Mount Lofty Ranges Woodland Birds
The NCSSA/UQ Mount Lofty Ranges Woodland Bird Monitoring Program is a long-term monitoring program initiated by Professor Hugh Possingham’s research group that has been running since 1999. It aims to assess the evidence for declines in woodland birds through repeated surveys of over 150 sites throughout the Mount Lofty Ranges (from Kaiserstuhl/Patpoori Sanctuary in the north to Deep Creek Conservation Park in the south). Much of the data and associated reports and papers can be downloaded freely from: http://ecology.uq.edu.au/mlr-birddata
The project uses bird monitoring experts in a systematic survey of sites. These sites are resurveyed annually to look for trends in the distribution and abundance of birds in response to a changing environment and broadscale ecosystem management. This study provides a tool to monitor and evaluate the performance of activities intended to maintain or restore biodiversity. The data can be used as a benchmark for the success of habitat restoration and rehabilitation. Furthermore it can be used as "before" data in before-after control-impact experiments on the success of actions like fencing, revegetation, feral control or weed removal.
Follow this link for a report published in the South Australian Ornithological Association newsletter on the project.