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Richard T. Kingsford
Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

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Article
Published: 28 July 2021 in Environmental Management
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Waterbird populations in eastern Australia have been declining over the past 35 years primarily due to water resource development and resultant changes to natural river flows and flooding. To mitigate these impacts there is an increased allocation of water for the environment, including waterbird populations. We used population viability models to identify the frequency of breeding events required to reverse the trend and achieve long-term species’ management objectives. We found that the population size of straw-necked ibis was primarily dictated by the frequency of large breeding events and to a lesser extent by adult annual survival and the frequency of small breeding events. We identified combinations of small and large breeding events over the next 10 years required for increased population growth. We also assessed the likelihood of current water management policies increasing populations and thereby reversing the decline in eastern Australia’s waterbird populations.

ACS Style

K. J. Brandis; G. Bino; R. T. Kingsford. More Than Just a Trend: Integrating Population Viability Models to Improve Conservation Management of Colonial Waterbirds. Environmental Management 2021, 1 -9.

AMA Style

K. J. Brandis, G. Bino, R. T. Kingsford. More Than Just a Trend: Integrating Population Viability Models to Improve Conservation Management of Colonial Waterbirds. Environmental Management. 2021; ():1-9.

Chicago/Turabian Style

K. J. Brandis; G. Bino; R. T. Kingsford. 2021. "More Than Just a Trend: Integrating Population Viability Models to Improve Conservation Management of Colonial Waterbirds." Environmental Management , no. : 1-9.

Journal article
Published: 26 July 2021 in Journal of Hydro-environment Research
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Hydraulic structures disrupt fish migration thereby contributing to declines in fish populations around the world. Methods for piping fish upstream over dams can offer much steeper lift than conventional fishways. We describe the lifting mechanism of a tube fishway, demonstrated using numerical modelling, verified by a physical model. Efficacy is demonstrated by safely lifting two species of Australian native fish over 8 metres up an embankment. Significant volumes of water can be transported from a chamber at the foot of a dam over its crest using simple conduits and two valves. Unsteady flow contributes entirely or significantly to the volume of water lifted. We explore how this piped system could be scaled up, while controlling turbulence impacts on fish. We propose new methods of characterising hydraulic efficiency for fishways that recognise the energy used and the value of the water discharged.

ACS Style

William L. Peirson; John H. Harris; Richard T. Kingsford; Xi Mao; Stefan Felder. Piping fish over dams. Journal of Hydro-environment Research 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

William L. Peirson, John H. Harris, Richard T. Kingsford, Xi Mao, Stefan Felder. Piping fish over dams. Journal of Hydro-environment Research. 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

William L. Peirson; John H. Harris; Richard T. Kingsford; Xi Mao; Stefan Felder. 2021. "Piping fish over dams." Journal of Hydro-environment Research , no. : 1.

Dataset
Published: 05 July 2021
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This dataset includes the original version of the indicative distribution maps and profiles for Ecosystem Functional Groups - Level 3 of IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (v2.0). Please refer to Keith et al. (2020). The descriptive profiles provide brief summaries of key ecological traits and processes for each functional group of ecosystems to enable any ecosystem type to be assigned to a group. Maps are indicative of global distribution patterns are not intended to represent fine-scale patterns. The maps show areas of the world containing major (value of 1, coloured red) or minor occurrences (value of 2, coloured yellow) of each ecosystem functional group. Minor occurrences are areas where an ecosystem functional group is scattered in patches within matrices of other ecosystem functional groups or where they occur in substantial areas, but only within a segment of a larger region. Most maps were prepared using a coarse-scale template (e.g. ecoregions), but some were compiled from higher resolution spatial data where available (see details in profiles). Higher resolution mapping is planned in future publications. We emphasise that spatial representation of Ecosystem Functional Groups does not follow higher-order groupings described in respective ecoregion classifications. Consequently, when Ecosystem Functional Groups are aggregated into functional biomes (Level 2 of the Global Ecosystem Typology), spatial patterns may differ from those of biogeographic biomes. Differences reflect the distinctions between functional and biogeographic interpretations of the term, “biome”.

ACS Style

David A. Keith; Jose R. Ferrer-Paris; Emily Nicholson; Richard T. Kingsford. Indicative distribution maps for Ecosystem Functional Groups - Level 3 of IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology. 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

David A. Keith, Jose R. Ferrer-Paris, Emily Nicholson, Richard T. Kingsford. Indicative distribution maps for Ecosystem Functional Groups - Level 3 of IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology. . 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

David A. Keith; Jose R. Ferrer-Paris; Emily Nicholson; Richard T. Kingsford. 2021. "Indicative distribution maps for Ecosystem Functional Groups - Level 3 of IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology." , no. : 1.

