Gamba grass effects on savanna carbon and fire

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Gamba grass effects on savanna carbon and fire

Leading researchers in invasive grass management, carbon accounting and savannah ecology determined the quality of baseline carbon stocks in native vegetation and how these are affected by gamba grass invasion.

Before this project, there was no information on how gamba grass infestations and fires affect carbon stocks, particularly soil carbon, which is the largest store of carbon in ecosystems. By understanding the impact and risk to carbon stores, policy and land managers will be in a better position to allocate resources effectively.

The Australian Government’s carbon farming initiative excludes land with gamba grass (or other invasive grasses). Many properties across northern Australia contain only small infestations. The research findings can assist policy and land managers to prioritise areas for gamba control, based on the risk of invasion to biodiversity assets, economic and social assets, and the cost of management activities.

The team mapped gamba invasion within priority areas and determined the rate of invasion and effectiveness of current management. They used new techniques to determine the baseline quantity of carbon stocks in native vegetation and the change following invasion. The data was integrated in a decision-support tool to guide the most cost-effective management of gamba grass at a regional scale.

This research delivered an improved understanding of the impact of gamba grass on savanna carbon stores. It also improved understanding of the relative costs and benefits of managing gamba grass.

Research outputs include:

maps of the current distribution of gamba grass in the Coomalie/Litchfield National Park region;
estimates of the rate of spread of gamba grass by comparing current mapping to maps of past distribution;
quantification of carbon stocks in selected sites and the estimated change to stocks following gamba grass invasions;
a predictive spread model for gamba grass; and
a decision-support tool to identify high priority areas for management.

Evidence-based recommendations on accounting for gamba grass invasion in the Carbon Farming Initiative savanna burning methodology.

The team undertook field work in the Top End’s tropical savannas, particularly Darwin and the Daly region.

Scientific Paper

September 2018

Navigating the fiery debate: The role of scientific evidence in eliciting policy and management responses for contentious plants in northern Australia (scientific paper)

Setterfield SA, Rossiter-Rachor NA & Adams VM. 2018. Navigating the fiery debate: the role of scientific evidence in eliciting policy and management responses for contentious plants in northern Australia. Pacific Conservation Biology, https://doi.org/10.1071/PC18028

Scientific Paper

April 2016

Approaches to strategic risk analysis and management of invasive plants: lessons learned from managing gamba grass in northern Australia (scientific paper)

Adams, V.M., and Setterfield, S.A. (2016). Approaches to strategic risk analysis and management of invasive plants: lessons learned from managing gamba grass in northern Australia, Pacific Conservation Biology, 10.1071/PC15041, 22, 2, (189), (2016).

Video

August 2015

Research helps tackle Gamba Grass in Litchfield National Park

Scientific Paper

April 2015

Monitoring the Distribution and Dynamics of an Invasive Grass in Tropical Savanna Using Airborne LiDAR (scientific paper)

Levick, S.R., Setterfield, S.A., Rossiter-Rachor, N.A., Hutley, L.B., McMaster, D., and Hacker, J.M. (2015). Monitoring the Distribution and Dynamics of an Invasive Grass in Tropical Savanna Using Airborne LiDAR. Remote Sensing,7(5):5117-5132.

Scientific Paper

April 2015

Optimal dynamic control of invasions: applying a systematic conservation approach (scientific paper)

Adams, V. M. and Setterfield, S. A. (2015). Optimal dynamic control of invasions: applying a systematic conservation approach. Ecological Applications, 25: 1131-1141. doi:10.1890/14-1062.1

Scientific Paper

April 2015

Distribution, demography and dispersal model of spatial spread of invasive plant populations with limited data (scientific paper)

Adams, V. M., Petty, A. M., Douglas, M. M., Buckley, Y. M., Ferdinands, K. B., Okazaki, T. , Ko, D. W., Setterfield, S. A. and Rees, M. (2015), Distribution, demography and dispersal model of spatial spread of invasive plant populations with limited data. Methods Ecol Evol, 6: 782-794. doi:10.1111/2041-210X.12392

Scientific Paper

April 2014

The impacts of Andropogon gayanus (gamba grass) invasion on the fire danger index and fire management at a landscape scale (scientific paper)

Setterfield, S.A., Rossiter-Rachor, N.A., Douglas, M.M., McMaster, D., Adams, V.M. and Ferdinands, K.B., (2014). The impacts of Andropogon gayanus (gamba grass) invasion on the fire danger index and fire management at a landscape scale. In: 19th Australasian Weeds Conference: Science, Community and Food Secrurity: the Weed Challenge, Hobart, Australia, 1-4 September 2014.

Scientific Paper

April 2013

Adding fuel to the fire: the impacts of non-native grass invasion on fire management at a regional scale (scientific paper)

Setterfield, S., Rossiter-Rachor, N., Douglas, M., Wainger, L., Petty, A., Barrow, P., Shepherd, I. & Ferdinands, K. (2013). 'Adding fuel to the fire: the impacts of non-native grass invasion on fire management at a regional scale', PLoS One, 8, 5.

Scientific Paper

April 2013

Estimating the financial risks of Andropogon gayanus to greenhouse gas abatement projects in northern Australia (scientific paper)

Adams, V., and Setterfield, S.A. (2013). Estimating the financial risks of Andropogon gayanus to greenhouse gas abatement projects in northern Australia. Environmental Research Letters, 8 (2).

The project was led by Charles Darwin University Associate Professor Samantha Setterfield and Dr Lindsay Hutley in collaboration with Anna Richards (CSIRO), Natalie Rossiter-Rachor (CDU), Michael Douglas (CDU), Michael Bird (James Cook University) and Shaun Levick (Max Plank Institute).

Project Leader:
Associate Professor Samantha Setterfield
Charles Darwin University
Samantha.Setterfield@cdu.edu.au