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Losses of forests and their insect inhabitants are a major global
conservation concern, spanning tropical and temperate forest
regions throughout the world. This broad overview of Australian
forest insect conservation draws on studies from many places to
demonstrate the diversity and vulnerability of forest insects and
how their conservation may be pursued through combinations of
increased understanding, forest protection and silvicultural
management in both natural and plantation forests. The relatively
recent history of severe human disturbance to Australian forests
ensures that reasonably natural forest patches remain and serve as
'models' for many forest categories. They are also refuges for many
forest biota extirpated from the wider landscapes as forests are
lost, and merit strenuous protection from further changes, and
wider efforts to promote connectivity between otherwise isolated
remnant patches. In parallel, the recent attention to improving
forest insect conservation in harmony with insect pest management
continues to benefit from perspectives generated from
better-documented faunas elsewhere. Lessons from the northern
hemisphere, in particular, have led to revelations of the
ecological importance and vulnerability of many insect taxa in
forests, together with clear evidence that 'conservation can work'
in concert with wider forest uses. A brief outline of the variety
of Australian tropical and temperate forests and woodlands, and of
the multitude of endemic and, often, highly localised insects that
depend on them highlights needs for conservation (both of single
focal species and wider forest-dependent radiations and
assemblages). The ways in which insects contribute to sustained
ecological integrity of these complex ecosystems provide numerous
opportunities for practical conservation.
Australia's varied grasslands have suffered massive losses and
changes since European settlement, and those changes continue under
increasingly intensive human pressures for development and
agricultural production. The values of native grasslands for
conservation of endemic native biodiversity, both flora and fauna,
have led to strong interests in the protection of remaining
fragments, especially near urban centres, and documentation of the
insects and other inhabitants of grasslands spanning tropical to
cool temperate parts of the country. Attention to conservation of
grassland insects in Australia is relatively recent, but it is
increasingly apparent that grasslands harbour many localised and
ecologically specialised endemic species. Their conservation
necessarily advances from very incomplete documentation, and draws
heavily on lessons from the far better-documented grasslands
elsewhere, most notably in the northern hemisphere, and undertaken
over far longer periods. From those cases, and the extensive
background to grassland management to harmonise conservation with
production and amenity values through honing use of processes such
as grazing, mowing and fire, the needs and priorities for Australia
can become clearer, together with needs for grassland restoration
at a variety of scales. This book is a broad overview of
conservation needs of grassland insects in Australia, drawing on
the background provided elsewhere in the world on the responses to
disturbances, and the ecological importance, of some key insect
groups (notably Orthoptera, Hemiptera and Lepidoptera) to suggest
how insect conservation in native, pastoral and urban grasslands
may be advanced. The substantial references given for each chapter
facilitate entry for non-entomologist grassland managers and
stewards to appreciate the diversity and importance of Australia's
grassland insects, their vulnerabilities to changes, and the
possibilities for conserving them and the wider ecological roles in
which they participate.
Losses of forests and their insect inhabitants are a major global
conservation concern, spanning tropical and temperate forest
regions throughout the world. This broad overview of Australian
forest insect conservation draws on studies from many places to
demonstrate the diversity and vulnerability of forest insects and
how their conservation may be pursued through combinations of
increased understanding, forest protection and silvicultural
management in both natural and plantation forests. The relatively
recent history of severe human disturbance to Australian forests
ensures that reasonably natural forest patches remain and serve as
'models' for many forest categories. They are also refuges for many
forest biota extirpated from the wider landscapes as forests are
lost, and merit strenuous protection from further changes, and
wider efforts to promote connectivity between otherwise isolated
remnant patches. In parallel, the recent attention to improving
forest insect conservation in harmony with insect pest management
continues to benefit from perspectives generated from
better-documented faunas elsewhere. Lessons from the northern
hemisphere, in particular, have led to revelations of the
ecological importance and vulnerability of many insect taxa in
forests, together with clear evidence that 'conservation can work'
in concert with wider forest uses. A brief outline of the variety
of Australian tropical and temperate forests and woodlands, and of
the multitude of endemic and, often, highly localised insects that
depend on them highlights needs for conservation (both of single
focal species and wider forest-dependent radiations and
assemblages). The ways in which insects contribute to sustained
ecological integrity of these complex ecosystems provide numerous
opportunities for practical conservation.
