Many temperate woodland ecosystems (e.g. white box, yellow box/ Blakelyi red-gum) are amongst the most endangered ecological communities in Australia, often containing rare and threatened species, and occur as isolated patches in predominantly cleared agricultural landscapes.
Road reserves, which were surveyed in the past to access paddocks and fields , often contain a narrow strip of native vegetation. These road verges are often the last refuge of intact remnant woodlands in many agricultural landscapes, and consequently are of high conservation status.
Many local government authorities have now completed an assessment of the conservation values of road reserves in their municipality. Each roadside has been surveyed using a rapid bio-assessment methodology, and given a conservation ranking (High, Medium or Low). These rankings are then used to determine appropriate management actions for each road category.
Despite the importance of roadside environments for biodiversity conservation, many are under threat from human disturbance and utilisation. Roads were developed for transportation, and therefore road reserves experience ongoing impacts from road construction and maintenance activities. They also provide service corridors for powerlines, water, sewage, gas, telecommunication and other utilities. In conjunction, many roadsides are affected by grazing from domestic stock (see TSRs), soil erosion, pest plant and animal invasions, firewood harvesting, and chemical drift from adjacent farms
>Long strip of even-age golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha ) which have established along a minor rural road in a recently graded drainage line.
Soil distrubance from roadwork has had a profound impact of many roadsides since the 1940s, when modern machinery became common place. For more information click here , or refer to other publications
