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Purpose of this Document
This document outlines the Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation, and the
Arts (DSITIA) minimum requirements, standards, and appropriate practice for the survey of
terrestrial vertebrate fauna in Queensland. The guidelines aim to provide a practical guide for the
preparation, implementation and reporting...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... provides systematic methods for the assessment of ten site-based attributes and three landscape-scale attributes. The assessable field-based attributes are: number of large trees, tree height, recruitment of native woody perennial species, tree canopy cover, shrub canopy cover, length of coarse woody debris, native plant species richness, weed cover, native perennial grass cover and litter cover, which are assessed within a nested plot design based on a 100 x 50 m plot ( Figure 9). A BioCondition field assessment guide is provided in Appendix E. ...
Citations
... However, recordings were analysed manually to identify calls, which was labour intensive and delayed provision of results to guide further recovery actions. Bioacoustic technology is rapidly evolving (see Sections 8.8 and 9.14 in Eyre et al. 2022) with the development of software programs to analyse and identify calls to species. Once this is available for priority species it will support a very cost-effective monitoring approach. ...
Report to Department of Environment and Science, Queensland Government: Brisbane on Bushfire Recovery in Lamington and Main Range National Parks following Bushfires in 2019 and 2020.
... Two zoologists from the Queensland Herbarium and Queensland Museum conducted the TTSTS survey between 22-24 February 2022. Diurnal active searches involved area and time-limited searches (1ha for 1 person-hour, typically 2 people for 30 minutes) where long-handled, 3-pronged rakes were used to search leaf litter and soil underneath logs and rocks, as per the Terrestrial Vertebrate Fauna Survey Guidelines for Queensland (Eyre et al. 2022). These were undertaken in daylight hours in fine weather or light drizzle. ...
... However, recordings were analysed manually to identify calls, which was labour intensive and delayed provision of results to guide further recovery actions. Bioacoustic technology is rapidly evolving (see Sections 8.8 and 9.14 in Eyre et al. 2022) with the development of software programs to analyse and identify calls to species. Once this is available for priority species it will support a very cost-effective monitoring approach. ...
Assessment of effect of bushfires on threatened species in Gondwana Rainforests following 2019-2020 bushfires.
... Nocturnal surveys were a combination of area searches of 1ha for 1 person hour (typically two people for 30 minutes) and longer road transects of 500m for 1 person hour (typically two people for 30 minutes) (see Appendix 1 for details). Surveys were observational using head torches to detect eye-shine or visually detect ringed thin-tailed geckos as per the Terrestrial Vertebrate Fauna Survey Guidelines for Queensland (Eyre, et al. 2022). ...
Report to Department of Environment and Science, Queensland Government regarding recovery in Bulburin National Park following bushfires in 2020.
... Our study provided a thorough systematic set of monitoring data for a significant conservation reserve, using established methods recommended for fauna surveys in Queensland (Eyre et al. 2018). Two main conclusions can be drawn from this baseline work. ...
Monitoring the changes in occurrence and abundance of wildlife communities over time is important for more effective and targeted management and understanding long-term changes due to local and global environmental influences. In this study, we report on the first systematic bird survey carried out on Edgbaston Reserve, a protected area on the boundary of tropical and semi-arid bioregions in north-central Queensland. We systematically sampled the bird fauna at 24 sites over five surveys between 2018 and 2020, using a combination of 2-ha area searches and timed nocturnal censuses. We examined variation in composition and species abundance across the surveys using multivariate, regression and non-parametric analyses. A total of 6201 bird records comprising 123 species was collected. Forty-six species exhibited significant variation in abundance across the six sampled habitat types (Ironbark, Gidgee and Escarpment woodlands, Springs, Spinifex grasslands and Mitchell Grass Downs). Species composition also varied significantly across habitats and surveys, and there were clear differences in the Spinifex and Mitchell grass bird communities compared with those in the woodlands. Twenty species were recorded in only one of the five surveys, and 17 species were recorded in significantly higher abundance in some survey years, associated with an influx of granivores and nomadic and migratory species. The location of the property on the boundary of woodlands and more arid grasslands that contain springs, and the contrasting mix of eastern- and western-distributed birds, suggests that the continued monitoring of the avifauna provides an important opportunity to investigate long-term trends, linked to environmental change and annual management, to assist the preservation of this important bird community situated on the edge of two bioregions.
