Camera traps are widely used in wildlife research and monitoring, so it is imperative to understand their strengths, limitations, and potential for increasing impact. We investigated a decade of use of wildlife cameras (2012–2022) with a case study on Australian terrestrial vertebrates using a multifaceted approach. We (i) synthesised information from a literature review; (ii) conducted an online questionnaire of 132 professionals; (iii) hosted an in‐person workshop of 28 leading experts representing academia, non‐governmental organisations (NGOs), and government; and (iv) mapped camera trap usage based on all sources. We predicted that the last decade would have shown: (i) exponentially increasing sampling effort, a continuation of camera usage trends up to 2012; (ii) analytics to have shifted from naive presence/absence and capture rates towards hierarchical modelling that accounts for imperfect detection, thereby improving the quality of outputs and inferences on occupancy, abundance, and density; and (iii) broader research scales in terms of multi‐species, multi‐site and multi‐year studies. However, the results showed that the sampling effort has reached a plateau, with publication rates increasing only modestly. Users reported reaching a saturation point in terms of images that could be processed by humans and time for complex analyses and academic writing. There were strong taxonomic and geographic biases towards medium–large mammals (>500 g) in forests along Australia's southeastern coastlines, reflecting proximity to major cities. Regarding analytical choices, bias‐prone indices still accounted for ~50% of outputs and this was consistent across user groups. Multi‐species, multi‐site and multiple‐year studies were rare, largely driven by hesitancy around collaboration and data sharing. There is no widely used repository for wildlife camera images and the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) is the dominant repository for sharing tabular occurrence records. However, the ALA is presence‐only and thus is unsuitable for creating detection histories with absences, inhibiting hierarchical modelling. Workshop discussions identified a pressing need for collaboration to enhance the efficiency, quality and scale of research and management outcomes, leading to the proposal of a Wildlife Observatory of Australia (WildObs). To encourage data standards and sharing, WildObs should (i) promote a metadata collection app; (ii) create a tagged image repository to facilitate artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) computer vision research in this space; (iii) address the image identification bottleneck via the use of AI/ML‐powered image‐processing platforms; (iv) create data commons for detection histories that are suitable for hierarchical modelling; and (v) provide capacity building and tools for hierarchical modelling. Our review highlights that while Australia's investments in monitoring biodiversity with cameras position it to be a global leader in this context, realising that potential requires a paradigm shift towards best practices for collecting, curating, sharing and analysing ‘Big Data’. Our findings and framework have broad applicability outside Australia to enhance camera usage to meet conservation and management objectives ranging from local to global scales. This review articulates a country/continental observatory approach that is also suitable for international collaborative wildlife research networks.

Our study aimed to investigate seasonal variation in the activity of arboreal and semi-arboreal mammals and investigate their overlap in temporal activity, as well temporal shifts in activity because of behavioural interference. In our camera trapping study in a fragmented landscape in south-eastern Australia, a total of ten arboreal and semi-arboreal species were found, with 35,671 independent observations recorded over 6517 camera trap nights. All species were found to be nocturnal; however, a notable number of daytime observations were made for several species (i.e. brown antechinus,Antechinus stuartii; sugar glider,Petaurus breviceps; bush rat,Rattus fuscipes; brown rat,Rattus norvegicus). Seasonal variations in diel activity were observed through an increase in crepuscular activity in spring and summer for antechinus, sugar gliders, brown rats,brushtail possums,Trichosurus vulpeculaand ringtail possums,Pseudocheirus peregrinus.Diel activity overlap between species was high, that is 26/28 species comparisons had overlap coefficients (Δ) > 0.75. The species pair with the least amount of overlap was between southern bobucks,Trichosurus cunninghamiand brown antechinus (Δ4 = 0.66). The species pair with the most overlap was between the native sugar glider and introduced brown rat (Δ4 = 0.93). When comparing the activity of sugar gliders in sites with low and high abundance of brown rats, sugar gliders appear to shift their activity relative to the brown rats. Similarly, behavioural interference was also observed between antechinus and sugar gliders, and when comparing sites of low and high abundance of sugar glider, antechinus had a shift in activity. Our work provides some of the first quantification of temporal patterns for several of the species in this study, and the first for a community of arboreal and semi-arboreal mammals. Our results indicate that some shifts in behaviour are potentially occurring in response to behavioural interference, allowing for coexistence by means of temporal partitioning.

