<
https://theconversation.com/reading-desert-sands-indigenous-wildlife-tracking-skills-underpin-vast-monitoring-project-238978>
"As animals move across the desert, they leave tracks, diggings and droppings.
For skilled trackers, reading these signs is like watching a movie. A story of
who was there and what they were doing unfolds in front of them.
In this way, many Indigenous Australians know where the goannas (jalangardi in
Yawuru) are fat and abundant, when bilby (jitartu in Karajarri) burrows are
occupied, and whether the bush turkeys (parrkara in Karajarri) have arrived to
take advantage of a freshly burnt patch.
For many years, scientists have been working with Indigenous people in the
desert to record these observations in a systematic way. Taking a standard
approach enables comparisons between data from different people, times and
places, so trends can be detected.
Our new research collates almost 49,000 animal detections during 15,000 surveys
at more than 5,300 sites, since 1982. This unique data set reveals new
information about desert species. Monitoring animal numbers, locations and
responses to environmental change is vital for guiding efforts to support their
survival."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
