Grassy Groundcover Research Project Temperate south-eastern lowland native grasslands are among Australia‟s most threatened plant communities and have been listed as a nationally threatened ecological community under the federal governments Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999. In Victoria, these communities have been reduced in range to less than 1% of their pre-European distribution. Remnant populations survive as scattered small communities and are under continued risk from agricultural activities, urban expansion and road and rail development. While conservation of remnant populations has been a primary focus for some decades, their continuing destruction necessitates that reconstruction of new populations on secure sites is considered in tandem with conservation of existing populations. The Grassy Groundcover Restoration Project (GGRP) was initiated to improve resources and knowledge useful for restoring Australian grasslands through direct seeding. Its focus was twofold: to reconstruct species-rich assemblages (representative of locally occurring remnants) onto land with an agricultural history; and to produce of large quantities of high quality, provenance seed, in seed production systems. The GGRP was undertaken at 13 separate 1 ha restoration sites across the south-west of Victoria encompassing soil and climatic variation. This allowed the easy comparison of methods and their effectiveness across a range of widely spaced sites in Victoria. All individual sites are located on land with an agricultural history on Plains Grassland or Open Woodland (Redgum, Buloke and Box).
9 | Capability Statement
Prior to the GGRP, the most common technique for restoring grassland communities was by the reintroduction of plants grown as container-stock. While this represents efficiencies in the use of limited seed resources, introducing individual plants is labour-intensive and expensive. In addition, the establishment and the development of selfperpetuating populations under field conditions are seldom reported. Direct seeding is a technique that has long been used in Australia for revegetation with native trees and shrubs, but has only more recently been investigated for the reintroduction of herbaceous species (primarily grasses and a few selected forbs). The GGRP was undertaken and administered by Greening Australia in partnership with the University of Melbourne. A large number of participants were involved in the construction phase of this project (approximately 150 people), and the achievement of its goals was due to the combined experience, energy and enthusiasm of these volunteers, contractors and staff. A steering committee and a technical panel were established for to ensure proper governance of the project. The GGRP has demonstrated it is possible to reconstruct grassy plant communities on agricultural lands by direct seeding. The techniques developed by the GGRP allow for multiple outcomes; from the development of provenance-based seed crops, to the reinstatement of highly diverse plant communities, to the establishment of perennial native pasture for fodder. Learning‟s from this work will enable landholders, community or landcare groups and restoration practitioners to undertake habitat restoration at a range of scales. The advances achieved in restoration outcomes by the GGRP further enhance Greening Australia‟s role as an innovator in tackling the critical issue of biodiversity loss and wholefarm sustainability through a creative blend of practical experience, science and community engagement.