ABSTRACT The media plays a key role in shaping public definition of a human-wildlife disease conflict and the acceptance of nominated solutions. While the One Health approach has brought together science and health disciplines to manage emerging infectious diseases (EIDs), the influence of public communication has not been fully considered. This article traces the depiction of the 2011 outbreak of Hendra virus in the Australian media by examining how both journalists and other actors framed the conflict. Recognition of framing influence and the media as an actor in its own right is needed to produce a more nuanced public discourse.

“Habitat” is often used ambiguously in conservation biology and ecology to mean either the specific biotic and abiotic parts of the environment where an organism lives (e.g., the habitat of species x), or to describe a particular environment without reference to a specific species (e.g., the coastal dune habitat). Conservation legislation usually defines habitat as a function of the species, as do botanists, while zoologists are more likely to use habitat to mean a particular environment. We argue that this ambiguity can cause confusion in applied conservation and support defining habitat as “the environment of a species, and particularly those features that determine where the species occurs”.

The vocalisations emitted by adult and juvenile Grey-headed Flying-foxes Pteropus poliocephalus (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) within daytime camps and night nurseries were studied using audio and video data. The calls were differentiated via discriminant analysis and the motor action associated with each call type was categorised. Five distinct call types were emitted by adult P. poliocephalus within daytime camps; ark calls, harsh chuckles, tonal calls, tonal chuckles and chups . The following classification was then applied to distinguish between these calls types; (I) the harsh chuckles and ark calls as ‘harsh’; (2) the tonal calls as ‘tonal’; and (3) the tonal chuckles and chups as ‘intermediate’ between the previous two. Ark calls and harsh chuckles occurred predominantly in association with agonistic behaviours such as fighting and retaliating after being investigated by another individual; tonal calls were emitted most frequently when an individual was crawling or flying away from an agonistic encounter; and tonal chuckles and chups were emitted by females when a male instigated a reproductive attempt. The physical structure of the isolation call of juvenile P. poliocephalus differed among individuals in terms of call length, fundamental frequency and bandwidth of the fundamental component of the call. These differences may reflect a form of ‘vocal signature’ that assists the mother in recognising and locating her young. It is suggested that vocal signals emitted by adult P. poliocephalus predominantly provide information about the arousal state of the emitter and occur in association with specific motor actions that enhance the meaning of the vocal signal.

ABSTRACT The details of a breeding season have been investigated and described for many bird species and groups of species, but rarely for an entire breeding community. The collection of such data is the only way of quantifying the number of birds a habitat can support, how many fledglings it can produce, and the avian diversity that can exist in the habitat. Without these quantitative and qualitative measures, the significance of particular habitats for avian conservation is difficult to assess. We have accumulated comprehensive data on a breeding bird community on a 10 ha site for eight seasons, which has enabled us to condense the many aspects of breeding into an ‘average’ breeding season. The breeding community consisted of 44 species, which used all of the site for nesting. Some species bred each season, while others bred as infrequently as once in the eight seasons. Nesting occurred between the beginning of August and the end of January, different species showed markedly different starting and finishing times, and there were different temporal patterns of breeding within the breeding periods of the different species. The number of pairs that bred on the site varied each season, a pattern that we have previously shown to be related to the value of the Southern Oscillation Index before the start of the season. Nest success rates varied considerably between species, but the overall success rate on the site was approximately 50%. We estimate that the spotted gum forest habitat on the south-east coast of Australia (1200 km 2 ) produces approximately 1.5 million fledglings each season.

ABSTRACT Flying-fox camps in urban areas are a contentious wildlife management issue. Since 2012, Grey-headed Flying-foxes Pteropus poliocephalus have regularly occupied two camps in Batemans Bay, New South Wales (NSW). At one site, the Water Gardens, impacts on adjacent residents and businesses occur when animals roost near the reserve boundaries. During March–July 2016, a large influx of flying-foxes arrived, causing the camps to spread into neighbouring residential, recreational and industrial areas. Prior to this, impacts had been mitigated through vegetation clearing to create buffer zones and residential subsidies for mitigation equipment and services. The influx warranted additional measures such as a dispersal program and further vegetation removal, which were expedited by the Commonwealth Government granting a National Interest Exemption under section 158 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the NSW Government committing $2.5 million in funding towards the new measures. These measures moved flying-foxes from key conflict areas but also coincided with flying-fox numbers reducing as local blossom diminished. Ongoing community engagement played an important role in building community resilience to live with this threatened species, which is vital considering that Batemans Bay will likely continue to be an important area for flying-foxes.