Documenting and understanding intricate ecological interactions
involving insects is a central need in conservation, and the
specialised and specific nature of many such associations is
displayed in this book. Their importance is exemplified in a broad
global overview of a major category of interactions, mutualisms, in
which the interdependence of species is essential for their mutual
wellbeing. The subtleties that sustain many mutualistic
relationships are still poorly understood by ecologists and
conservation managers alike. Examples from many parts of the world
and ecological regimes demonstrate the variety of mutualisms
between insect taxa, and between insects and plants, in particular,
and their significance in planning and undertaking insect
conservation - of both individual species and the wider contexts on
which they depend. Several taxonomic groups, notably ants, lycaenid
butterflies and sucking bugs, help to demonstrate the evolution and
flexibility of mutualistic interactions, whilst fundamental
processes such as pollination emphasise the central roles of,
often, highly specific partnerships. This compilation brings
together a wide range of relevant cases and contexts, with
implications for practical insect conservation and increasing
awareness of the roles of co-adaptations of behaviour and ecology
as adjuncts to designing optimal conservation plans. The three
major themes deal with the meanings and mechanisms of mutualisms,
the classic mutualisms that involve insect partners, and the
environmental and conservation lessons that flow from these and
have potential to facilitate and improve insect conservation
practice. The broader ecological perspective advances the
transition from primary focus on single species toward consequently
enhancing wider ecological contexts in which insect diversity can
thrive.
This overview of the roles of alien species in insect conservation
brings together information, evidence and examples from many parts
of the world to illustrate their impacts (often severe, but in many
cases poorly understood and unpredictable) as one of the primary
drivers of species declines, ecological changes and biotic
homogenisation. Both accidental and deliberate movements of species
are involved, with alien invasive plants and insects the major
groups of concern for their influences on native insects and their
environments. Risk assessments, stimulated largely through fears of
non-target impacts of classical biological control agents
introduced for pest management, have provided valuable lessons for
wider conservation biology. They emphasise the needs for effective
biosecurity, risk avoidance and minimisation, and evaluation and
management of alien invasive species as both major components of
many insect species conservation programmes and harbingers of
change in invaded communities. The spread of highly adaptable
ecological generalist invasive species, which are commonly
difficult to detect or monitor, can be linked to declines and
losses of numerous localised ecologically specialised insects and
disruptions to intricate ecological interactions and functions, and
create novel interactions with far-reaching consequences for the
receiving environments. Understanding invasion processes and
predicting impacts of alien species on susceptible native insects
is an important theme in practical insect conservation.
Documenting and understanding intricate ecological interactions
involving insects is a central need in conservation, and the
specialised and specific nature of many such associations is
displayed in this book. Their importance is exemplified in a broad
global overview of a major category of interactions, mutualisms, in
which the interdependence of species is essential for their mutual
wellbeing. The subtleties that sustain many mutualistic
relationships are still poorly understood by ecologists and
conservation managers alike. Examples from many parts of the world
and ecological regimes demonstrate the variety of mutualisms
between insect taxa, and between insects and plants, in particular,
and their significance in planning and undertaking insect
conservation - of both individual species and the wider contexts on
which they depend. Several taxonomic groups, notably ants, lycaenid
butterflies and sucking bugs, help to demonstrate the evolution and
flexibility of mutualistic interactions, whilst fundamental
processes such as pollination emphasise the central roles of,
often, highly specific partnerships. This compilation brings
together a wide range of relevant cases and contexts, with
implications for practical insect conservation and increasing
awareness of the roles of co-adaptations of behaviour and ecology
as adjuncts to designing optimal conservation plans. The three
major themes deal with the meanings and mechanisms of mutualisms,
the classic mutualisms that involve insect partners, and the
environmental and conservation lessons that flow from these and
have potential to facilitate and improve insect conservation
practice. The broader ecological perspective advances the
transition from primary focus on single species toward consequently
enhancing wider ecological contexts in which insect diversity can
thrive.
A global synthesis of the impacts of wildfires and controlled
burning on insects, bringing together much hitherto scattered
information to provide a guide to improved conservation management
practice. The great variety of responses by insect species and
assemblages demonstrates the often subtle balance between fire
being a severe threat and a vital management component. Examples
from many parts of the world and from diverse biotopes and
production systems display the increasingly detailed appreciation
of fire impacts on insects in terrestrial and freshwater
environments and the ways in which prescribed burning may be
tailored to reduce harmful ecological impacts and incorporated into
protocols for threatened species and wider insect conservation
benefits.
This survey of one the longest insect conservation campaigns in
Australia deals with recovery of one of the most iconic endemic
butterflies, the Richmond birdwing, threatened by clearance and
fragmentation of subtropical rainforest in eastern Australia and
the spread of an alien larval food-plant. Its conservation has
involved many aspects of community involvement, developed over more
than 20 years, and focused on habitat restoration and weed
eradication, in conjunction with conservation of remaining forest
fragments. The work has involved the entire historical range of the
butterfly, addressed threats and emphasised landscape connectivity,
and has enhanced recovery through extensive plantings of native
food plants. Interest has been maintained through extensive
publicity, community education and media activity, and the
programme has provided many lessons for advancing insect
conservation practice in the region.