Dataset
Published: 05 July 2021
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This dataset includes the original version of the indicative distribution maps and profiles for Ecosystem Functional Groups - Level 3 of IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (v2.0). Please refer to Keith et al. (2020). The descriptive profiles provide brief summaries of key ecological traits and processes for each functional group of ecosystems to enable any ecosystem type to be assigned to a group. Maps are indicative of global distribution patterns are not intended to represent fine-scale patterns. The maps show areas of the world containing major (value of 1, coloured red) or minor occurrences (value of 2, coloured yellow) of each ecosystem functional group. Minor occurrences are areas where an ecosystem functional group is scattered in patches within matrices of other ecosystem functional groups or where they occur in substantial areas, but only within a segment of a larger region. Most maps were prepared using a coarse-scale template (e.g. ecoregions), but some were compiled from higher resolution spatial data where available (see details in profiles). Higher resolution mapping is planned in future publications. We emphasise that spatial representation of Ecosystem Functional Groups does not follow higher-order groupings described in respective ecoregion classifications. Consequently, when Ecosystem Functional Groups are aggregated into functional biomes (Level 2 of the Global Ecosystem Typology), spatial patterns may differ from those of biogeographic biomes. Differences reflect the distinctions between functional and biogeographic interpretations of the term, “biome”.

ACS Style

David A. Keith; Jose R. Ferrer-Paris; Emily Nicholson; Richard T. Kingsford. Indicative distribution maps for Ecosystem Functional Groups - Level 3 of IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology. 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

David A. Keith, Jose R. Ferrer-Paris, Emily Nicholson, Richard T. Kingsford. Indicative distribution maps for Ecosystem Functional Groups - Level 3 of IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology. . 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

David A. Keith; Jose R. Ferrer-Paris; Emily Nicholson; Richard T. Kingsford. 2021. "Indicative distribution maps for Ecosystem Functional Groups - Level 3 of IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology." , no. : 1.

Dataset
Published: 05 July 2021
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This dataset includes the original version of the indicative distribution maps and profiles for Ecosystem Functional Groups - Level 3 of IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (v2.0). Please refer to Keith et al. (2020). The descriptive profiles provide brief summaries of key ecological traits and processes for each functional group of ecosystems to enable any ecosystem type to be assigned to a group. Maps are indicative of global distribution patterns are not intended to represent fine-scale patterns. The maps show areas of the world containing major (value of 1, coloured red) or minor occurrences (value of 2, coloured yellow) of each ecosystem functional group. Minor occurrences are areas where an ecosystem functional group is scattered in patches within matrices of other ecosystem functional groups or where they occur in substantial areas, but only within a segment of a larger region. Most maps were prepared using a coarse-scale template (e.g. ecoregions), but some were compiled from higher resolution spatial data where available (see details in profiles). Higher resolution mapping is planned in future publications. We emphasise that spatial representation of Ecosystem Functional Groups does not follow higher-order groupings described in respective ecoregion classifications. Consequently, when Ecosystem Functional Groups are aggregated into functional biomes (Level 2 of the Global Ecosystem Typology), spatial patterns may differ from those of biogeographic biomes. Differences reflect the distinctions between functional and biogeographic interpretations of the term, “biome”.

ACS Style

David A. Keith; Jose R. Ferrer-Paris; Emily Nicholson; Richard T. Kingsford. Indicative distribution maps for Ecosystem Functional Groups - Level 3 of IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology. 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

David A. Keith, Jose R. Ferrer-Paris, Emily Nicholson, Richard T. Kingsford. Indicative distribution maps for Ecosystem Functional Groups - Level 3 of IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology. . 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

David A. Keith; Jose R. Ferrer-Paris; Emily Nicholson; Richard T. Kingsford. 2021. "Indicative distribution maps for Ecosystem Functional Groups - Level 3 of IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology." , no. : 1.

Primary research article
Published: 03 May 2021 in Global Change Biology
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Anthropogenic habitat modification is accelerating, threatening the world's biodiversity. Understanding species' responses to anthropogenic modification is vital for halting species' declines. However, this information is lacking for globally threatened amphibians, informed primarily by small community‐level studies. We integrated >126,000 verified citizen science observations of frogs, with a global continuous measure of anthropogenic habitat modification for a continental scale analysis of the effects of habitat modification on frogs. We derived a modification tolerance index—accounting for anthropogenic stressors such as human habitation, agriculture, transport and energy production—for 87 species (36% of all Australian frog species). We used this index to quantify and rank each species' tolerance of anthropogenic habitat modification, then compiled traits of all the frog species and assessed how well these equipped species to tolerate modified habitats. Most of Australia's frog species examined were adversely affected by habitat modification. Habitat specialists and species with large geographic range sizes were the least tolerant of habitat modification. Call dominant frequency, body size, clutch type and calling position (i.e. from vegetation) were also related to tolerance of habitat modification. There is an urgent need for improved consideration of anthropogenic impacts and improved conservation measures to ensure the long‐term persistence of frog populations, particularly focused on specialists and species identified as intolerant of modified habitats.

