Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Adequacy of desktop fauna assessments without a site visit
Recently, we received advice from the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) that a desktop fauna assessment based on the data in NatureMap without a site visit was adequate for the DEC to assess potential impacts on the vertebrate fauna for an exploration area. The project is in an area that has been poorly surveyed […]... [READ MORE HERE]
Aerial fauna assessments using a helicopter
In remote areas that are difficult to access, helicopters can be a useful tool in undertaking a fauna habitat assessment. Flying low and slow enables the assessors to record a considerable quantity of useful data at each location and for the entire area. For example, a helicopter was used during a preliminary assessment of the […]... [READ MORE HERE]
New best practice in fauna management prior to vegetation clearing
LWP Property Group (LWP) is a nationally awarded property developer based in Perth WA, specialising in the creation of new medium to large scale urban projects. LWP is passionate about protecting the environment, and was prepared to undertake fauna protection strategies beyond its regulatory requirements and way beyond that of most other land developers in […]... [READ MORE HERE]
The amazing Amazon River
It’s not often that you can combine the very best in sports fishing with field work and be on the most iconic of the world’s rivers at the same time. That’s what I experienced on the Amazon River in January 2011. Not only was it a trip of a lifetime, it was a life changing […]... [READ MORE HERE]
Species accumulation curves
Species accumulation curves (SAC; or species-richness curves, collector’s curves, species effort curves) are used to estimate the number of species in a particular area. They can also be used to indicate the adequacy of a fauna survey in representing the fauna in a particular area. Typically, they can indicate whether a survey has caught 30, […]... [READ MORE HERE]
Pathway to an Enhanced Western Australian Terrestrial Biodiversity Knowledge System
The Chamber of Minerals and Energy and BHP Billiton report on an enhanced terrestrial biodiversity knowledge system for Western Australia provides a useful overview of the current situation but is disappointing in a number of ways. It is appreciated that the purpose of the report is a preliminary analysis of the results of a review […]... [READ MORE HERE]