ABSTRACT The long-term impacts of mining on frog communities have received scant attention in published literature. This study presents a 38-year survey of two sites bordering a sand mine at Bridge Hill in the Myall Lakes National Park, New South Wales (NSW). Mining occurred in the area close to the two survey sites between 1981 and 1983 and frog surveys were undertaken there between 1978 and 2016. One site was a dunal pond that supported up to 13 frog species, the other a wallum swamp that supported up to 12 frog species; however, frog community composition fluctuated dramatically during and immediately after mining at both sites. Some frog species became temporarily more abundant (e.g. Litora aurea , L. latopalmata , Crinia tinnula ), some species became less abundant and eventually disappeared from the sites (e.g. Adelotus brevis , Limnodynastes tasmaniensis , Pseudophryne bibroni ). Changes in species abundance were driven by changes in pH, salinity and emergent plant cover at both sites as a direct consequence of mining disturbance. The frog populations at the dunal pond and swamp site became more stable 20 years after the cessation of mining, but neither site has returned to its pre-mining species composition. Habitat variables appear to be significant in determining the colonisation success of some frog species, but mining activity has been responsible for changes in these variables and the impacts of mining still remain.

ABSTRACT Continuous fauna surveys have been conducted by the Frog and Tadpole Study Group of New South Wales Inc. (FATS) at Wallingat since 1994. Between 1983 and 1994 occasional surveys were carried out by the founding members of FATS. Unlike the early surveys, which were entirely opportunistic, FATS established a series of regular survey locations within Wallingat State Forest (SF) and these sites have been routinely surveyed twice a year since 1994. In addition, opportunistic surveys were also undertaken for other fauna. The data collected from these surveys were dutifully reported to the state government agencies, who recorded the wildlife data (now under the auspices of the Office of Environment and Heritage NSW). The fauna records supplied by FATS (and other natural history groups) documented a rich and diverse fauna in Wallingat SF that includes 26 frog species (including 1 threatened species), 40 reptile species (including 2 threatened species), 30 mammal species (including 6 threatened species) and over 100 bird species (including 5 threatened species). These data paved the way for the gazetting of 6,557 ha of Wallingat SF to become Wallingat National Park (NP). The justification for the creation of the national park was mostly due to the rich biodiversity and faunal significance demonstrated by the FATS' surveys (DECCW 2010). FATS continue to survey in Wallingat NP and to compile a record of changes in the frog communities over time.

ABSTRACT Fires are a common occurrence in Australian terrestrial ecosystems. A large fire occurred in January 2013 within and adjacent to the Warrumbungle National Park, near Coonabarabran in NSW, burning over 560 km 2 of the park and surrounding region (the Wambelong fire). The Wambelong fire affected Dunphy Lake, the only lake in the park. In this study, we assessed the post-fire aquatic animal community of the lake in March and September 2014. At the times of sampling the lake was largely dry and had only small isolated pools. We found 53 invertebrate taxa including the larvae of the dragonfly Austrogynacantha heterogena and one vertebrate species (larvae of the frog Litoria rubella ) in the pool-water samples. Artificial inundation of the lake sediment samples under laboratory conditions led to the emergence of 31 taxa, totalling 62 taxa in the lake overall. Most taxa found in the lake are opportunistic and characteristic of those in still-water bodies. Dunphy Lake seems to be highly resilient in sustaining diverse aquatic animals. We highlight the importance of complementary pre- and post-fire data for improved assessments and interpretations of fire impacts to guide monitoring of post-fire recovery.

Nest predation is the most common source of nest failure in most passerines, yet the identity of the predators is generally poorly known. Recent advances in surveillance cameras have made the identification of nest predators much easier. We used this technology to investigate the nest predators of a woodland bird community in south-east Australia, for which nest predation averaged 59% per annum over four years. Despite the loss of more than 240 clutches or broods during this period, only one predation event was witnessed prior to the use of cameras, and the identity of predators remained virtually unknown. During the 2012/13 breeding season, cameras recorded 17 acts of nest predation involving seven species of nesting birds, and we identified seven species of predator (four birds and three mammals). For two of the avian predators, we recorded hitherto unknown behaviour.