ACS Style

Gracie Liu; Jodi J. L. Rowley; Richard T. Kingsford; Corey T. Callaghan. Species' traits drive amphibian tolerance to anthropogenic habitat modification. Global Change Biology 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Gracie Liu, Jodi J. L. Rowley, Richard T. Kingsford, Corey T. Callaghan. Species' traits drive amphibian tolerance to anthropogenic habitat modification. Global Change Biology. 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gracie Liu; Jodi J. L. Rowley; Richard T. Kingsford; Corey T. Callaghan. 2021. "Species' traits drive amphibian tolerance to anthropogenic habitat modification." Global Change Biology , no. : 1.

Perspective article
Published: 22 March 2021 in Frontiers in Environmental Science
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The Ramsar Convention (or the Convention on Wetlands), signed in 1971, was one of the first international conservation agreements, promoting global wise use of wetlands. It has three primary objectives: national designation and management of wetlands of international importance; general wise use of wetlands; and international cooperation. We examined lessons learnt for improving wetland conservation after Ramsar’s nearly five decades of operation. The number of wetlands in the Ramsar Site Network has grown over time (2,391 Ramsar Sites, 2.5 million km2, as at 2020-06-09) but unevenly around the world, with decreasing rate of growth in recent decades. Ramsar Sites are concentrated in countries with a high Gross Domestic Product and human pressure (e.g., western Europe) but, in contrast, Ramsar Sites with the largest wetland extent are in central-west Africa and South America. We identified three key challenges for improving effectiveness of the Ramsar Site Network: increasing number of sites and wetland area, improved representation (functional, geographical and biological); and effective management and reporting. Increasing the number of sites and area in the Ramsar network could benefit from targets, implemented at national scales. Knowledge of representativeness is inadequate, requiring analyses of functional ecotypes, geographical and biological representativeness. Finally, most countries have inadequate management planning and reporting on the ecological character of their Ramsar Sites, requiring more focused attention on a vision and objectives, with regular reporting of key indicators to guide management. There are increasing opportunities to rigorously track ecological character, utilizing new tools and available indicators (e.g., remote sensing). It is critical that the world protect its wetlands, with an effective Ramsar Convention or the Convention on Wetlands at the core.

ACS Style

R. T. Kingsford; G. Bino; C. M. Finlayson; D. Falster; J.A. Fitzsimons; D. E. Gawlik; N. J. Murray; P. Grillas; R. C. Gardner; T. J. Regan; D. J. Roux; R. F. Thomas. Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance–Improving Conservation Outcomes. Frontiers in Environmental Science 2021, 9, 1 .

AMA Style

R. T. Kingsford, G. Bino, C. M. Finlayson, D. Falster, J.A. Fitzsimons, D. E. Gawlik, N. J. Murray, P. Grillas, R. C. Gardner, T. J. Regan, D. J. Roux, R. F. Thomas. Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance–Improving Conservation Outcomes. Frontiers in Environmental Science. 2021; 9 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

R. T. Kingsford; G. Bino; C. M. Finlayson; D. Falster; J.A. Fitzsimons; D. E. Gawlik; N. J. Murray; P. Grillas; R. C. Gardner; T. J. Regan; D. J. Roux; R. F. Thomas. 2021. "Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance–Improving Conservation Outcomes." Frontiers in Environmental Science 9, no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 10 March 2021 in Sustainability
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The Malkumba-Coongie Lakes Ramsar Site has extensive terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems (largest Ramsar Site in Oceania, 2,178,952 ha, designated in 1987), including freshwater and salt lakes, lignum swamps and river channels in central Australia. It is supplied by Cooper Creek, a free-flowing Lake Eyre Basin river system. The area includes pastoral leases (97% of site grazed, including a regional conservation reserve (35%)) and a National Park (3%), with the largest oil and gas production field in Australia. We developed a Strategic Adaptive Management (SAM) Plan, linking science, monitoring and management of this social-ecological system, involving stakeholders and workshops. This involved developing a shared vision and hierarchy of objectives linked to management actions and identified outputs and outcomes. We exemplify this approach with explicit and measurable end-points (thresholds of potential concern) culminating from low level objectives for fish communities, particularly the alien sleepy cod Oxyeleotris lineolata. We describe this framework, highlighting the benefits in prioritizing management actions and monitoring in collaboration with a diverse range of stakeholders, driving adaptive feedback for learning. The whole approach is aimed at successfully achieving mutually agreed management objectives and the vision to maintain the ecological character of the Malkumba-Coongie Lakes Ramsar Site.

