Implementing integrated measurements of Essential Biodiversity Variables at a national scale

Abstract

1. There is a global need for observation systems that deliver regular, timely data on state and trends in biodiversity, but few have been implemented, and fewer still at national scales. We describe the implementation of measurement of Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) on an 8 km × 8 km grid throughout New Zealand, with multiple components of biodiversity (vegetation, birds, and some introduced mammals) measured simultaneously at each sample point. 2. Between 2011 and 2017, all public land was sampled nationally (ca. 1,350 points) and some private land (ca. 500 points). Synthetic appraisals of the state of New Zealand's biodiversity, not possible previously, can be derived from the first measurement of species distribution, population abundance, and taxonomic diversity EBVs. 3. Native bird counts (all species combined) were about 2.5 times greater per sample point in natural forests and shrublands than in non-woody ecosystems, and native bird counts exceeded those of non-native birds across all natural forests and shrublands. 4. Non-native plants, birds, and mammals are invasive throughout, but high-rainfall forested regions are least invaded, and historically deforested rain shadow regions are most invaded. 5. National reporting of terrestrial biodiversity across New Zealand's public land is established and becoming normalised, in the same manner as national and international reporting of human health and education statistics. The challenge is extending coverage across all private land. Repeated measurements of these EBVs, which began in 2017, will allow defensible estimates of biodiversity trends. K E Y W O R D S biological invasions, grid-based sampling, non-native birds, state and trend monitoring, systematic biodiversity assessment This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Occupancy and relative abundances of introduced ungulates on New Zealand’s public conservation land 2012–2018

“…Vegetation, native and non-native birds, and other nonnative mammals, including brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) and lagomorphs, are also being monitored at the 1346 sites on PCL (Bellingham et al 2020). The ungulate occupancy and abundance data reported here can be used to test hypotheses about interactions between ungulates and these other EBVs (see Fig.…”

“…The ungulate occupancy and abundance data reported here can be used to test hypotheses about interactions between ungulates and these other EBVs (see Fig. 1 in Bellingham et al 2020).…”

“…Finally, extending the monitoring programme reported here to all non-public conservation land (which is the majority of New Zealand) would enable unbiased national (i.e. all of New Zealand) reporting of ungulate status and trend (Bellingham et al 2020). There are different challenges in sampling private land on an 8 km grid, significant ones being obtaining permissions from landholders and the potential presence of domestic ungulates.…”

Ecological importance of the Myrtaceae in New Zealand's natural forests

“…Vegetation inventory data were sourced from the Land Use and Carbon Analysis System and the National Biodiversity Monitoring and Reporting System, which monitor natural vegetation systematically across NZ using 20 m × 20 m permanent plots, located on intersections of an 8‐km grid superimposed on land mapped as forests and shrublands throughout NZ’s main islands (34–47° S, 166–178° E), excluding subtropical and subantarctic islands (Allen et al, 2003; Wiser et al, 2011; Bellingham et al, 2020). We used data from the most recent inventory collected from 2009 to 2014.…”

Environmental gradients modify biotic interactions among tree species in temperate rain forest

“…Our forest inventory data originated from the Land Use and Carbon Analysis System (LUCAS) that monitors carbon stocks in New Zealand's indigenous forests. Established between 2002 and 2007, LUCAS consists of 1,040 20 × 20 m 2 permanent plots that are spaced at intersections of an 8 × 8 km 2 grid representing the extent of the country's pre-1990 natural forests and shrublands (for detailed field methodology see Allen et al 2003;Bellingham et al 2020) (Fig. S1).…”