This overview of the roles of alien species in insect conservation
brings together information, evidence and examples from many parts
of the world to illustrate their impacts (often severe, but in many
cases poorly understood and unpredictable) as one of the primary
drivers of species declines, ecological changes and biotic
homogenisation. Both accidental and deliberate movements of species
are involved, with alien invasive plants and insects the major
groups of concern for their influences on native insects and their
environments. Risk assessments, stimulated largely through fears of
non-target impacts of classical biological control agents
introduced for pest management, have provided valuable lessons for
wider conservation biology. They emphasise the needs for effective
biosecurity, risk avoidance and minimisation, and evaluation and
management of alien invasive species as both major components of
many insect species conservation programmes and harbingers of
change in invaded communities. The spread of highly adaptable
ecological generalist invasive species, which are commonly
difficult to detect or monitor, can be linked to declines and
losses of numerous localised ecologically specialised insects and
disruptions to intricate ecological interactions and functions, and
create novel interactions with far-reaching consequences for the
receiving environments. Understanding invasion processes and
predicting impacts of alien species on susceptible native insects
is an important theme in practical insect conservation.
A survey of the development and practice of butterfly conservation
in south east Australia, tracing evolution of the science through a
series of cases from focus on single subspecies through increasing
levels of ecological complexity to critical biotopes and
communities. The book summarises much previously scattered
information, and provides access to much regional information of
considerable interest to practitioners elsewhere.
The book introduces basic entomology, emphasising perspectives on
insect diversity important in conservation assessment and setting
priorities for management, as a foundation for managers and others
without entomological training or background. It bridges the gap
between photographic essays on insect identification and more
technical texts, to illustrate and discuss many aspects of
taxonomic, ecological and evolutionary diversity in the Australian
insect fauna, and its impacts in human life, through outlines of
many aspects of insect natural history.
A global synthesis of the impacts of wildfires and controlled
burning on insects, bringing together much hitherto scattered
information to provide a guide to improved conservation management
practice. The great variety of responses by insect species and
assemblages demonstrates the often subtle balance between fire
being a severe threat and a vital management component. Examples
from many parts of the world and from diverse biotopes and
production systems display the increasingly detailed appreciation
of fire impacts on insects in terrestrial and freshwater
environments and the ways in which prescribed burning may be
tailored to reduce harmful ecological impacts and incorporated into
protocols for threatened species and wider insect conservation
benefits.
The history of interest and practice in insect conservation is
summarised and traced through contributions from many of the
leaders in the discipline, to provide the first broad global
account of how insects have become incorporated into considerations
of conservation. The essays collectively cover the genesis and
development of insect conservation, emphasising its strong
foundation within the northern temperate regions and the contrasts
with much of the rest of the world. Major present-day scenarios are
discussed, together with possible developments and priorities in
insect conservation for the future.
This survey of one the longest insect conservation campaigns in
Australia deals with recovery of one of the most iconic endemic
butterflies, the Richmond birdwing, threatened by clearance and
fragmentation of subtropical rainforest in eastern Australia and
the spread of an alien larval food-plant. Its conservation has
involved many aspects of community involvement, developed over more
than 20 years, and focused on habitat restoration and weed
eradication, in conjunction with conservation of remaining forest
fragments. The work has involved the entire historical range of the
butterfly, addressed threats and emphasised landscape connectivity,
and has enhanced recovery through extensive plantings of native
food plants. Interest has been maintained through extensive
publicity, community education and media activity, and the
programme has provided many lessons for advancing insect
conservation practice in the region. "
The history of interest and practice in insect conservation is
summarised and traced through contributions from many of the
leaders in the discipline, to provide the first broad global
account of how insects have become incorporated into considerations
of conservation. The essays collectively cover the genesis and
development of insect conservation, emphasising its strong
foundation within the northern temperate regions and the contrasts
with much of the rest of the world. Major present-day scenarios are
discussed, together with possible developments and priorities in
insect conservation for the future.
A survey of the development and practice of butterfly conservation
in south east Australia, tracing evolution of the science through a
series of cases from focus on single subspecies through increasing
levels of ecological complexity to critical biotopes and
communities. The book summarises much previously scattered
information, and provides access to much regional information of
considerable interest to practitioners elsewhere.
A series of original papers and reviews dealing with the
peculiarities of island insects and their conservation in many
parts of the world. Contributions to this special issue of Journal
of Insect Conservation range from biogeographical analyses and
ecological features of island insects and their evolution to the
variety of concerns for their wellbeing, and practical conservation
through a variety of, sometimes novel, approaches. They provide a
valuable and up-to-date resource for entomologists and conservation
practitioners.