ACS Style

Richard Kingsford; Craig McLoughlin; Robert Brandle; Gilad Bino; Bernie Cockayne; David Schmarr; Travis Gotch; Vol Norris; Justin McCann. Adaptive Management of Malkumba-Coongie Lakes Ramsar Site in Arid Australia—A Free Flowing River and Wetland System. Sustainability 2021, 13, 3043 .

AMA Style

Richard Kingsford, Craig McLoughlin, Robert Brandle, Gilad Bino, Bernie Cockayne, David Schmarr, Travis Gotch, Vol Norris, Justin McCann. Adaptive Management of Malkumba-Coongie Lakes Ramsar Site in Arid Australia—A Free Flowing River and Wetland System. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (6):3043.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Richard Kingsford; Craig McLoughlin; Robert Brandle; Gilad Bino; Bernie Cockayne; David Schmarr; Travis Gotch; Vol Norris; Justin McCann. 2021. "Adaptive Management of Malkumba-Coongie Lakes Ramsar Site in Arid Australia—A Free Flowing River and Wetland System." Sustainability 13, no. 6: 3043.

Letter
Published: 08 March 2021 in Conservation Letters
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Waterbirds are highly mobile, moving over large distances to access resources. Although consistent migration routes are observed in highly seasonal and predictable environments, movement patterns to utilize ephemeral resources in dryland environments are largely unknown. This makes conservation planning and water policy challenging as the relative importance of widely dispersed wetlands is difficult to rank. We addressed this challenge by combining a citizen science project with the novel application of X‐ray fluorescence of feathers to detect continental scale movement of waterbirds using elemental signatures. By doing so, we gained important insight into the movements of 24 waterbird species, including the significance of the Murray–Darling basin as a key source of waterbirds across the continent. Our approach highlights the benefits of elemental signatures to identify key areas of habitat use and priorities for wetland management.

ACS Style

Kate J. Brandis; Debashish Mazumder; Patricia Gadd; Boyu Ji; Richard T. Kingsford; Daniel Ramp. Using feathers to map continental‐scale movements of waterbirds and wetland importance. Conservation Letters 2021, 14, e12798 .

AMA Style

Kate J. Brandis, Debashish Mazumder, Patricia Gadd, Boyu Ji, Richard T. Kingsford, Daniel Ramp. Using feathers to map continental‐scale movements of waterbirds and wetland importance. Conservation Letters. 2021; 14 (4):e12798.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kate J. Brandis; Debashish Mazumder; Patricia Gadd; Boyu Ji; Richard T. Kingsford; Daniel Ramp. 2021. "Using feathers to map continental‐scale movements of waterbirds and wetland importance." Conservation Letters 14, no. 4: e12798.

Journal article
Published: 18 September 2020 in Conservation Science and Practice
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ACS Style

Richard T. Kingsford; Rebecca S. West; Reece D. Pedler; David A. Keith; Katherine E. Moseby; John L. Read; Mike Letnic; Keith E. A. Leggett; Sharon R. Ryall. Strategic adaptive management planning—Restoring a desert ecosystem by managing introduced species and native herbivores and reintroducing mammals. Conservation Science and Practice 2020, 3, 1 .

AMA Style

Richard T. Kingsford, Rebecca S. West, Reece D. Pedler, David A. Keith, Katherine E. Moseby, John L. Read, Mike Letnic, Keith E. A. Leggett, Sharon R. Ryall. Strategic adaptive management planning—Restoring a desert ecosystem by managing introduced species and native herbivores and reintroducing mammals. Conservation Science and Practice. 2020; 3 (2):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Richard T. Kingsford; Rebecca S. West; Reece D. Pedler; David A. Keith; Katherine E. Moseby; John L. Read; Mike Letnic; Keith E. A. Leggett; Sharon R. Ryall. 2020. "Strategic adaptive management planning—Restoring a desert ecosystem by managing introduced species and native herbivores and reintroducing mammals." Conservation Science and Practice 3, no. 2: 1.

