Austral Ark
The State of Wildlife in Australia and New Zealand

A detailed, research-informed synthesis of the current issues facing the Australasian biota and the challenges involved in their conservation.

Adam Stow (Edited by), Norman Maclean (Edited by), Gregory I. Holwell (Edited by)

9781107033542, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 22 December 2014

680 pages, 77 b/w illus. 33 tables
25.3 x 19.7 x 3.4 cm, 1.66 kg

'Whether a reader is embarking on a career in conservation, ecology, evolution, or biology or just wants to understand the current state of Australian and New Zealand wildlife and what is being done to secure its future, Austral Ark is essential reading.' Tara Martin, The Quarterly Review of Biology

Australia and New Zealand are home to a remarkable and unique assemblage of flora and fauna. Sadly though, by virtue of their long isolation, and a naïve and vulnerable biota, both countries have suffered substantial losses to biodiversity since European contact. Bringing together the contributions of leading conservation biologists, Austral Ark presents the special features and historical context of Austral biota, and explains what is being conserved and why. The threatening processes occurring worldwide are discussed, along with the unique conservation problems faced at regional level. At the same time, the book highlights many examples of conservation success resulting from the innovative solutions that have been developed to safeguard native species and habitats in both New Zealand and Australia. Austral Ark fills an important gap regarding wildlife gains and declines, and how best to take conservation forward to keep this extraordinary area of the world thriving.

List of contributors
Foreword
Introduction
1. A separate creation: diversity, distinctiveness and conservation of Australian wildlife David A. Nipperess
2. New Zealand - a land apart William G. Lee and Daphne E. Lee
3. The ecological consequences of habitat loss and fragmentation in New Zealand and Australia Poppy Lakeman Fraser and Robert M. Ewers
4. The impacts of climate change on Australian and New Zealand flora and fauna Abigail Cabrelli, Linda Beaumont and Lesley Hughes
5. Unwelcome and unpredictable: the sorry saga of cane toads in Australia Richard Shine and Benjamin L. Phillips
6. Invasive plants and invaded ecosystems in Australia: implications for biodiversity Rachael V. Gallagher and Michelle R. Leishman
7. Environmental weeds in New Zealand: impacts and management Margaret C. Stanley, Kate G. McAlpine and Imogen E. Bassett
8. The insidious threat of invasive invertebrates Darren F. Ward
9. Pollution by antibiotics and resistance genes: dissemination into Australian wildlife Michael Gillings
10. Invasive vertebrates in Australia and New Zealand Cheryl R. Krull, Josie A. Galbraith, Al S. Glen and Helen W. Nathan
11. Freshwaters in New Zealand Mike Joy
12. A garden at the edge of the world: the diversity and conservation status of the New Zealand flora Carlos A. Lehnebach
13. The evolutionary history of the Australian flora and its relevance to biodiversity conservation Maurizio Rossetto
14. Protecting the small majority: insect conservation in Australia and New Zealand Gregory I. Holwell and Nigel R. Andrew
15. Terrestrial mammal diversity, conservation and management in Australia Mark D. B. Eldridge and Catherine A. Herbert
16. Marine mammals, back from the brink? Contemporary conservation issues Robert Harcourt, Helene Marsh, David Slip, Louise Chilvers, Mike Noad and Rebecca Dunlop
17. Australian reptiles and their conservation Jonathan K. Webb, Peter S. Harlow and David A. Pike
18. New Zealand reptiles and their conservation Nicola J. Nelson, Rod Hitchmough and Jo M. Monks
19. Austral ark chapter - isolation, invasion and innovation: forces of change in the conservation of New Zealand birds Sarah Withers
20. Australian birds: current status and future prospects Stephen T. Garnett, Judit K. Szabo and Donald C. Franklin
21. Austral amphibians - Gondwanan relicts in peril Jean-Marc Hero, J. Dale Roberts, Conrad J. Hoskin, Katrin Lowe, Edward J. Narayan and Phil J. Bishop
22. Predators in danger: shark conservation and management in Australia, New Zealand, and their neighbours Paolo Momigliano, Vanessa Flora Jaiteh and Conrad Speed
23. 'Ragged mountain ranges, droughts and flooding rains': the evolutionary history and conservation of Australian freshwater fishes Leanne Faulks, Dean Gilligan and Luciano B. Beheregaray
24. Down under Down Under: austral groundwater life Grant C. Hose, Maria G. Asmyhr, Steve J. B. Cooper and William F. Humphreys
25. Fire and biodiversity in Australia John C. Z. Woinarski, Allan H. Burbidge, Sarah Comer, D. Harley, Sarah Legge, David B. Lindenmayer and Thalie B. Partridge
26. Terrestrial protected areas of Australia Ian D. Craigie, Alana Grech, Robert L. Pressey, Vanessa M. Adams, Marc Hockings, Martin Taylor and Megan Barnes
27. Australian marine protected areas Alana Grech, Graham Edgar, Peter Fairweather, Robert L. Pressey and Trevor Ward
28. Marine reserves in New Zealand: ecological responses to protection and network design Nick Shears and Hannah Thomas
Index.

Subject Areas: Environmental management [RNF], Animal ecology [PSVS], Plant ecology [PSTS], Life sciences: general issues [PSA], Biology, life sciences [PS], Mathematics & science [P]