Environmental Monitoring Commons^™

The Birds And Habitat Of Kings Park, Bradley W. Cox

Theses : Honours

Kings Park is a large urban park in the centre of Perth with extensive areas of semi-natural bushland. The park is an important refuge for birds in the metropolitan area but is losing species through habitat disturbance. Understanding the way in which birds are related to their habitat helps to understand the effect of habitat disturbance on the bird community. The aim of this project was to generate guidelines which will aid in the management and conservation of birds in the park, through an understanding of the relationship of the birds to their habitat. The avifauna and various habitat factors …

Carbon Sequestration Of Two Oil Mallee Species, Eucalyptus Loxophleba Subsp. Lissophloia And Eucalyptus. Kochii Subsp. Plenissima In The Semi-Arid Environment Of The Central Wheatbelt Of Western Australia, Andrew Phillip Mccarthy

Theses : Honours

The planting of "Oil malices" have a number of implications in terms of environmental management within Western Australia. Firstly, the incorporation of perennial trees on a large scale into the agricultural landscape can assist in balancing the hydrological cycle and other land degradation problems (Bird et. al. 1992; Western Australian Salinity Action Plan, 1996). Secondly, harvesting the above-ground biomass can produce an economic return because of the oil contained within the leaves. This oil has the potential to replace ozone damaging solvents (Barton and Knight, J997; Wildy, 1996). Finally, "oil mallees" have the potential to offset greenhouse gas emissions, because …

Perceptions Of Seagrass Ecosystem Health And Potential Indicators For Monitoring, Nick Wood

Theses : Honours

A range of seagrass characteristics were assessed for potential use as indicators of ecosystem health. Shoot density, shoot width, maximum shoot length, above and below ground biomass, percentage canopy cover, leaf area index, leaf extension rate, meadow productivity, epiphyte biomass, epiphyte species richness, percentage of calcium carbonate in epiphytic material and percentage of nitrogen in leaf tissue were all measured in “healthy~ and unhealthy" Posidonia augustifolia meadows in Cockburn and Warnbro Sounds, from June through to August 1998. A questionnaire was used to determine which meadows researchers and managers in the seagrass ecology field in Perth perceived to be healthy …

Wetland Vegetation Monitoring, 1998 Survey: Gnangara Wetlands, N. E. Pettit, R. H. Froend

Research outputs pre 2011

Water regimes, both groundwater and surface water components dil'ectly effect distribution, health and species composition of wetland fringing vegetation. In the area of the northern Swan Coastal Plain overlying the Gnangara groundwater mound, wetland water levels and therefore the vegetation can be intimately connected to underlying groundwater levels. The Water Corporation (formerly Water Authority of Western Australia) has been drawing water from the Gnangara mound for domestic water supply for a number of years. The main objective of this study is to monitor the changes in the vegetation fringing these wetlands and to determine if this is related to changes …

Salinity Action Plan : Wetland Vegetation Monitoring, 1997/1998, G. Ogden, R. H. Froend

Research outputs pre 2011

This report represents the vegetation component of a project designed to provide on-going monitoring of wetland salinity and biological resources in wetlands of the agricultural zone of south-west Western Australia. Maintenance of wetland biological diversity in the agricultural zone is one of the major objectives of the Salinity Action Plan. Due to their low position in the landscape, wetlands are the habitat most affected by salinisation...

Agricultural Water Quality Index Field Handout, Jeffrey Cooper, Richard Rediske, Melvin Northup, Mark Thogerson, Jonathan Van Denend

Scientific Technical Reports

The Agricultural Water Quality Index (AWQI) is an assessment tool designed for use in agroecosystems. Most existing environmental indices and assessment tools focus on the stream channel and/or riparian zone (the area between the channel and active land use). In contrast, the AWQI places an emphasis on land use and soil types that play a significant role in hydrologic cycles and water quality characteristics within the watershed.

The AWQI is designed to be used by agricultural technicians with limited experience in aquatic ecology; however, it does assume a reasonable background in soil characteristics. This index is intended for use during …

Agricultural Water Quality Index, Jeffrey Cooper, Richard Rediske, Melvin Northup, Mark Thogerson, Jonathan Van Denend

Scientific Technical Reports

The primary purpose of the Agricultural Water Quality Index (AWQI) is to provide the agricultural community with a practical technical method for conducting cost-effective water quality assessments of rivers and streams in agroecosystems. The protocols presented have been derived from extensive literature review and the results of field research in agroecosystems performed during the summer of 1997 by the authors of this index. This assessment tool is not intended to replace those already in use by state agencies or to be used without regional modifications.