Studio 4/02

Landscape Strategies for Biodiversity Planning (and Design in Rural Regions)

Dr. Dennis N. Williamson

Studio Description

Planning and designing biodiversity protection and enhancement for indigenous flora and fauna species in rural farming landscapes that cover almost 60% of Australia is of urgent importance. Studio participants will be introduced to the language of landscape ecology, regenerative and biophilic design so they can help farmers and Landcare Groups respond to habitat fragment-ation, climate change, renewable energy, and related issues. They will learn about and create valuable ecological and agricultural services and benefits of improved biodiversity for farmers and the broader community.

Regional scale assessments and solutions at the meso to property scales will be applied in the Moorabool Region, west of Melbourne. Field trips, iconic fauna species, Aboriginal knowledge and rural farmers and Landcare managers will be encountered. Practical concepts of biodiversity corridors, connectivity, and habitat patches are introduced, along with GIS and other spatial and graphic techniques for analysing and visualising landscape transformation within a working landscape.

Studio Outcomes

This studio will provide practical knowledge of principles and strategic problem solving, applying key ecological principles for rural landscapes and agro-ecological systems at regional and local scales in the Moorabool Landcare Region. Students will prepare resource assessments, analyses, and strategies for the protection, enhancement, and creation of high-quality habitat, stepping stone patches, at risk flora and fauna, critical water zones and flow regimes, and ecological connectivity. They will also learn how to make the biggest difference for as many species as possible, and the relationships between climate action, renewable energy infrastructure, and biodiversity management. Biodiversity mapping and decision systems such as Victoria’s NatureKit, NaturePrint, and Biodiversity Atlas will be introduced to assist in minimising climate change impacts. Aboriginal connection to country and biocultural knowledge will also be explored. Threatened and focal flora and fauna species such as Platypus, Koalas, Grassland Earless Dragons, Naked Sun-orchids, Lerderderg Scentbarks may be encountered.

Studio Leader/s

Dr Dennis Williamson is Director of Geoscene International (Scenic Spectrums Pty Ltd) and a former lecturer in various university landscape planning and assessment courses. He holds degrees in Geography (BA), Landscape Architecture (MLA), and Landscape Ecology/Climate Change (PhD) from USA and Australian universities. He has previous experience in landscape planning with the US and Victorian forest and conservation departments prior to establishing his consultancy firm in 1985, where he has been involved in a range of visual resource, river catchment and wetland, World Heritage, and “deep landscape assessments” of the natural and cultural values of regional landscapes around Australia.

Readings & References

• Ahern, J. et. al. 2017. Biodiversity Planning and Design: Sustainable Practices. Island Press.
• Hughes, Lesley, et. al., 2016. On the Frontline: Climate Change & Rural Communities, Climate Council of Australia Limited.
• Leopold, Aldo, 2021. Think Like a Mountain. Penguin Classics.
• Lindenmayer, David B. and Hobbs, Richard, J. (Eds.), 2007. Managing and Designing Landscapes for Conservation: Moving from Perspectives to Principles. Wiley-Blackwell.
• Neale, Margo, and Kelly, Lynne, 2020. First Knowledges Songlines: The Power and Promise, Thames and Hudson Australia.
• Steffen, W., et. al., 2009. Australia’s biodiversity and climate change: a strategic assessment of the vulnerability of Australia’s biodiversity to climate change. CSIRO Publishing.
• The Resilience Alliance, 2023. Key Concepts: https://www.resalliance.org/key-concepts
• Williamson, Dennis N., 2018. "The Future Regional Landscape – Principles for Integrating Ecosystems with Cultural Systems at the Landscape Scale." In Geelong Region: Nature of a Landscape 1837 – 2050, David Jones and Phillip Roös (Eds). CSIRO and Deakin University.

Schedule Thursday 1:15 pm - 7:15 pm in MSD 129

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