3

The extent and adequacy of

monitoring for Australian threatened

mammal species

John C.Z. Woinarski, Andrew A. Burbidge and Peter L. Harrison

Summary

This chapter assesses monitoring activity for Australian mammal taxa of
conservation concern. This assessment largely focuses on 167 Australian terrestrial
mammals, but also notes brief ly the status of monitoring for marine mammals of
conservation concern. Information about monitoring programs and their results
was difficult to access. No monitoring activity could be located for 21% of the
terrestrial mammal taxa, and largely inadequate monitoring for most others. Most
monitoring programs were suboptimal in their consideration of demographic
parameters, data availability and reporting, coordination, management linkages,
coverage and design quality. Monitoring was poorer for bats than for other
terrestrial mammals, better for species that are listed as threatened under the
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 than for unlisted
species, and better for species with recovery plans than for those without plans.