Data descriptor
Published: 10 June 2020 in Scientific Data
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Tracking long-term environmental change is important, particularly for freshwater ecosystems, often with high rates of decline. Waterbirds are key indicators of freshwater ecosystem change, with groups reflecting food availability (e.g. piscivores and fish). We store waterbird (species abundance, numbers of nests and broods) and wetland area data from aerial surveys of waterbirds across Australia, mostly at the species’ level (∼100 species) from three aerial survey programs: Eastern Australian Waterbird Survey, National Survey and Murray-Darling Basin wetlands. Across eastern Australia, we survey up to 2,000 wetlands annually (October, since 1983), along 10 survey bands (30 km wide), east to west across about one third of Australia. In 2008, we surveyed 4,858 wetlands across Australia and each year (since 2010) we survey the major wetlands in the Murray-Darling Basin. These data inform regulation of hunting seasons in Victoria and South Australia, Game bird culling in NSW, State of the Environment Reporting, environmental assessments, river and wetland management, the status of individual species and identification of high conservation sites.

ACS Style

Richard T. Kingsford; John L. Porter; Kate J. Brandis; Sharon Ryall. Aerial surveys of waterbirds in Australia. Scientific Data 2020, 7, 1 -6.

AMA Style

Richard T. Kingsford, John L. Porter, Kate J. Brandis, Sharon Ryall. Aerial surveys of waterbirds in Australia. Scientific Data. 2020; 7 (1):1-6.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Richard T. Kingsford; John L. Porter; Kate J. Brandis; Sharon Ryall. 2020. "Aerial surveys of waterbirds in Australia." Scientific Data 7, no. 1: 1-6.

Journal article
Published: 09 April 2020 in Journal of Arid Environments
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In the absence of top-down regulation by predators, herbivore populations irrupt. In irrupting populations of large herbivores deaths are frequent and availability of carrion from carcasses is high, potentially subsidising facultative scavengers such as crows and ravens. Increases in facultative scavengers could amplify perceived and real predation risk for small prey. We provisioned large-herbivore carcasses over 2 weeks at three sites (400 ha/site) in the Australian arid zone and monitored detection rates of facultative scavenger birds and low-nesting small passerines at these sites and at three control sites of the same size. We found that provisioning large herbivore carcasses rapidly increased local abundances of scavenging corvids Corvus coronoides and C. bennetti by 50% and decreased relative detection rates of a predation-sensitive small passerine, white-winged fairywren Malurus leucopterus by 50%. White-winged fairywren detection rates were inversely correlated with corvid abundances. Our study indicates that increases in carrion availability associated with herbivore irruptions subsidise facultative scavengers, and thus may indirectly affect co-occurring prey species.

ACS Style

James D. Rees; Mathew S. Crowther; Richard T. Kingsford; Mike Letnic. Direct and indirect effects of carrion subsidies in an arid rangeland: Carrion has positive effects on facultative scavengers and negative effects on a small songbird. Journal of Arid Environments 2020, 179, 104174 .

AMA Style

James D. Rees, Mathew S. Crowther, Richard T. Kingsford, Mike Letnic. Direct and indirect effects of carrion subsidies in an arid rangeland: Carrion has positive effects on facultative scavengers and negative effects on a small songbird. Journal of Arid Environments. 2020; 179 ():104174.

Chicago/Turabian Style

James D. Rees; Mathew S. Crowther; Richard T. Kingsford; Mike Letnic. 2020. "Direct and indirect effects of carrion subsidies in an arid rangeland: Carrion has positive effects on facultative scavengers and negative effects on a small songbird." Journal of Arid Environments 179, no. : 104174.

Journal article
Published: 07 April 2020 in Remote Sensing
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Using drones to count wildlife saves time and resources and allows access to difficult or dangerous areas. We collected drone imagery of breeding waterbirds at colonies in the Okavango Delta (Botswana) and Lowbidgee floodplain (Australia). We developed a semi-automated counting method, using machine learning, and compared effectiveness of freeware and payware in identifying and counting waterbird species (targets) in the Okavango Delta. We tested transferability to the Australian breeding colony. Our detection accuracy (targets), between the training and test data, was 91% for the Okavango Delta colony and 98% for the Lowbidgee floodplain colony. These estimates were within 1–5%, whether using freeware or payware for the different colonies. Our semi-automated method was 26% quicker, including development, and 500% quicker without development, than manual counting. Drone data of waterbird colonies can be collected quickly, allowing later counting with minimal disturbance. Our semi-automated methods efficiently provided accurate estimates of nesting species of waterbirds, even with complex backgrounds. This could be used to track breeding waterbird populations around the world, indicators of river and wetland health, with general applicability for monitoring other taxa.