... Secondly, the testing of deployment times for cameras to record all mammal species, and the minimum and maximum times to record a species, indicated that camera surveys need to remain in situ for extended periods (i.e. >20 days) contradicting recommendations for trapping that suggest a four night/5 day period (Eyre et al. 2018). ...
Monitoring is a critical component of conservation land management and the choice of methods can influence the final inventory of species recorded. The use of camera trapping has increased in recent years as a cost-effective method to record more species and to identify more cryptic and rare species. In this study we first examined data from detailed field surveys (which did not employ camera trapping) in northern Queensland to examine the abundance and frequency of mammals detected by cage, box and pitfall traps, and spotlighting. We then used data from an additional set of sites that compared these methods with camera trapping. Twenty-five species were recorded in the first data set and 26 species were recorded in the second. Overall, mammals were recorded in exceedingly low numbers, and camera trapping only improved the detection of some species such as larger species that could not be trapped (i.e. dingo Canis familiaris and pig Sus scrofa) or were uncommon (i.e. northern quoll Dasyurus hallucatus and northern brown bandicoot Isoodon macrourus). Our results suggest that survey effort should be substantial and use the most suitable methods to identify management, threat and habitat relationships for potentially precarious wildlife communities.
... However, Random Forest, Generalized Linear Model (GLM), BioClim, Climate Space Model (CSM), Envelope Score Model (ESM), Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS), Generalized Additive Model (GAM), Gradient Boosted Machine (GBM) and many more algorithms are also known to provide precise distribution range of rare and cryptic species (Guisan et al. 2006;Williams et al. 2009;Mi et al. 2017;Oleas et al. 2019;Warren et al. 2020). These distributional analyses on pattern of a species help to narrow down population surveys and focus conservation efforts to specific areas, making planning and implementation more specific and effective (Lyet et al. 2013;Eyre et al. 2018;Giné and Faria 2018;Valerio et al. 2020). Linking the prediction modeling with the species ecological knowledge can lead to targeted conservation efforts such as legal protection of species suitable habitats by forming or conserving protected areas. ...
Background
Large-scale hunting and various anthropogenic pressures in the recent past have pushed the Asiatic caracal ( Caracal caracal schmitzi ), an elusive medium-sized and locally threatened felid species towards local extinction in India. Though widely distributed historically, it has been sparsely reported from several regions of central and northern states in India till twentieth century. Later, the species distribution became confined only to the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, which have had reported sightings in the twenty-first century. In order to highlight the potentially suitable habitats for Asiatic caracals in India, we targeted forth-filtering of the spatial model ensemble by creating and utilizing the validated and spatially thinned species presence information ( n = 69) and related ecological variables (aridity, NDVI, precipitation seasonality, temperature seasonality, terrain ruggedness), filtered with anthropological variable (nightlight).
Results
Out of eight spatial prediction models, the two most parsimonious models, Random Forest (AUC 0.91) and MaxEnt (AUC 0.89) were weighted and ensembled. The ensemble model indicated several clustered habitats, covering 1207.83 km ² areas in Kachchh (Gujarat), Aravalli mountains (Rajasthan), Malwa plateau (Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh), and Bundelkhand region (Madhya Pradesh) as potentially suitable habitats for caracals. Output probabilities of pixels were further regressed with converted vegetation height data within selected highly potential habitats, i.e., Ranthambore Kuno Landscape (RKL) (suitability ~ 0.44 + 0.03(vegetation height) **, R ² = 0.27). The regression model inferred a significant positive relation between vegetation height and habitat suitability, hence the lowest ordinal class out of three classes of converted vegetation height was masked out from the RKL, which yielded in an area of 567 km ² as potentially highly suitable habitats for caracals, which can be further proposed as survey areas and conservation priority areas for caracals.
