Comparison of two techniques to survey macropod abundance in an ecologically sensitive habitat

THERE are many techniques available to measure the abundance of animal populations (e.g., Caughley 1977; Caughley and Grigg 1981; Southwell 1989; McCallum 2000; Buckland et al. 2001). A key point emphasised by each of these authors is that when choosing the most appropriate method(s) for measuring the abundance of animal populations, the manager or researcher must consider the ecological question(s) being asked. This in turn will determine what technique(s) will be most appropriate, what data are likely to be collected for analysis, and how these data will address the ecological question being asked. For the larger macropods, particularly Macropus spp., many of the techniques used to measure the abundance, and associated issues, have been reviewed (see Southwell 1989). Despite this, the applicability of these techniques has rarely been compared, particularly with respect to the observed variability in temporal counts