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What happens if fungi are not
 present in revegetation soils?

The diverse and unique array of symbiotic and decomposer soil fungi in Australia’s native woodlands play a large role in the woodlands - preventing rundown in soil nutrient supply and ensuring sustainability of soil nutrient cycling processes.

Absence of fungi in woodland revegetation soils may correspond with increased risk of:

• Rundown in plant available nutrients in the soil.
• Loss of plant vigour.
• Loss of soil quality.
• Inadequate food supply for some small mammals.
• Low levels of biodiversity. 

If soil diversity and processes similar to those of natural woodlands are not establishing, management of productivity in revegetation for the long term may be reliant upon inputs of fertilizer. The landscapes may have decreasing prospects of sustainable agricultural productivity. The financial and environmental cost of artificially maintaining productivity of land may climb with time. The high cost of upholding productivity artificially is increasingly turning attention to an economic preference for re-establishing the natural ecosystem services and functions in revegetation.

Revegetation without woodland  fungi	Revegetation with woodland  fungi
key biodiversity absent  soil nutrient cycling processes rundown  poor soil organic matter development  poor soil structure and susceptible to erosion  inadequate food supply for some animals	woodland soil biodiversity present soil nutrient cycling processes operating fully good soil organic matter development soil structure intact and erosion resisted diverse food supply for some animals

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