Conclusion
The study charts out the small pockets of landscape in and around dryland protected areas, suitable for caracal in the Indian context, which need attention for landscape conservation.
... However, Random Forest, Generalized Linear Model (GLM), BioClim, Climate Space Model (CSM), Envelope Score Model (ESM), Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS), Generalized Additive Model (GAM), Gradient Boosted Machine (GBM) and many more algorithms are also known to provide precise distribution range of rare and cryptic species (Guisan et al. 2006;Williams et al. 2009;Mi et al. 2017;Oleas et al. 2019;Warren et al. 2020). These distributional analyses on pattern of a species help to narrow down population surveys and focus conservation efforts to specific areas, making planning and implementation more specific and effective (Lyet et al. 2013;Eyre et al. 2018;Giné and Faria 2018;Valerio et al. 2020). Linking the prediction modeling with the species ecological knowledge can lead to targeted conservation efforts such as legal protection of species suitable habitats by forming or conserving protected areas. ...
Background:
Large-scale hunting and various anthropogenic pressures in the recent past have pushed the Asiatic caracal (Caracal caracal schmitzi), an elusive medium-sized and locally threatened felid species towards local extinction in India. Though widely distributed historically, it has been sparsely reported from several regions of central and northern states in India till twentieth century. Later, the species distribution became confined only to the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, which have had reported sightings in the twenty-first century. In order to highlight the potentially suitable habitats for Asiatic caracals in India, we targeted forth-filtering of the spatial model ensemble by creating and utilizing the validated and spatially thinned species presence information (n = 69) and related ecological variables (aridity, NDVI, precipitation seasonality, temperature seasonality, terrain ruggedness), filtered with anthropological variable (nightlight).
Results:
Out of eight spatial prediction models, the two most parsimonious models, Random Forest (AUC 0.91) and MaxEnt (AUC 0.89) were weighted and ensembled. The ensemble model indicated several clustered habitats, covering 1207.83 km2 areas in Kachchh (Gujarat), Aravalli mountains (Rajasthan), Malwa plateau (Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh), and Bundelkhand region (Madhya Pradesh) as potentially suitable habitats for caracals. Output probabilities of pixels were further regressed with converted vegetation height data within selected highly potential habitats, i.e., Ranthambore Kuno Landscape (RKL) (suitability ~ 0.44 + 0.03(vegetation height) **, R2 = 0.27). The regression model inferred a significant positive relation between vegetation height and habitat suitability, hence the lowest ordinal class out of three classes of converted vegetation height was masked out from the RKL, which yielded in an area of 567 km2 as potentially highly suitable habitats for caracals, which can be further proposed as survey areas and conservation priority areas for caracals.
Conclusion:
The study charts out the small pockets of landscape in and around dryland protected areas, suitable for caracal in the Indian context, which need attention for landscape conservation.
... We constructed pitfall traps from PVC pipe (20 cm W × 60 cm H) fitted with a mesh cap at the bottom, buried to ground level approximately 3 m apart and connected with a 15 m long, 40 cm high drift fence made of Canvacon (Eyre et al. 2018). We set small mammal traps (Elliott Type A 325 × 100 × 100 mm) (Elliott Scientific, Upwey, Victoria, Australia) in linear transects or paired on either side of the drift fence. ...
