The pre-colonial distribution of grasslands, woodlands and forests on the Werribee plains, Victoria

  • We use historic plans and recent field observations to reconstruct and describe the former (pre-1750) character and distribution of vegetation on the Werribee Plains, near Melbourne. The primary outcome of this research is a detailed vegetation map. The ecological factors controlling the distribution of trees and open-plains are also discussed. The results show that most of the area was treeless grassland at the time of European settlement (1835). This grassland was broken up by clearly-defined areas of Eucalypt forest, some of which remain. There is, in contrast, little remaining trace of the woodlands of Allocasuarina and Banksia, which we show were once widespread on the plains and stony rises beyond the Eucalypt forest. This work is timely, given the proposal for the creation of two large new reserves in the area, which contain many areas that may be subject to restoration.

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Metadaten
Author:Steve J. Sinclair, Keshia Atchison
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-295981
DOI:https://doi.org/10.7751/cunninghamia.2012.12.017
ISSN:2200-405X
ISSN:0727-9620
Parent Title (English):Cunninghamia : a journal of plant ecology for eastern Australia
Publisher:Mount Annan Botanic Garden, The Administration Officer
Place of publication:Mount Annan, NSW
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2013/03/28
Date of first Publication:2012/07/30
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2013/03/28
Volume:12
Issue:3
Page Number:15
First Page:213
Last Page:227
HeBIS-PPN:335919782
Dewey Decimal Classification:5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 58 Pflanzen (Botanik) / 580 Pflanzen (Botanik)
Sammlungen:Sammlung Biologie / Sondersammelgebiets-Volltexte
Zeitschriften / Jahresberichte:Cunninghamia : A Journal of Plant Ecology for Eastern Australia / Cunninghamia : A Journal of Plant Ecology for Eastern Australia, Volume 12, Issue 3 (2012)
:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-295928
Licence (German):License LogoDeutsches Urheberrecht