Faunal use of bluegum (Eucalyptus globulus) plantations in southwestern Australia R. Hobbs 1, * , P.C. Catling 2 , J.C. Wombey 2 , M. Clayton 2 , L. Atkins 3 and A. Reid 2 1 School of Environmental Science, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia; 2 CSIRO, Sustainable Ecosystems, G.P.O. Box 284, Canberra, ACT. 2601, Australia; 3 CSIRO, Sustainable Ecosystems, Private Bag 5, PO Wembley, WA 6913, Australia; * Author for correspondence (tel.: +61 8 9360 2191; fax +61 8 9360 7412; e-mail: rhobbs@murdoch.edu.au) Received 3 September 2002; accepted in revised form 17 April 2003 Key words: Biodiversity; Hardwood plantations; Remnant vegetation; Tasmanian Bluegum Abstract We examined the faunal use of Eucalyptus globulus plantations in southern Western Australia, and compared use of remnant vegetation, agricultural land and plantations in different positions relative to large tracts of remnant vegetation. In general, faunal use of plantations is less than in comparison with adjacent remnant vegetation, but more than in open pasture. For all faunal groups there were almost twice as many species recorded in the native vegetation than in any site in the plantations or on agricultural land and they were in greater abundance. Faunal use of plantation edges and interiors did not show consistent patterns. Generally, edges next to remnants were most frequently used, but individual species showed a wide range of patterns of use across the various habitat types studied. More species of bird identified as being “at risk” were found in plantation edges than in interiors. Adjacency to remnant vegetation increased plantation use by some species, but the overall differences between isolated plantations and those adjacent to remnant vegetation were relatively small. We conclude that plantations provide some value in terms of habitat for some species, including some of conservation concern, but that this value is limited by the lack of habitat complexity in the intensively-managed plantations. Introduction The Australian State of the Environment Report Australian State of the Environment Committee 2001 concluded that loss of biodiversity and land degradation resulting from over-clearing of native vegetation are major issues facing Australia. Concur- rently, the increasing shortfall projected in timber production emanating from the decline in available domestic native forest resources has provided the commercial stimulus for trebling the rate of farm for- estry plantation to 80,000 ha annually by 2020. Due to controls on clearing of native vegetation, these fu- ture forestry plantations will be, of necessity, predom- inantly on cleared agricultural land. Large areas in medium rainfall parts of Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia are currently being planted to eucalypt and pine plantations. Farm forestry offers a potential economically viable solution to many of the land degradation prob- lems facing agricultural regions of Australia. It also potentially can provide benefits in terms of biodiver- sity conservation, but the extent of these benefits for cleared agricultural lands has not been assessed. While characteristics of remnants such as size and shape can account for the presence or absence of a species, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the matrix of habitat surrounding the remnant plays an important role in helping to determine its species composition Saab 1999. It is critical to understand the role played by plantations in the future matrix and how the potential biodiversity benefits of farm © 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands. 195 Agroforestry Systems 58: 195–212, 2003.