Biodiversity at Tumbi Wetlands Bushcare

Replanting bushland is an attempt to restore the environment to its original condition.
However so many components of the original environment are now missing
that it is not possible to know if you have really improved biodiversity.
Some method of evaluation of the work is necessary if you are to find out.
Professional evaluation is prohibitively expensive, yet it is a complex task for volunteers.
Now there is a new way. At Tumbi Wetlands Bushcare we plan to use the BugWise system advertised for schools by the scientific staff of the Australian Museum, Sydney.

We will report findings here, on this website, an we hope you will appreciate and try out this important area of volunteer evaluation of biodiversity.

Findings of research at Tumbi Wetlands

using the Web2Spider Biodiversity Monitoring tool

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Date	Survey description	Description	Transect 1	Transect 2
30-10-2007	Preliminary survey before Crofton weed was removed	Total number of webs	25	14
		Number of web types	7	4
		Average number of webs	19.5
		Average number of web types	5.5
10-04-2008	Crofton weed was removed and replanting of transplanted tube stock commenced	Total number of webs	31	11
		Number of web types	6	5
		Average number of webs	21
		Average number of web types	5.5
17-10-2008	6 months after replanting of transplanted tube stock completed	Total number of webs	41	28
		Number of web types	8	6
		Average number of webs	34.5
		Average number of web types	7
10-04-2009	12 months after replanting of transplanted tube stock completed	Total number of webs	38	37
		Number of web types	7	11
		Average number of webs	37.5
		Average number of web types	9

Another survey may be made in October 2009 and if so, the results will be listed when available.

In the transect area the plant growth is making parts inaccessible.

Watch for changes in the average numbers of both webs and web types;
e.g. between 10-04-2008 and 17-10-2008 the average number of webs has increased markedly
but the average number of webs has not changed very much.
We are looking to see if biodiversity increases as the plant community grows after the removal of the Crofton weed.

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Updated on ... April 10, 2009