Land Revegetation

Revegetation is often used to join up patches of natural habitat that have been lost, and can be a very important tool in places where much of the natural vegetation has been cleared. It is therefore particularly significant in urban environments, and research in Brisbane has shown that revegetation projects can significantly improve urban bird populations. The Brisbane study showed that connecting a revegetation patch with existing habitat improved bird species richness, while simply concentrating on making large patches of habitat was the best way to increase bird abundance. Revegetation plans need to consider how the re-vegetated sites are connected with existing habitat patches. Revegetation in agricultural areas can support breeding bird populations, but typically it supports more common species, rather than those that are in decline.

Mine reclamation may involve soil amendment, replacement, or creation, particularly for areas that have been strip-mined or suffered severe erosion or soil compaction. In some cases, the native soil may be removed before construction and replaced with fill for the duration of the work. After construction is completed, the fill is again removed and replaced with the reserved native soil for revegetation.