ACS Style

Roxane J. Francis; Mitchell B. Lyons; Richard T. Kingsford; Kate J. Brandis. Counting Mixed Breeding Aggregations of Animal Species Using Drones: Lessons from Waterbirds on Semi-Automation. Remote Sensing 2020, 12, 1185 .

AMA Style

Roxane J. Francis, Mitchell B. Lyons, Richard T. Kingsford, Kate J. Brandis. Counting Mixed Breeding Aggregations of Animal Species Using Drones: Lessons from Waterbirds on Semi-Automation. Remote Sensing. 2020; 12 (7):1185.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Roxane J. Francis; Mitchell B. Lyons; Richard T. Kingsford; Kate J. Brandis. 2020. "Counting Mixed Breeding Aggregations of Animal Species Using Drones: Lessons from Waterbirds on Semi-Automation." Remote Sensing 12, no. 7: 1185.

Research article
Published: 01 January 2020 in Marine and Freshwater Research
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Many studies have investigated the effects of human disturbances on floodplain propagule banks, but few have examined how these propagule banks change down the soil depth profile. Changes in soil propagule banks with depth can indicate the state of past vegetation and potentially demonstrate the effects of different land uses on the soil profile. Here, we examined changes in soil propagule banks down the soil-depth profile in an Australian floodplain wetland with five different land-use histories, ranging from a, in this case, relatively minor disturbance (clearing) through to more major disturbance (continuous cultivation). Land use had a larger influence than floodplain geomorphology on the propagule distribution of wetland plant-group numbers. An observed decrease in individuals over the depth profile also altered terrestrial plant groups in fields with longer land-use histories. Overall, soil-propagule profiles for terrestrial plants were not as affected by land use as were those of wetland plants. The geomorphological position on the floodplain also altered the soil propagule bank, with areas subject to the most flooding having the highest number of wetland species and retaining more of these species with greater depths. In conclusion, land-use impacts alter soil-propagule banks down the profile, despite most studies focussing on the top few centimetres.

ACS Style

Samantha K. Dawson; Jane A. Catford; Peter Berney; Richard Kingsford; Samantha Capon. Land use alters soil propagule banks of wetlands down the soil-depth profile. Marine and Freshwater Research 2020, 71, 191 .

AMA Style

Samantha K. Dawson, Jane A. Catford, Peter Berney, Richard Kingsford, Samantha Capon. Land use alters soil propagule banks of wetlands down the soil-depth profile. Marine and Freshwater Research. 2020; 71 (2):191.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Samantha K. Dawson; Jane A. Catford; Peter Berney; Richard Kingsford; Samantha Capon. 2020. "Land use alters soil propagule banks of wetlands down the soil-depth profile." Marine and Freshwater Research 71, no. 2: 191.

Journal article
Published: 01 October 2019 in Global Ecology and Conservation
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ACS Style

Tahneal Hawke; Gilad Bino; Richard T. Kingsford. A silent demise: Historical insights into population changes of the iconic platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus). Global Ecology and Conservation 2019, 20, 1 .

AMA Style

Tahneal Hawke, Gilad Bino, Richard T. Kingsford. A silent demise: Historical insights into population changes of the iconic platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus). Global Ecology and Conservation. 2019; 20 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tahneal Hawke; Gilad Bino; Richard T. Kingsford. 2019. "A silent demise: Historical insights into population changes of the iconic platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)." Global Ecology and Conservation 20, no. : 1.

Preprint
Published: 01 July 2019
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Accurately estimating hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) numbers is difficult due to their aggressive nature, amphibious lifestyle, and habit of diving and surfacing. Traditionally, hippos are counted using aerial surveys and land/boat surveys. We compared estimates of numbers of hippos in a lagoon in the Okavango Delta, counted from land and video taken from a DJI Phantom 4™ drone, testing for effectiveness at three heights (40 m, 80 m, and 120 m) and four times of day (early morning, late morning, early afternoon, and late afternoon). In addition, we determined effectiveness for differentiating age classes (juvenile, subadult, and adult), based on visual assessment and measurements from drone images, at different times and heights. Estimates in the pool averaged 9.18 (± 0.25SE, range 1 – 14, n = 112 counts). Drone counts at 40 m produced the highest counts of hippos, 10.6% higher than land counts and drone counts at 80 m, and 17.6% higher than drone counts at 120 m. Fewer hippos were counted in the early morning, when the hippos were active and most likely submerged, compared to all other times of day, when they tended to rest in shallow water with their bodies exposed. We were able to assign age classes to similar numbers of hippos from land counts and counts at 40 m, although land counts were better at identifying juveniles and subadults. Early morning was the least effective time to age hippos given their active behaviour, increasingly problematic with increasing height. Use of a relatively low-cost drone provided a rigorous and repeatable method for estimating numbers and ages of hippos, but not in the early morning.

