Data from: Integrating local knowledge and research to refine the management of an invasive non-native grass in critically endangered grassy woodlands

1. Globally the prevalence and impact of invasive non-native plant species is increasing rapidly. Experimentally-based research aimed at supporting management is limited in its ability to keep up with this pace, partly because of the importance of understanding historical abiotic and biotic conditions. Contrastingly, landholders are in unique positions to witness species turnover in grasslands, adapt management practices in response, and learn from successes and failures. 2. This local knowledge could be crucial for identifying feasible solutions to land degradation, and ecological restoration, but local knowledge is rarely explicitly embedded in ecological research. 3. In this study, we use a sequential exploratory strategy where we first interview (semi-directive approach) 15 landholders within the Bega region of New South Wales, Australia concerning the changing ecological characteristics of both extensively and intensively managed grassy woodlands and perceived impacts following arrival of the invasive exotic introduced species, African lovegrass, Eragrostis curvula. 4. Based on the results of these interviews, we then conducted a field study at 57 sites where we tested seven landholder-generated hypotheses. 5. The field study validated many of the landholder management perceptions including: African lovegrass was negatively correlated with species richness, canopy cover and dominant grasses like Themeda trianda. Mechanical slashing increased exotic African lovegrass abundance. The prevalence of African lovegrass in the soil seed bank was positively correlated with its abundance aboveground. Study observations that contradicted landholder perceptions included: African lovegrass was not more palatable nor did its’ abundance decline in response to increasing soil fertility. Spot spraying with herbicides was effective at controlling abundance, despite its reputation as ineffective. Landholder observations also highlighted key hypotheses concerning modes of spread that require long-term studies including the roles of drought and overgrazing. 6. Synthesis and applications. Overall, we found local knowledge coupled with scientific methods can act in tandem as a highly effective approach for developing management recommendations. This approach identifies local perceptions that are not substantiated by scientific data to halt potentially harmful practices, and observations that are insightful predictions about the dynamics and impacts of non-native species that need long-term experiments to corroborate scientifically.

1. 全球范围内，入侵性非本土植物物种（invasive non-native plant species）的扩散范围与影响正快速加剧。旨在支撑治理工作的实验性研究，其跟进速度难以匹配这一态势，部分原因在于对历史非生物与生物条件的认知至关重要。与之形成鲜明对比的是，土地所有者能够独特地见证草原的物种更替，据此调整治理实践，并从成败中汲取经验。
2. 这类地方知识（local knowledge）对于识别土地退化与生态修复的可行解决方案至关重要，但此类知识极少被明确融入生态学研究之中。
3. 本研究采用递进式探索策略：首先以半定向访谈法（semi-directive approach），对澳大利亚新南威尔士州贝加地区的15位土地所有者展开访谈，内容涵盖集约与粗放经营的草本林地的生态特征变化，以及外来入侵物种非洲爱草（African lovegrass，学名*Eragrostis curvula*）入侵后所引发的感知影响。
4. 基于上述访谈结果，研究团队随后在57个样地开展野外调查，对7项由土地所有者提出的假设进行了验证。
5. 野外研究证实了多项土地所有者的治理认知，包括：非洲爱草的丰度与物种丰富度、冠层盖度及优势草本植物大药菅（Themeda trianda）的占比呈负相关；机械刈割会提升外来入侵物种非洲爱草的丰度；土壤种子库中非洲爱草的占比与其地上部分的丰度呈正相关。与土地所有者认知相悖的研究发现包括：非洲爱草的适口性并未更强，且其丰度未随土壤肥力提升而下降；尽管普遍认为除草剂点喷法效果不佳，但实际可有效控制其种群数量。土地所有者的观察还提出了若干涉及扩散模式的关键假设，这些假设需借助长期研究加以验证，例如干旱与过度放牧在其扩散过程中所扮演的角色。
6. 综合与应用。本研究整体表明，地方知识与科学方法相结合，可作为制定治理建议的高效协同路径。该方法既能识别出未被科学数据证实的地方认知，从而叫停潜在的有害实践，也能挖掘出那些关于外来物种动态与影响的富有洞见的观测结果——此类观测需通过长期实验加以科学佐证。