A population of white-footed dunnarts (Sminthopsis leucopus) occurs in the Wet Tropics bio-region of tropical north Queensland, Australia separated by about 1800 km from conspecifics in temperate New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. We conducted targeted surveys for S. leucopus in northeast Queensland and obtained new records, including the first reported capture of the species in Queensland in 18 years. We assessed the genetic and morphological divergence of the north Queensland population against New South Wales, Victorian and Tasmanian S. leucopus, in conjunction with distribution and habitat differences, to assess whether this isolate should be described as a distinct taxon. Sequencing of the mitochondrial Cytochrome b gene revealed genetic divergence estimates of 2.3-2.8% and 4.3-4.8% between the north Queensland population and S. l. ferruginifrons (Victoria) and S. l. leucopus (Tasmania) respectively. Based on genetic divergence, cranial morphology, differences in habitat, and geographical isolation , we describe the north Queensland population as a new subspecies of Sminthopsis leucopus. We suggest a conservation classification of Endangered given its small distribution, apparent low density, tropical upland location and potential threats, especially related to climate change.
... Knowing the occurrence and size of populations is a key premise to understand the ecology of species and for assessing their conservation status. In vertebrates, the size of populations is estimated through censuses, which vary in methodology depending on the biology of target taxa (Davis, 1982;Sutherland, 2006;Eyre et al., 2018). Anurans mostly rely on vocalizations for communication, thereby call detection provides a relatively effective method for monitoring their populations (Dorcas et al., 2009). ...
Population monitoring is essential to determine different aspects of the ecology and conservation of the species. In anurans, recording the acoustic activity of choruses allows surveying populations. Therefore, knowing the timing of male calls is fundamental to achieve this goal. Here we monitored calling activity of the Mediterranean tree frog ( Hyla meridionalis ) at eight localities in southern Iberian Peninsula and western North Africa in the frame of a citizen science program. Subsequently, after summarizing call activity with Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling, we aimed to identify the geographic and environmental variables that associate with the calling activity of frogs. The results of the 258-hour census showed that male tree frogs called mainly from December to July, although the duration and intensity of choruses varied, depending on the elevation and seasonality of the water bodies. Males sang earlier and had more durable call activities at lower elevation sites, which are sites with higher and more stable ambient temperatures. Also, calling activity was lower in sites where water fluctuates more over the annual cycle. Our results provide a first overview of the calling activity of the Mediterranean tree frog over a relatively large set of populations encompassing a wide variety of environmental conditions in its westernmost range of distribution. However, further studies relying on more intensive sampling, likely using automatic recorders, would be desirable to achieve a full understanding of the calling activity of tree frogs in the region.
... Floristic assessment of the survey sites was conducted by the Queensland Herbarium following the Queensland Government "Basic Site Information" protocol (Eyre et al., 2014). This included a brief habitat description, Regional Ecosystems (RE) classification, broad vegetation grouping, and dominant/characteristic plant species identified. ...
The black‐tailed dusky antechinus (Antechinus arktos) is a recently discovered, endangered, carnivorous marsupial mammal endemic to the Tweed Shield Volcano caldera, straddling the border between Queensland and New South Wales in eastern Australia. The species' preference for cool, high‐altitude habitats makes it particularly vulnerable to a shifting climate as these habitats recede. Aside from basic breeding and dietary patterns, the species' ecology is largely unknown. Understanding fine‐scale habitat attributes preferred by this endangered mammal is critical to employ successful conservation management. Here, we assess vegetation attributes of known habitats over three sites at Springbrook and Border Ranges National Parks, including detailed structure data and broad floristic assessment.
Floristic compositional assessment of the high‐altitude cloud rainforest indicated broad similarities. However, only 22% of plant species were shared between all sites indicating a high level of local endemism. This suggests a diverse assemblage of vegetation across A. arktos habitats.
Habitat characteristics were related to capture records of A. arktos to determine potential fine‐scale structural habitat requirements. Percentage of rock cover and leaf litter were the strongest predictors of A. arktos captures across survey sites, suggesting a need for foraging substrate and cover. Habitat characteristics described here will inform predictive species distribution models of this federally endangered species and are applicable to other mammal conservation programs.
