Remote camera monitoring across a statewide park network Tailoring approaches for specific applications Mark Antos Parks Victoria Kally Yuen Parks Victoria Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute

First things first Signs of Healthy Parks monitoring initiative – Identify key park values, threats and existing monitoring – Prioritise monitoring needs – Develop clear objectives – Assess where, when and how- which is the best method? – Management relevance – Data analysis plan and staff feedback All this needs to happen before anyone deploys a camera

Great Otway NP Mornington Peninsula NP

Getting the methods right Protocol based approach – Developed by experts at ARI (DSE) Using a suite of complementary methods

Two case studies Great Otway NP Is fox baiting effective in reducing fox activity? Is there a positive response from prey species? Fairly large, intact and diverse landscape Mornington Peninsula NP Which mammal species are present in the park? Which areas are important for native mammals? Linear park with large edge to area ratio

Great Otway NP Heathy woodlandWet forest Fox baiting 20 sites No baiting 20 sites Fox baiting 20 sites No baiting 20 sites >2km Comparing meat vs oat lures Monitoring since 2009 Fox baiting since 2010

Great Otway NP- refining the method No of active camera days YearMedianMeanSDRange Influence of bait type: No. of sites with detection ( ) SpeciesMeat baitsOat-peanut butter Antechinus spp 207 Long-nosed Bandicoot 1916 Southern Brown Bandicoot 30 Long-nosed Potoroo 52 Black Wallaby 3137 Bush Rat 2831 Cat 3225 Dog 50 Fox 2216 Bassian Thrush 2934

Great Otway NP- Analysis Dynamic occupancy model (MacKenzie et al 2003) used to estimate site occupancy probability for each year AIC used to rank a set of 14 candidate models AIC weights used to assess whether poison has an effect on occupancy probabilities All models with Δ AIC <2 compared to top ranked model were used to derive occupancy probabilities

Effect of fox baiting on occupancy probability over time SpeciesSum AICwtLevel of support Red Fox 5%very weak Native animals combined 25%not strong Potoroos and bandicoots 17%not strong Bassian Thrush 90%very strong The summation is over the six models which allow for the possible effect of fox- poison baiting on the occupancy rate over time.

Great Otway NP- Foxes and snack-sized mammals

Great Otway NP- Bassian Thrush

Lessons and limitations Pilot studies are critical Experimental design is critical Be prepared to review and refine Adequate sampling and spatial segregation? Other variables (habitat, climate, cats etc)? Benefits Better understanding of predator distribution Better understanding of native fauna distribution Improved staff skills

Mornington Peninsula Over 150 randomly allocated survey points (>1km apart) Stratified by vegetation type Roll out of cameras over autumn/winter with oat baits

Mornington Peninsula 32 native spp recorded 6 exotic spp Surprises – Long-nosed Bandicoots and White-footed Dunnart well represented – Lewins Rail recorded at 5 sites – Broad-toothed Rat?

Using the data Highest value area Mid range areas Dysfunctional? corridor

Next steps Results used to help with planning – Predator control – Planned burns – Weed works and habitat restoration Repeat survey in 2 years – Compare results- link to State of the Parks reporting – Measure management effectiveness

Concluding remarks Be clear about monitoring objectives and make sure you are using the best method Acknowledge limitations of the method Pilot studies and test runs are really useful Dont underestimate data curation and analysis time Be prepared for surprises and to make the most of them

Thanks Great Otway NP – Emma Danby – Carlie Bronk – Gary Summers – Mick Biddle – Sylvia van de Peet – Lachie Davis – Suzanna McCoy – Scot Mitri ARI – Michael Scroggie – Jenny Nelson – Peter Menkhorst Mornington Peninsula – Brendan McKay – Louise Bracy – Kim Kott – Sarah Dodd – Danny Hudson – Alisson Bolden – Darren Mitchell PV mapping support – Jenny Bunnage – Steve Shelley Trust for Nature – Ben Cullen