Modelling vegetation structure-based bird habitat resources in Australian temperate woodlands, using multi-sensors

The Great Western Woodlands in S.W. Australia is the largest remaining expanse of temperate woodland on the continent and globally, providing habitat for a significance number of bird species. Conservation planning needs information about bird distributions and habitat resource requirements. Using published information, bird habitat functional groups were identified based upon species that use similar vegetation-based resources. Data from four satellite-borne sensors were analysed to model the distribution of a subset of the key vegetation variables. These results were then used to predict the potential distribution of the functional groups. Field validation suggests ongoing advances in satellite data will enhance the model’s accuracy.