ACS Style

Victoria L. Inman; Richard T. Kingsford; Michael J. Chase; Keith E. A. Leggett. Drone-based effective counting and ageing of hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. 2019, 689059 .

AMA Style

Victoria L. Inman, Richard T. Kingsford, Michael J. Chase, Keith E. A. Leggett. Drone-based effective counting and ageing of hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. . 2019; ():689059.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Victoria L. Inman; Richard T. Kingsford; Michael J. Chase; Keith E. A. Leggett. 2019. "Drone-based effective counting and ageing of hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) in the Okavango Delta in Botswana." , no. : 689059.

Research article
Published: 17 June 2019 in Landscape Ecology
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Urbanization fragments and destroys natural landscapes, generally decreasing bird diversity. While in some cases bird diversity continuously decreases in response to urbanization, in others a non-linear response is evident, with peak bird diversity observed at intermediate levels of urbanization. But many studies previously investigating this pattern are spatially or temporally constrained. In this study, we analyzed the impacts of urbanization on bird diversity, stratified to native and exotic species. We specifically investigated the differences in bird diversity between natural and urban green areas. We used eBird citizen science data (> 4,000,000 bird-survey lists) and remotely-sensed landcover data, throughout the contiguous United States of America. We found a non-linear response to urbanization for both species richness and Shannon diversity. There was distinctly greater bird richness and Shannon diversity in urban green areas compared to natural green areas. Our observed response is likely explained by an increase in habitat heterogeneity of urban green areas compared with natural green areas. Our work highlights the importance of diverse urban green areas for supporting bird diversity in urban areas. We recommend that urban planning should focus on maintaining high habitat heterogeneity in urban green areas to promote greater bird diversity.

ACS Style

Corey T. Callaghan; Gilad Bino; Richard E. Major; John Martin; Mitchell B. Lyons; Richard Kingsford. Heterogeneous urban green areas are bird diversity hotspots: insights using continental-scale citizen science data. Landscape Ecology 2019, 34, 1231 -1246.

AMA Style

Corey T. Callaghan, Gilad Bino, Richard E. Major, John Martin, Mitchell B. Lyons, Richard Kingsford. Heterogeneous urban green areas are bird diversity hotspots: insights using continental-scale citizen science data. Landscape Ecology. 2019; 34 (6):1231-1246.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Corey T. Callaghan; Gilad Bino; Richard E. Major; John Martin; Mitchell B. Lyons; Richard Kingsford. 2019. "Heterogeneous urban green areas are bird diversity hotspots: insights using continental-scale citizen science data." Landscape Ecology 34, no. 6: 1231-1246.

Original paper
Published: 03 June 2019 in Biodiversity and Conservation
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In ecosystems, some organisms facilitate others indirectly, by interacting with one or more common mediator organisms. Thus, the indirect effects of introducing or removing species can be resonant, sometimes leading to successional extinctions. The dingo (Canis dingo) is the apex predator in Australian deserts and was introduced to the continent between 3000 and 5000 years ago. Dingoes suppress the abundances of introduced mesopredators, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus) and in so doing mitigate small mammal declines wreaked by these mesopredators. Given the positive association between the abundances of dingoes and small mammals, we predicted that dingoes indirectly facilitate a specialised native predator of small mammals, the Barn owl, Tyto alba. We tested our prediction by monitoring the abundances of dingoes, foxes, cats, small mammals and barn owls and investigating barn owl diets in areas where dingoes were common versus areas where dingoes were functionally extinct on either side of the dingo barrier fence (DBF) in the Strzelecki Desert. Foxes and cats were less abundant in areas where dingoes were common. Conversely, small mammals and barn owls were more abundant where dingoes were common. Owls in areas where dingoes were common fed almost exclusively on small mammals, but owls in areas where dingoes were functionally extinct fed on greater proportion of birds and invertebrates. The findings of our study provide evidence that an introduced apex predator may indirectly facilitate a native predator and illustrates the myriad of far-reaching indirect effects that can result from apex predator suppression.

ACS Style

James D. Rees; Glenyss L. Rees; Richard Kingsford; Mike Letnic. Indirect commensalism between an introduced apex predator and a native avian predator. Biodiversity and Conservation 2019, 28, 2687 -2700.

AMA Style

James D. Rees, Glenyss L. Rees, Richard Kingsford, Mike Letnic. Indirect commensalism between an introduced apex predator and a native avian predator. Biodiversity and Conservation. 2019; 28 (10):2687-2700.

