Why Monitor Biodiversity?

Yesterday Diego Avi presented the case to EPSDD Forestry how to monitor biodiversity in planted forests. Biodiversity in planted forests is important as they will supply most of the world’s industrial wood by 2050. Diego has just completed an ANU Science Internship using passive monitoring systems in the Kowen pine forest of the ACT. He provides insights to our team led by Chris Flood on how to achieve a minimum threshold power of monitoring >0.8 that is required to monitor changes in species abundance. The pilot study used 23 monitoring sites across a consecutive 5-day period. For five species detected reliably Diego calculated that 35 sites would be needed for a 5-day period to obtain a power of monitoring >0.8.

His work provides us with valuable information to design ongoing monitoring programs and make cost-effective decisions around either fewer devices deployed for longer, or more devices able to reach monitoring power in a shorter timeframe but at higher cost. Many thanks to Philip Gibbons and #ANUFenner #ANUScience for supporting Diego’s project and of course the biggest thanks to Diego Avi .

In Diego’s words: This pilot monitoring program revealed a surprisingly high species richness of bats [16] and mammals [10] within the remnant vegetation patches [18] within the ACT pine plantation estate [Kowen], including a mammal species [Yellow-footed Antechinus] considered locally extinct within parts of the ACT, a bat species listed as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act [Large-eared Pied Bat] and a bird species listed as Vulnerable in the ACT [Scarlet Robin].?

#probabilityofdetection #probabilityofoccupancy #powerofmonitoring #biodiversity #naturalcapital #naturerepair #makeitwood #plantedforests