Bird counts were conducted in woodland remnants of the upper North-west Slopes of New South Wales, an ornithologically little-documented area, in 1995 and 1997. A total of 120 woodland species, including 11 threatened species, was recorded in the area below 900 m elevation, from a point 100 km NNW of Armidale northwards 50 km to the Dumaresq River, thence 50 km north-west across Slopes woodland to the river at Texas (Queensland). Woodland patches ≯300 ha supported significantly more species than those <100 ha. Threatened and other declining species occurred mainly in large patches, although some also occurred commonly in small riverine or otherwise fertile patches; foraging guilds of small to medium-sized, ground and above-ground insectivores were under-represented in small remnants. The conservation values of woodland remnants on the upper North-west Slopes are similar to those on the tablelands and inland slopes farther south, and require appropriate management to maintain avian diversity.

A community-based survey was conducted to establish the current distribution of the platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus in the Huon River catchment, southern Tasmania. The species was found to be common and sighted in waterbodies throughout the Huon River catchment. Fewer platypuses were sighted in the eastern part of the catchment, where rainfall is lower and mudstone is the dominant geology. The absence of platypus sightings from some rivers needs further investigation as it may reflect geology, stream ecology or land use practices. Smaller waterbodies such as farm dams and creeks appeared to provide important habitat. A number of platypuses were also observed in estuarine areas where salinity levels were high. The survey also indicated that the platypus is an effective icon species for raising community awareness of the issues surrounding catchment management and river protection.

Recent biodiversity surveys of the Barrier Ranges in far western New South Wales resulted in the discovery of an undescribed vegetation community dominated by spinifex grass growing on rocky ranges. Reptile surveys within this vegetation community revealed the presence of three reptile species not known to, or predicted to occur in the Broken Hill Complex Bioregion. These were the Spinifex Snake-lizard Delma butleri , Marble-headed Snake-lizard Delma australis and Southern Spinifex Slender Blue-tongue Cyclodomorphus melanops elongatus . The conservation value of these populations is regarded as regionally significant. All three species were detected by hand-searches of the spinifex grass highlighting the need to use experienced herpetologists when conducting reptile surveys in complex microhabitats. Their presence in the study area on a rocky substrate provides additional information on their habitat requirements in New South Wales.

Community groups can make significant contributions to threatened species recovery planning. I conducted two questionnaire surveys of the community bordering on Coomaditchy Lagoon, an important breeding site of the endangered Green and Golden Bell Frog Litoria aurea at Port Kembla, New South Wales. The aims of these surveys were to gain an understanding of how widespread bell frogs were through the residential area and to identify how to involve the local community in some kind of monitoring of this endangered frog. There were 65 responses to the first questionnaire; 53 respondents indicated they were aware of this species in Port Kembla and 45 had seen it on their properties. There were 45 respondents who were interested in modifying their gardens to attract frogs and 39 who were willing to become involved with monitoring of frogs on their properties. A second questionnaire conducted 2.5 years later surveyed 46 people who indicated continued interest in bell frogs from the first questionnaire. This revealed that 17 people had modified their gardens to be more attractive to frogs and 7 people had installed frog ponds. Eleven respondents had seen the frog in the four months prior to the questionnaire. These surveys indicated that bell frogs were widespread through the residential area, and that installing ponds and using appropriate landscaping were likely to be beneficial to the local bell frog population. Community-based monitoring could be conducted but to be worthwhile would require the involvement of a community-based co-ordinator.

The aim of those developing and subsequently managing land in rural areas should be to ensure that the native flora and fauna are preserved, along with the agricultural productivity of the land. Unfortunately, there are few places where this has been achieved; land degradation (as indicated by increasing soil salinization, wind and water erosion, pollution of water supplies and the loss of soil productivity due to depletion of nutrients) and species loss has usually followed development. If we are to retain nature conservation values and preserve agricultural productivity, the processes leading to soil salinization, wind erosion, water erosion and fouling of water supplies, etc. must be reversed. This will involve revegetating very large areas, i.e., whole landscapes. At present we know much about rehabilitating small areas such as mine sites and other derelict land, but we know little about restoring entire water catchments, or land systems. We need to understand how to conserve existing remnant areas to prevent further loss of species and to find ways to revegetate extensive areas of cleared and degraded landscapes. Having established methods to carry out the restoration process, they will need to be put into practice; this is beyond the resources of the agencies responsible for conservation and land management, which should act only as consultants to local communities who will need to carry out the work. Communication and education are vital in the process of developing community involvement in research, monitoring and restoration of their land. It is only by involving people during the research and monitoring that they will become aware of the detrimental changes to their environment, particularly the natural resources. If people do not become aware of these changes as they occur, then it will not be possible for them to be motivated to restore the landscape.