By Niels Brouwers
Historic data is crucial in answering our questions about what will likely happen in the future with the woodland and forest systems in Australia. Changes in the past have given us indications of what might happen in the future. However, there is need for more investigation to find out how (and if) the projected changes in climate impact on woodland and forest system functioning. For the southwest of Australia, it is predicted that temperatures will rise and rainfall will continue to decrease over time. Prolonged droughts are also projected to occur more frequently. Understanding how these changes will (possibly) have a flow-on effect on woodland and forest functioning is crucial for making informed decisions in the future.
The ultimate aim of my/our work is therefore to predict what will happen in the future with the native woodlands and forests in southwest Australia in terms of health and development with the projected changes in climate. This work will contribute to informing us on how to deal with these possible changes in the future.
For this project, the biggest challenge is to acquire time series data spanning back 10-50 years or more that have consistently recorded (ecological useful) variables at one geographical location. For climate variables (i.e. temperature and rainfall) there are relatively good long-term historic data series available. However, long term historic datasets that tell us something about the vegetation and fauna in relation to, for instance, their health, are much harder to come by. Finding these data sources is one of the keys to the ultimate success of this project.
So what kind of “useful” data are we after? Well, anything that focussed on monitoring elements within the same woodland or forest system over time. You could think of annual flowering times of one or more tree species, or emergence of the first flowers of a particular plant species in the understorey. Or maybe the first sighting of a certain butterfly or other pollinator that was recorded over several years. Or measurements related to soil moisture or rainfall combined with growth measurements of a certain plant or tree during the last couple of decades or so.
I would like to invite everybody who knows of this kind of data, either gathered by him/herself or somebody they know, to contact me (Niels Brouwers; n.brouwers@murdoch.edu.au). I am further keen to hear your perspectives and suggestions on this project. How would you tackle these issues? I am looking forward to your responses!
