Charles Darwin Observatory Project
Monitoring the impacts of climate change on terrestrial plants and animals

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What is the Climate Change Observatory Project all about? 
  
Plant and animals respond to shifts in climate in a number of ways which consequently will have different implications for long-term biodiversity conservation strategies. Plants and animals may move to another area, contract into a smaller area, adapt, evolve or become extinct.

Less than 1% of published research on the impact of climate change on global biodiversity is from the southern hemisphere.  There is an urgent need for long-term research into climate change impact on plant and animal survival in Australia.

To monitor the early changes in terrestrial plant and animal populations and ecosystems as a result of climate change it is necessary to focus on the sharp transition zones. The Charles Darwin Reserve (formerly White Wells Station) straddles the mulga-eucalypt line between the Wheatbelt (Avon) and arid Austin (Yalgoo) region on the north-eastern boundary of the South-western Australian biodiversity hotspot. It is one of the most dramatic transition zones in WA and is an area universally predicted to become warmer and drier in current climate models. Therefore plant and animals found at the reserve are at the edge of their distribution and particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

The Climate Change Observatory Project will monitor the effects of climate change on animals and plants at the Charles Darwin Reserve for the next 30 years and is expected to provide unprecedented data for improving climate change modelling and informing land and wildlife conservation.

Read more about the project below

Phase 1- Establishment of the Climate Change Monitoring Protocol
The Conservation Council has selected five woodland habitats at the arid or sub-humid extremes of their distribution on Charles Darwin Reserve as long-term monitoring sites. Biological surveys of these sites commenced in November 2007 with botanical work commencing in August/September 2008.

Wheatbelt Salmon Gum Woodland

Arid Mulga – Bowgada Woodland

During this phase the plant populations, invertebrates, reptiles, small mammals and birds at each site will be documented and potential indicators of climate change responses (either at the population or community level) will be identified. Some more detailed biological studies will need to be carried out on some of these potential indicators to confirm their suitability in a monitoring program and to refine the attributes or measures that will be sampled.

For example the mulga ant (Polyrachis) is on the edge of its range within Charles Darwin Reserve occurring in the Acacia dominated arid zone habitats but penetrating into some sandy wheatbelt shrublands. It builds elaborate nests thatched with the phyllodes of mulga and other arid zone Acacias (in this case Bowgada). The nests are constructed in areas that are subject to sheet flooding and the raised rims are probably levees to prevent the chambers being flooded. The functional purpose of the thatching in relation to climate variables is not understood but distribution and nesting and foraging behaviour of this ant may provide a useful indicator of climate change impacts. However before trends can be interpreted in a monitoring context further work is required on the basic ecology of this species.

Mulga Ant nest

Another example is the Gould’s Wattled Bat which is a widespread species which is clinal (ie. smaller in arid high temperature areas such as the eastern Pilbara and eastern Murchison than in the cooler sub-humid wheatbelt and south-west forests). Animals at Charles Darwin Reserve are currently larger than those measured in the abutting arid zone but might be expected to decline in size (measured as forearm length) if there is a micro-evolutionary response to rising temperatures in the future.

Gould’s Wattled Bat

Phase 2 – Long-term Monitoring Operations
In Australia, long-term bio-diversity data sets are extremely scarce and much of what does exist has been accumulated by amateurs. The development of strategies for biodiversity conservation in the face of inevitable anthropogenic climate change will be severely hampered by this legacy.

Participants (academics, community-based scientists / naturalists, students and volunteers) are invited to contribute to a core program at a strategically significant location. Knowledge, data-bases, equipment and infra-structure are shared between participants reducing set-up costs and on-costs and stimulating multi-disciplinary projects.

It is anticipated that the long-term structure of the Charles Darwin Biodiversity Observatory will be developed through Phase 1 of the project as the number of participating groups and individuals increases and the profile of the project is established.

Project Objectives

Short term
To establish a biological baseline, basic infrastructure and a Observatory structure to facilitate the long-term monitoring of biodiversity responses to climate change at strategic location (the BHA managed Charles Darwin Reserve).

Actions
• Establish long-term monitoring sites in marginal wheat-belt and arid-zone habitats on Charles Darwin Reserve (completed).
• Carry out comprehensive surveys of plant and animal populations within monitoring sites (commenced for invertebrates, reptiles, small mammals and birds).
• Establish an automatic weather station on Charles Darwin Reserve to provide local meteorological data.
• Selection of potential climate change species or biotic community indicators.
• Promoting participation in the Observatory Program with Universities / TAFE, scientific / research institutions, natural history and environmental community groups and the public.
• Marketing of the Observatory Program with government, business and philanthropic organizations to assist in fund-raising.
• Identification of detailed projects to investigate and evaluate indicators.
• Encourage Honours projects on potential indicators.
• Develop an ecotourism and or eco-educational product to support the functions of the Observatory.
• Establish a management structure to support the long-term operations of the Biodiversity Observatory.

Long term
Investigate and document biological and ecological responses in plants and animals to climate change. Periodically communicate results and implications to managers and decision-makers to inform biodiversity conservation strategies over the next 30 years.

Actions
• Establish and maintain an open Observatory database on the BHA website.
• Establish long-term time series for indicators correlated with meteorological / climate change variables (at local and regional scales).
• Document and promulgate research and monitoring results to the scientific community, natural resource managers and the public.
• Advocate strategies to improve biodiversity conservation outcomes in environments subject to rapid changes in climate.

For more information on this project please contact Dr Nic Dunlop, Biodiversity Conservation Officer, on nic.dunlop@conservationwa.asn.au