Grant Palmer (on left) leading autumn bird survey in 2024.
Bird survey monitoring has taken place for 14 years. Bird species richness and abundance act as indicators of whether or not biodiversity is increasing as a result of the biorich plantation. Ornithologists Grant Palmer and Tanya Loos have led over 50 surveys on a seasonal basis, following a transect developed in association with BirdLife Australia. Birds have been observed foraging among the plantation species since June 2013, with a record number of 46 species observed in the spring survey of 2020.
Student visits – Melbourne University's Forest Systems course and Federation University' Landscape Restoration and Mine Rehabilitation course continue to visit the biorich site annually. Both comment on its uniqueness as plantation model that puts habitat creation front and centre, rather than pursuing human-centred economic objectives. Federation University students monitored plant growth and mortality for a number of years.
Student visits – Melbourne University's Forest Systems course and Federation University' Landscape Restoration and Mine Rehabilitation course continue to visit the biorich site annually. Both comment on its uniqueness as plantation model that puts habitat creation front and centre, rather than pursuing human-centred economic objectives. Federation University students monitored plant growth and mortality for a number of years.
- Visit the Bird surveys and Plot Monitoring pages to find out more about techniques applied and why monitoring is important as a benchmark for measuring success (or failure) and enabling adaptation.