The Arid Zone Monitoring Project: combining Indigenous ecological expertise with scientific data analysis to assess the potential of using sign-based surveys to monitor vertebrates in the Australian deserts

Deserts cover large areas and support substantial biodiversity; however, like other biomes, they are experiencing biodiversity loss. Monitoring biodiversity trends in deserts is rare, partly because of the logistical challenges of working in remote areas. This is true also in Australia, which has one of the largest and least populated desert areas worldwide, has suffered marked biodiversity loss since European colonisation, and has minimal large-scale biodiversity monitoring. However, Indigenous people of many Traditional Owner groups continue to live in, and care for, these deserts. Over the past two decades, Indigenous ranger groups have been collecting species records by using sign-based surveys, adding to work begun in the 1980s by researchers and government scientists. In sign-based surveys, the presence (or absence) of species is recorded by searching on sandy substrates for tracks, scats, burrows and diggings in a fixed area, or a fixed time. Such surveys combine the tracking skills of Indigenous people with robust analytical methods. Here, we describe a desert-wide project that collated and analysed existing sign-based data to explore its potential for local-, regional- and national-scale biodiversity monitoring. The Arid Zone Monitoring Project also provided guidance about future monitoring designs and data-collection methods for varying survey objectives. The project collated data from 44 groups and individuals, comprising almost 15,000 surveys from over 5300 unique sites, with almost 49,000 detections of 65 native and 11 introduced species, including threatened, and culturally significant species. Despite heterogeneity in survey objectives and data collection methods, we were able to use the collated data to describe species distributions and understand correlates of suitable habitat, investigate temporal trends, and to simulate the monitoring effort required to detect trends in over 25 vertebrate species at regional and national scales. Most importantly, we built a large collaboration, and produced informative maps and analyses, while respecting the intellectual property and diverse aspirations of the project partners. With this foundation in place, a national sign-based monitoring program for medium–large desert vertebrates seems achievable, if accompanied by overarching coordination and survey support, training, standardised data collection, improved sampling design, centralised data curation and storage, and regular communication.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Wildlife Research
Published
2024-09-10
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1071/wr24070
Citations
8
Primary Topic
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
3.67

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

The Arid Zone Monitoring Project: combining Indigenous ecological expertise with scientific data analysis to assess the potential of using sign-based surveys to monitor vertebrates in the Australian deserts

Tida Nou, Rachel Paltridge, Diego Brizuela‐Torres, Keith Bellchambers et al.
8 citations
Wildlife Research
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
3.67
article

The Arid Zone Monitoring Project: combining Indigenous ecological expertise with scientific data analysis to assess the potential of using sign-based surveys to monitor vertebrates in the Australian deserts

Tida Nou, Rachel Paltridge, Diego Brizuela‐Torres, Keith Bellchambers, Katherine Tuft, Carolina Galindez Silva, Cassandra Arkinstall, Danae Moore, Reece Pedler, Stephen van Leeuwen, Jaana Dielenberg, Ellen Ryan‐Colton, Sarah Legge, Anja Skroblin, Thomas M. Newsome, Thalie Partridge, Brett Backhouse, Rick Southgate, Chris L. Curnow, Darren Southwell, Kevin A. Bradley, Naomi Indigo, Rob Brandle, Josef Schofield, David P. Wilkinson, Malcolm Lindsay, Martin A. Dziminski, Katherine E. Moseby, Joe Benshemesh, Catherine Lynch, Kim Webeck, Laurie Tait, Ngaanyatjarra Council Rangers, Nigel Jackett, Ngurrara Rangers, A¿angu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, Birriliburu Rangers, Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa, Alys R. Young, P. Copley, Dan J. Rogers
article en
8 citations

Abstract

Deserts cover large areas and support substantial biodiversity; however, like other biomes, they are experiencing biodiversity loss. Monitoring biodiversity trends in deserts is rare, partly because of the logistical challenges of working in remote areas. This is true also in Australia, which has one of the largest and least populated desert areas worldwide, has suffered marked biodiversity loss since European colonisation, and has minimal large-scale biodiversity monitoring. However, Indigenous people of many Traditional Owner groups continue to live in, and care for, these deserts. Over the past two decades, Indigenous ranger groups have been collecting species records by using sign-based surveys, adding to work begun in the 1980s by researchers and government scientists. In sign-based surveys, the presence (or absence) of species is recorded by searching on sandy substrates for tracks, scats, burrows and diggings in a fixed area, or a fixed time. Such surveys combine the tracking skills of Indigenous people with robust analytical methods. Here, we describe a desert-wide project that collated and analysed existing sign-based data to explore its potential for local-, regional- and national-scale biodiversity monitoring. The Arid Zone Monitoring Project also provided guidance about future monitoring designs and data-collection methods for varying survey objectives. The project collated data from 44 groups and individuals, comprising almost 15,000 surveys from over 5300 unique sites, with almost 49,000 detections of 65 native and 11 introduced species, including threatened, and culturally significant species. Despite heterogeneity in survey objectives and data collection methods, we were able to use the collated data to describe species distributions and understand correlates of suitable habitat, investigate temporal trends, and to simulate the monitoring effort required to detect trends in over 25 vertebrate species at regional and national scales. Most importantly, we built a large collaboration, and produced informative maps and analyses, while respecting the intellectual property and diverse aspirations of the project partners. With this foundation in place, a national sign-based monitoring program for medium–large desert vertebrates seems achievable, if accompanied by overarching coordination and survey support, training, standardised data collection, improved sampling design, centralised data curation and storage, and regular communication.

Wildlife ResearchVol. 51(9)
Australian National University (AU), The Nature Conservancy (US), The University of Sydney (AU), Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AU), Deakin University (AU), The University of Queensland (AU), The University of Melbourne (AU), Imec the Netherlands (NL), Curtin University (AU), South Australian Research and Development Institute (AU), Central Land Council (AU), Racing Victoria (AU), Charles Darwin University (AU), Department of the Premier and Cabinet (AU), The Nature Conservancy (CO), Tharawal Aboriginal (AU), Water Research Australia (AU), Institute of Landscape Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK), Reef Ecologic (AU), Department of Land Resource Management (AU), Environs Kimberley (AU), Aditya Birla (India) (IN), Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (AU), Department for Environment and Water (AU), Ecosystem Sciences (AU), Data61 (AU), The University of Adelaide (AU), Cochrane (GB), University of Newcastle Australia (AU)
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
Life in Land
Openalex Percentile: Top 7%
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
3.67
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.