reducing the impacts of development on wildlife

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This article was downloaded by: [Florida Atlantic University] On: 10 November 2014, At: 13:41 Publisher: Taylor & Francis Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Australasian Journal of Environmental Management Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tjem20 Reducing the impacts of development on wildlife Martin Fallding a a Land & Environment Planning Consultants , New South Wales Published online: 20 Aug 2012. To cite this article: Martin Fallding (2013) Reducing the impacts of development on wildlife, Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, 20:1, 80-81, DOI: 10.1080/14486563.2012.716620 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14486563.2012.716620 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms- and-conditions

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Page 1: Reducing the impacts of development on wildlife

This article was downloaded by: [Florida Atlantic University]On: 10 November 2014, At: 13:41Publisher: Taylor & FrancisInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registeredoffice: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Australasian Journal of EnvironmentalManagementPublication details, including instructions for authors andsubscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tjem20

Reducing the impacts of developmenton wildlifeMartin Fallding aa Land & Environment Planning Consultants , New South WalesPublished online: 20 Aug 2012.

To cite this article: Martin Fallding (2013) Reducing the impacts of developmenton wildlife, Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, 20:1, 80-81, DOI:10.1080/14486563.2012.716620

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14486563.2012.716620

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the“Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis,our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as tothe accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinionsand views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors,and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Contentshould not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sourcesof information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims,proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoeveror howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to orarising out of the use of the Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Anysubstantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing,systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms &Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

Page 2: Reducing the impacts of development on wildlife

undoubtedly utopian, but offers inspiration to a new way of living consciously within

the ecosphere. Giblett regards Aboriginal engagement with nature as unique and

outside of his analysis: it is ‘not a construction, so it cannot be deconstructed’

(p. 219). This exceptionalism is, presumably, meant to be respectful, but ignores

the intercultural existence of all living Aboriginal people and their aspirations for

sharing the wealth potential of their lands.This book offers a wealth of insights and new ways of seeing and debating

complex and enduring environmental questions. Regrettably, the use of language

and terms (e.g. ‘signifiance’, after Kristeva, p. 10) that will be unfamiliar to most

students of environmental management, planning and allied disciplines will make the

text unsuitable as an undergraduate reference. There is much that is good to think

about and much that is good to think with, but the work is less accessible than it

could have been.

David Hollinsworth

University of the Sunshine Coast

# 2013, David Hollinsworth

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14486563.2012.714344

Reducing the impacts of development on wildlife, by James Gleeson and Deborah

Gleeson, CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Victoria, 2012, 234 pp, ISBN 978-0-

643100329, AU$89.95.

Biodiversity loss continues at an alarming rate even though measures to avoid

or mitigate the impacts of development on natural values are now normal practice.

Yet there has been a lack of understanding about the way wildlife and development

interact, and how this serious issue can be addressed in development processes.

This book provides a gateway into the immense subject of development impacts

on Australian wildlife. If you want to find out more about subjects like how to

design wildlife crossings on roads, suitable fences for wildlife, or options for

providing additional flora and fauna habitat, then this book provides an essential

starting point.

Ambitious in scope, the book is structured in a way that makes the subject easy

to follow and relevant to a wide audience. It introduces fundamental ecological

concepts for assessing and mitigating the impacts of development on natural systems

and provides a comprehensive review of relevant wildlife research and management

measures. Local examples and excellent referencing make it a key resource for

professionals working in the development industry.

Many actions to protect wildlife do not achieve the expected results, and lessons

are often not learnt or shared about what measures have been effective and why.

This valuable book will help fill this knowledge gap. Hopefully, it will also raise

interest and awareness of a subject that remains a mystery to many.

Structured in a way that makes the subject easy to follow, the information is

made accessible through quick reference tables and excellent case studies. Measures

described and evaluated in the book include natural habitat bridges, exclusion fences,

canopy bridges and glide poles, artificial tree hollows, salvaging habitat features,

underpass design, and much more.

80 Book reviews

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Page 3: Reducing the impacts of development on wildlife

Although the book provides an excellent overview, with such a broad scope,

many measures outlined are generic and lacking in detail. Much more is needed in

order to apply many of the approaches in practice and to evaluate their effectiveness.

A ‘how to guide’ providing more species and locality-specific information would

enable measures to be more effectively implemented, and assist in developing

situation-specific guidelines and specifications that can readily be constructed.

The book would also have benefitted by discussing how the information

could be integrated into planning, design and approval processes. What designers

need to know, how measures to avoid biodiversity impacts are assessed, engineer-

ing specifications and management plan guidelines remain a future challenge.

Readers with responsibility for development approvals may also want guidance in

relation to approval conditions, or requirements for implementation or monitoring

effectiveness.Some key questions receive only cursory attention, such as design of buffers,

connectivity and habitat corridor requirements, biodiversity offsets, and monitoring

and evaluation. Other gaps are the effectiveness of restricting domestic animals,

measures to protect habitat for invertebrate species, and noise and night lighting

impacts on wildlife. A glossary might have also helped readers not familiar with

ecological concepts.

If nothing else, this book demonstrates why detailed professional ecological

investigations should be undertaken for all developments potentially impacting on

natural ecosystems. Understanding what is on a site and individual species’ require-

ments are essential for determining future land uses and for designing development

projects and managing consequential impacts.

The next time you see a dead native animal on the road, remember that

adverse impacts of developments on wildlife can be mitigated, and that a resource

is available to help achieve this.

Martin Fallding

Land & Environment Planning Consultants, New South Wales

# 2013, Martin Fallding

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14486563.2012.716620

The custodians of biodiversity: sharing access to and benefits of genetic resources,

edited by Manuel Ruiz and Ronnie Vernooy, Earthscan, Collingwood, UK, 2011,

224 pp., $101.33, ISBN 978-1-84971-451-8

In their book The custodians of biodiversity, editors Manuel Ruiz and Ronnie

Vernooy focus on the role of farmers as key holders of genetic resources. More

specifically, they explore the policy and legal aspects of agricultural conservation and

conservation initiatives as practised today on farms in the Middle East, Asia and

South America.

The United Nations’ Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992 represented an

important step forward in the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources.

It triggered new global interest in the socioeconomic and environmental importance

of biodiversity conservation and sustainability, as well as the benefits of resource

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