CottonInfo launches new online biodiversity management guides for Aussie cotton growers
CottonInfo, the cotton industry's joint extension program connecting growers with research, has launched new online biodiversity management guides for Australia's 36 cotton-growing shires.
For the first time, the innovative resources give cotton growers detailed biodiversity information and outline beneficial practices to support biodiversity on their farms.
Growers can select their LGA on CottonInfo's new clickable map to see a snapshot of the biodiversity in their shire, along with practical tips to improve conditions for the diversity of species in that specific cotton landscape.
The biodiversity data presented in the map was collated through Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) research projects to help the cotton community to understand and prioritise the conservation value of areas of native vegetation within cotton landscapes (cotton farms plus a 5km buffer).
The research looked at 315 threatened and iconic plant and animal species in the cotton landscapes of eastern Australia, from the NSW-Victorian border to the Fitzroy Basin in Queensland, and used that data to develop targeted biodiversity management profiles for each of Australia's 36 cotton-growing shires.
Building on previous research funded by CRDC, Forest & Wood Products Australia, CSIRO and the Australian Government's Rural R&D for Profit program, each management profile specifies the biodiversity assets, including vegetation types, wetlands, species, rivers and creek lines, and adjacent public land reserves, and recommends management actions to best suit the habitats of the species represented in each of the shires.
Stacey Vogel, CRDC R&D Manager, said the biodiversity management guides are based on comprehensive research that for the first time brings together valuable data to support 'boots on the ground' action to improve conditions for biodiversity in cotton landscapes.
"The cotton landscapes of eastern Australia contain an abundant diversity of native plant and animal species that occur in a mosaic of forest, woodland, wetland, grassland and cropland systems," she said.
"Research findings about these landscapes has been used to give all of our 36 cotton-growing regions practical and easily accessible information to better understand and manage their specific biodiversity.
"Growers can use the CottonInfo map to get a snapshot of the biodiversity assets and priority management actions for threatened and iconic species in their LGA, and then use that information to make decisions that support biodiversity on their farms.
"Protecting biodiversity is important for all Australian cotton-growing communities. Biodiversity delivers ecosystem services on which businesses and communities enjoy and are dependent. These new online biodiversity management guides are another useful addition to the cotton grower's toolbox for improving biodiversity."
The biodiversity management guides are available now on the CottonInfo website: https://www.cottoninfo.com.au/managing-biodiversity-cotton-landscapes.
This initiative is an outcome of the Cotton Landcare Tech Innovations 2021 project funded by CRDC in partnership with the Australian Government's National Landcare Smart Farming Partnership Initiative.