Chicago/Turabian Style

James D. Rees; Glenyss L. Rees; Richard Kingsford; Mike Letnic. 2019. "Indirect commensalism between an introduced apex predator and a native avian predator." Biodiversity and Conservation 28, no. 10: 2687-2700.

Journal article
Published: 20 May 2019 in Biological Conservation
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Many seabird communities are declining around the world, a trend frequently linked to climate change and human impacts on habitat and prey. Time series observations of seabirds away from breeding colonies are generally rare, which limits our understanding of long-term changes for conservation actions. We analysed a dedicated citizen science dataset of pelagic seabird abundance (86 species – 30 used for modelling analysis - from 385 trips) from two locations over 17 years (2000–2016) and a third for seven years, over the continental shelf and slope of south-eastern Australia. To estimate temporal trends and environmental drivers, we used generalised additive modelling and species archetype modelling for groups. Almost half (43%) of the most abundant seabird species declined in our study area over the 17 years. The declines may be associated with human-induced ecosystem change and represent poleward shifts in distribution out of our study area, changes in population abundance, or both. Winter-dominant groups, primarily species rarely frequenting warmer water, were often negatively associated with SSTanom, while summer-dominant groups, composed of species more tolerant of temperate and tropical environments, were generally positively associated with SSTanom. Widespread local declines in seabird populations are of increasing concern. Understanding the extent to which these observed declines represent real declines in abundance, or range shifts, should be a priority. Changing sea temperatures are probably contributing to both. These results from the coast of south-eastern Australia need to be placed in the context of the highly mobile study organisms and the vast spatial scale of the ocean. Long-term citizen science observations, from an array of locations around the world, promise to provide valuable insights into seabird ecology, playing a key part in seabird conservation.

ACS Style

Simon Gorta; James A. Smith; Jason D. Everett; Richard Kingsford; William K. Cornwell; Iain M. Suthers; Hal Epstein; Roger McGovern; Greg McLachlan; Mick Roderick; Lindsay Smith; Dan Williams; Corey T. Callaghan. Pelagic citizen science data reveal declines of seabirds off south-eastern Australia. Biological Conservation 2019, 235, 226 -235.

AMA Style

Simon Gorta, James A. Smith, Jason D. Everett, Richard Kingsford, William K. Cornwell, Iain M. Suthers, Hal Epstein, Roger McGovern, Greg McLachlan, Mick Roderick, Lindsay Smith, Dan Williams, Corey T. Callaghan. Pelagic citizen science data reveal declines of seabirds off south-eastern Australia. Biological Conservation. 2019; 235 ():226-235.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Simon Gorta; James A. Smith; Jason D. Everett; Richard Kingsford; William K. Cornwell; Iain M. Suthers; Hal Epstein; Roger McGovern; Greg McLachlan; Mick Roderick; Lindsay Smith; Dan Williams; Corey T. Callaghan. 2019. "Pelagic citizen science data reveal declines of seabirds off south-eastern Australia." Biological Conservation 235, no. : 226-235.

Notes
Published: 19 May 2019 in Journal of Ecotourism
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Biodiversity values need to be appropriately quantified and thence incorporated in future land development decisions. We assessed the economic and conservation-fundraising potential of vagrant Aleutian Terns in New South Wales, Australia. We found that an estimated 375–581 birdwatchers travelled far (580 ± 522 km [mean ± SD]) and reacted quickly (22% of visits were within the first week and 47% within the first two weeks) to see Aleutian Terns in an area where they had never been seen. We estimated that the total expenditure of these birdwatchers ranged from ∼ $199,000–$363,000 AUD and we further estimated that birdwatchers would have been cumulatively willing to donate upwards of $30,000 AUD to a non-governmental conservation organisation in order to have viewed the terns. These results suggest that birdwatchers highly value vagrant birdwatching and conservation campaign potential should be explored in future long-staying vagrant bird occurrences.

ACS Style

Corey T. Callaghan; Ian Benson; Richard E. Major; John Martin; Thomas Longden; Richard T. Kingsford. Birds are valuable: the case of vagrants. Journal of Ecotourism 2019, 19, 82 -92.

AMA Style

Corey T. Callaghan, Ian Benson, Richard E. Major, John Martin, Thomas Longden, Richard T. Kingsford. Birds are valuable: the case of vagrants. Journal of Ecotourism. 2019; 19 (1):82-92.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Corey T. Callaghan; Ian Benson; Richard E. Major; John Martin; Thomas Longden; Richard T. Kingsford. 2019. "Birds are valuable: the case of vagrants." Journal of Ecotourism 19, no. 1: 82-92.