efforts. They also serve as a geographic framework for developing regional conservation plans, and can compliment traditional bioregionalizations such as IBRA and other landscape classifications undertaken at the state level.