Australian Avian Communities Through Time (AACTT)
A joint ABSA, ABBBS and Macquarie University project
What effect will climate change have on avian populations within Australia?
To gauge this, data on avian populations in a variety of habitats across Australia now and historically are needed. Knowledge of what fluctuations have occurred previously is essential so that changes due to climate change can be recognised.
Many members of the Australian Bird Study Association (ABSA) and banders registered with the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Schemes (ABBBS) have for decades been collecting and storing data on avian populations, so these data are already available but not in a format that is readily accessible. To date very few systematic publications on these data have been presented in the scientific literature. This project aims to publish banding data from banding studies in a standardised format so that the composition of avian populations within Australia can be viewed over time.
Researchers at Macquarie University will then analyse these data, across a wide range of habitats, looking for both small and large-scale changes and trends. This will allow predictions to be developed, which in turn can be utilised to plan suitable programs and strategies of action.
It is our hope and wish, that all banders will become involved in this very worthwhile and essential initiative. To aid with the publication of data, ABSA has compiled a standardised report format allowing banding data to be readily presented in such a way that it doesn’t necessarily involve sophisticated analyses or an extensive literature search.
The Report will be in two parts:
- An abridged version of the findings of the study will appear in Corella. This will be listed under the name of the site and a number – a similar format to that used for our Seabird Island Series
- The report, itself, will be published on-line at www.absa.asn.au. This will enable reproduction of large tables and bird lists, which would be impossible to include in Corella due to their size
AACTT format guidelines can be obtained by clicking this link.