The management of native vegetation is fundamental to sustainable resource management. The focus to date has largely been on restoring and managing landscapes in the intensive land use zone, and working with ‘traditional’ farming communities. More recently, a number of projects and programs are underway in the extensive land use zone where native vegetation is still principally intact and indigenous land managers are responsible for large areas. Cross-fertilisation of research findings and their application between these ‘zones’ is to be encouraged, although it is important to treat results from different systems with caution. This is particularly relevant when trying to address questions like “how much vegetation is enough?” Developing a better understanding of what results are transferable between regions, and which are not, would be useful.

Ecological theories such as focal species and thresholds, that underpin many of the policy and on-ground actions on native vegetation management in southern and eastern Australia, are intuitively appealing but difficult to demonstrate and implement in practice. In addition, the value of the increasingly used practice of using offsets in native vegetation management has not been empirically tested. As offsets have been used for 20 years in SA, it would be timely to undertake a review of their effectiveness. It is essential that there is further research and monitoring on these and other approaches to native vegetation management, such as benchmarks. This will help ensure that they are as robust as possible and that management can be adapted as more is learnt about the systems being managed.

Much of the research on native vegetation has been on the habitat it provides for native birds, mammals and reptiles, which in turn underpins many of the management guidelines and actions at a number of scales. Understanding the ecology and management needs of other native species and communities, and the role that landscape scale connectivity plays in maintaining native vegetation and its associated biodiversity, are areas that need further investigation. Understanding the dynamics of fire regimes at regional scale, how they interact with new elements in the landscape like plantations and introduced weeds, and how fire can be best managed for a range of outcomes also needs investigation.

An Analysis of the Gaps in Research and Development Relating to Non-commercial Revegetation in Australia 521 identified a number of areas that required attention. These included:

• developing a plan for the systematic documentation of the germination requirements of Australian plants using both taxonomic and habitat variables to predict likely responses;
• documenting the role of a range (i.e. not just in drier environments) of microphytic associations in protecting soil, affecting germination of vascular plants and in providing habitat complexity/diversity for fauna;
• coordinated research and documentation of soil stored seedbanks in a wide variety of vegetation types, with a commissioned review after five years (for example) to be published; and
• undertaking a detailed review of the genetic issues related to revegetation, particularly that of provenance, and subsequently develop a strategic research plan for these issues.

Addressing these issues in the context of regional planning and management would be a useful framework.

Using the Avon catchment as a pilot region, the Seed Situation Statement written by Greening Australia WA has taken a comprehensive and realistic look at what will be required to meet native seed demand for revegetation projects into the future of the region.  The statement addresses issues of assuring seed supply, seed collection regulations and guidelines, quality assurance, knowledge investment, local capacity, and industry in the Avon region.  Many of the recommendations created from this assessment would be applicable to other regions in Australia.  Regional statements such as these will be useful for Australia to best mange its native seed requirements for revegetation and rehabilitation of degraded areas 608. 

A similar approach to regional seed supply planning is presented in the draft Victorian Native Seed Supply Framework 609. The framework looks at issues of seed supply, the current industry and its capacity, future seed supply needs, legislation and regulation, research needs and monitoring for the Victorian native seed sector. The framework makes a connection between the economic viability and capacity of the native seed industry and the quantity and quality of seed it produces.

A recent review of direct seeding for landscape-scale commercial revegetation highlighted research needs to improve the success of the technique in a range of soils and climates and to increase the efficiency of seed use 522. Research is required to better understand the germination tolerances of seed in the field to planting depth, soil moisture, dormancy factors and predators. The use of soil biota, particularly Bradyrhizobium, is increasing but we need better understanding of other organisms such as mycorrhizal fungi and Frankia. More research is required on managing the soil surface micro-environment and on technology to improve placement and response to moisture of seeds, and the use of mulches, water crystals, supplementary watering and seed balls.

Increased guidance is required on revegetation options to provide for multiple outcomes, particularly as carbon sequestration becomes a more important market-driver. Multi-disciplinary research is needed to develop mechanisms for defining compromise positions for large scale revegetation, for example between what ecologists see as ideal and what is financially feasible. Developing an understanding of the broad societal responses that are needed to stimulate improved management and increased plantings of native vegetation is another critical research area.