Conservation interest in moths, by far the predominant components
of Lepidoptera, lags far behind that for butterflies, for which
conservation practice provides many well-established lessons for
extension to their near relatives. The needs of moths are at least
as great, but their greater richness and variety, and far poorer
documentation of diversity and biology over much of the world
contribute to this lack of attention. Australia’s rich moth
fauna, largely endemic and of global interest, illustrates many of
the problems of developing wider interest and support for moth
conservation. Numerous species (perhaps half the total fauna) are
undescribed, and many are ecological specialists in restricted and
vulnerable environments over small parts of the continent.
Establishing their conservation status and needs whilst accepting
that foundation knowledge is highly incomplete and much
species-focused conservation is impracticable provides complex
problems in setting priorities, based largely on wider diversity
and effective advocacy. Â Most Australian vegetation systems,
from grassland to forest and from sea-level to alpine zones, have
been eroded in extent and quality since European settlement,
resulting in massive habitat changes for native insects and to
leave fragmented (and commonly degraded) remnants in which moths
and others may persist. Recent surveys continue to increase
recorded moth richness, reveal local faunal peculiarities, and
indicate how assemblage changes may mirror wider environmental
changes. This book is an overview of advances in documenting and
interpreting moth diversity and ecology, to show how information
from better-studied moth faunas can help in planning conservation
of Australia’s moths through measures such as understanding the
moths themselves by increased surveys and study, the factors
influencing their diversity and wellbeing, and how such threats may
be countered through increased coordinated conservation interest,
commitment and management.
Problems of insect enumeration and assessment of needs are
addressed in the contexts of rapid and substantial losses and
changes to all key Australian terrestrial and freshwater
environments and promoting awarenesss of the importance of insects.
Further definition of the insect fauna and its peculiarities can
aid threat alleviation and practical management to protect and
conserve this unique and largely endemic biodiversity. Written for
the many environmental managers and naturalists who are not
primarily entomologists, the ten chapters expand from
considerations of insect decline and diversity to the unique
features of the Australian fauna and its characterisation. Cases
and examples from throughout the world illustrate the major needs,
approaches and priorities to sustaining a poorly known, diverse and
ecologically varied insect heritage of global significance.
Australia's varied grasslands have suffered massive losses and
changes since European settlement, and those changes continue under
increasingly intensive human pressures for development and
agricultural production. The values of native grasslands for
conservation of endemic native biodiversity, both flora and fauna,
have led to strong interests in the protection of remaining
fragments, especially near urban centres, and documentation of the
insects and other inhabitants of grasslands spanning tropical to
cool temperate parts of the country. Attention to conservation of
grassland insects in Australia is relatively recent, but it is
increasingly apparent that grasslands harbour many localised and
ecologically specialised endemic species. Their conservation
necessarily advances from very incomplete documentation, and draws
heavily on lessons from the far better-documented grasslands
elsewhere, most notably in the northern hemisphere, and undertaken
over far longer periods. From those cases, and the extensive
background to grassland management to harmonise conservation with
production and amenity values through honing use of processes such
as grazing, mowing and fire, the needs and priorities for Australia
can become clearer, together with needs for grassland restoration
at a variety of scales. This book is a broad overview of
conservation needs of grassland insects in Australia, drawing on
the background provided elsewhere in the world on the responses to
disturbances, and the ecological importance, of some key insect
groups (notably Orthoptera, Hemiptera and Lepidoptera) to suggest
how insect conservation in native, pastoral and urban grasslands
may be advanced. The substantial references given for each chapter
facilitate entry for non-entomologist grassland managers and
stewards to appreciate the diversity and importance of Australia's
grassland insects, their vulnerabilities to changes, and the
possibilities for conserving them and the wider ecological roles in
which they participate.
The book introduces basic entomology, emphasising perspectives on
insect diversity important in conservation assessment and setting
priorities for management, as a foundation for managers and others
without entomological training or background. It bridges the gap
between photographic essays on insect identification and more
technical texts, to illustrate and discuss many aspects of
taxonomic, ecological and evolutionary diversity in the Australian
insect fauna, and its impacts in human life, through outlines of
many aspects of insect natural history.
With up to a quarter of all insect species heading towards
extinction over the next few decades, there is now a pressing need
to summarize the techniques available for measuring insect
diversity in order to develop effective conservation strategies.
Insect Conservation outlines the main methods and techniques
available to entomologists, providing a comprehensive synthesis for
use by graduate students, researchers and practising
conservationists worldwide. Both modern and more 'traditional'
methodologies are described, backed up by practical background
information and a global range of examples. Many newer techniques
are included which have not yet been described in the existing book
literature.
This book will be particularly relevant to postgraduate and
advanced undergraduate students taking courses in insect ecology,
conservation biology and environmental management, as well as
established researchers in these fields. It will also be a valuable
reference for nature conservation practitioners and professional
entomologists worldwide.
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