Recreating the Country
A blueprint for the design of sustainable landscapes
By Stephen Murphy
The ImLal biorich project evolved from the revegetation design book Recreating the Country, published by em PRESS for Ballarat Region Treegrowers in 2009. The book arose out of a 'Boosting Biodiversity' workshop held by BRT. While integrating conservation and production has become the catchcry from foresters to dairy farmers, we wanted to examine what can be practically done.
At the heart of Recreating the Country are ten design principles, observed from nature, which set out to bridge the gap between farm forestry and environmental plantings and bring back the bush in rural landscapes. Author Stephen Murphy asserts we have to rethink our revegetation strategies to match the sophistication of natural design principles.
Recreating the Country challenges landholders and land managers to consider new ways of thinking about how we might reverse the inexorable decline and disappearance of Australian plants and animals from rural landscapes.
This book provides the ‘stretch goals’ and the blueprint for ways of adding habitat and designing more ‘wildlife-friendly’ properties. It introduces the model for a new form of revegetation – the ‘biorich plantation.’ Integrated with farm forestry, the biorich plantation would aim to enrich habitat potential across rural landscapes, not just for a lifetime, but in perpetuity.
For orders, visit www.afg.asn.au or em PRESS Publishing Shop Online
Praise for Recreating the Country
• “I found it interesting and very informative. There are some light touches, too! It's clearly laid out and ‘user-friendly.’ I certainly agree with the overall thrust of the book. I have always been critical of ‘revegetation,’ which only includes trees, as if the lower storeys don't matter. I also like the recognition given to fauna.” – Well-known author and botanist Leon Costermans
• In this delightful small book, Stephen Murphy presents his unifying vision of why [revegetation] needs to be done and how it can be done, recognising the common principles that can apply to commercial plantations, shelterbelts, revegetation and the myriad types of planting in between.” – Richard H. Loyn, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, DSE, Victoria
• “I found it refreshing, informative and innovative. Most of it is not designed for quick reference, but for study and thoughtful consideration. All readers will find it useful in any of their tree-planting efforts.” – From a review by naturalist Roger Thomas in the Ballarat Courier
About the author
Author and ecologist Stephen Murphy has, with his wife Lina, run a successful native plants nursery in central Victoria for over 25 years. He is qualified in the fields of geology and natural resource management. He puts a significant amount of time into local conservation work, being an active and founding member of four committees that continue to manage and protect local reserves. He has also been an active member of his local Landcare group for over a decade.
$25 (inc p&h)
142pp
Full colour, illustrated throughout
Paperback
ISBN 978 0 9757778 3 1
At the heart of Recreating the Country are ten design principles, observed from nature, which set out to bridge the gap between farm forestry and environmental plantings and bring back the bush in rural landscapes. Author Stephen Murphy asserts we have to rethink our revegetation strategies to match the sophistication of natural design principles.
Recreating the Country challenges landholders and land managers to consider new ways of thinking about how we might reverse the inexorable decline and disappearance of Australian plants and animals from rural landscapes.
This book provides the ‘stretch goals’ and the blueprint for ways of adding habitat and designing more ‘wildlife-friendly’ properties. It introduces the model for a new form of revegetation – the ‘biorich plantation.’ Integrated with farm forestry, the biorich plantation would aim to enrich habitat potential across rural landscapes, not just for a lifetime, but in perpetuity.
For orders, visit www.afg.asn.au or em PRESS Publishing Shop Online
Praise for Recreating the Country
• “I found it interesting and very informative. There are some light touches, too! It's clearly laid out and ‘user-friendly.’ I certainly agree with the overall thrust of the book. I have always been critical of ‘revegetation,’ which only includes trees, as if the lower storeys don't matter. I also like the recognition given to fauna.” – Well-known author and botanist Leon Costermans
• In this delightful small book, Stephen Murphy presents his unifying vision of why [revegetation] needs to be done and how it can be done, recognising the common principles that can apply to commercial plantations, shelterbelts, revegetation and the myriad types of planting in between.” – Richard H. Loyn, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, DSE, Victoria
• “I found it refreshing, informative and innovative. Most of it is not designed for quick reference, but for study and thoughtful consideration. All readers will find it useful in any of their tree-planting efforts.” – From a review by naturalist Roger Thomas in the Ballarat Courier
About the author
Author and ecologist Stephen Murphy has, with his wife Lina, run a successful native plants nursery in central Victoria for over 25 years. He is qualified in the fields of geology and natural resource management. He puts a significant amount of time into local conservation work, being an active and founding member of four committees that continue to manage and protect local reserves. He has also been an active member of his local Landcare group for over a decade.
$25 (inc p&h)
142pp
Full colour, illustrated throughout
Paperback
ISBN 978 0 9757778 3 1
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Blueprint in the book and the original Sustainability Index devised by Stephen Murphy
The Blueprint found in Recreating the Country for scoring the sustainability potential of a revegetation is reproduced as it appears on pp. 62-63. Also reproduced below is the original Sustainability Index devised over a 15 year period by Stephen, which was reproduced in the Australasian Plant Conservation article last year (Vol.21/2). See if you can spot the differences!
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