Camera trapping to study wildlife allows for data collection, without the need to capture animals. Traditionally, camera traps have been used to target larger terrestrial mammal species, though recently novel methods and adjustments in procedures have meant camera traps can be used to study small mammals. The selfie trap (a camera trapping method) may present robust sampling and ecological study of small mammals. This study aimed to evaluate the selfie trap method in terms of its ability to detect species and estimate population density. To address this aim, standard small mammal live trapping was undertaken, immediately followed by camera trapping using the selfie trap. Both methods were set to target the arboreal sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) and semi-arboreal brown antechinus (Antechinus stuartii). The more ground-dwelling bush rat (Rattus fuscipes) was also live trapped and recorded on camera. Across four survey areas, the probability of detection for each of the three species was higher for selfie traps than for live trapping. Spatially explicit capture-recapture models showed that selfie traps were superior at estimating density for brown antechinus and sugar gliders, when compared to simulated live trapping data. Hit rates (number of videos per various time intervals) were correlated with abundance. When correlating various hit rate intervals with abundance, the use of 10-min hit rate was best for predicting sugar glider abundance (R² = 0.94). The abundance of brown antechinus was estimated from selfie traps using a 24-h hit rate as a predictor (R² = 0.85). For sugar gliders, the selfie trap can replace live trapping as individuals can be identified through their unique facial stripes and natural ear scars, and thus used in capture-recapture analysis. This method may be useful for monitoring the abundance of other small mammal species that can also be individually recognized from photographs.

Context: In highly fragmented landscapes, arboreal mammals are limited by their ability to move and disperse between core habitats. Connectivity modelling for multiple species allows scientists to identify the most efficient movement and/or dispersal pathway(s) to prioritise for conservation efforts. Objectives: In this study, we evaluated the most cost-effective corridor pathway for eight species of arboreal mammals, with particular emphasis on an endangered population of greater gliders (Petauroides volans). Methods: We use species distribution modelling and circuit theory to calculate connectivity in the landscape for each species. An all-species corridor was then modelled using a least cost path analysis. The final corridor was evaluated for all species through ground-truthing accessible segments. Results: We identified that some segments of the corridor had low suitability for highly specialised species, and those with tree hollow requirements for denning. The all-species corridor also utilised an artificial crossing structure over a highway, and monitoring of this rope bridge found only two species (sugar gliders; Petaurus breviceps and ringtail possums; Pseudocheirus peregrinus) used the structure on occasion. Thus, the modelled corridor pathway was not suitable for all species, rather it was found to be more suitable for generalist species such as sugar gliders, ringtail possums, brown antechinus; Antechinus stuartii and brushtail possums; Trichosurus vulpecula. Conclusions: Our study exemplifies the importance of ground-truthing in connectivity conservation studies to ensure conservation outcomes are realised. Furthermore, we provide detailed recommendations for relevant conservation managers, to improve the usage of these existing habitat corridors by arboreal species.

Context: Fire severity and frequency is predicted to increase over the remainder of the 21st century in Australia’s temperate forests; therefore, the effects of fire severity on forest-dependant species is of major conservation concern. Aims: Determining the short-term (<1 year) effect of fire severity on a forest-dependant species, the greater glider, Petauroides volans, in Monga National Park, south-eastern New South Wales. Methods: Three fire-severity classes were investigated, namely, low (canopy unburnt), moderate (partial canopy burn) and high (complete canopy consumption). Fifteen randomly allocated sites were visited in total, with five sites in each fire-severity class being visited on three separate occasions. Spotlighting of two off-track transects per site was completed over a 4-week period by using multi-covariate distance sampling (MCDS) to estimate greater glider densities at each fire-severity class. Key results: An overall mean greater glider density estimate of 0.456 ha−1 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.256–0.654 ha−1) was calculated across all sites in Monga National Park. Density estimates varied among fire-severity classes; low 0.779 ha−1 (95% CI 0.358–1.692 ha−1), moderate 0.472 ha−1 (95% CI 0.262–0.848 ha−1), and high 0.077 ha−1 (95% CI 0.0142–0.414 ha−1). Conclusions: Distance sampling estimates suggested that areas affected by high-severity fire have lower densities of greater gliders. Implications: The importance of areas experiencing low fire severity as a source of greater glider refugia during wildfire events is evident. Under a changing climate, frequent major wildfire events may significantly affect population viability of greater gliders if insufficient time between fires allow for population recovery.