ABS NCA flying-fox monitoring

Here, we describe the analyses conducted on the results of the Australasian Bat Society's (ABS) flying-fox surveys at Commonwealth Park in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), on behalf of the National Capital Authority (NCA).

Background

Australian flying-foxes (Pteropus spp., also known as fruit bats) are the largest flying mammals, and their energy for flight is reliant upon the sugar-rich nectar of native hardwoods, many native seed-heavy fruits and berries, and more recently, introduced species of fruits found in urban backyards and orchards. It is the unique combination of their diet and mobility that makes them keystone species - they serve an ecologically significant role as seed dispersers and pollinators. However their effectiveness is reliant on large populations; so they may cease to function as dispersers long before they become rare.

Due to substantial decreases in their national populations, the grey-headed flying-fox (GHFF) (Pteropus poliocephalus) is listed as vulnerable under the Australian EPBC Act 1999, and the little red flying-fox (LRFF) (Pteropus scapulatus) is considered stable. For the GHFFs, the national legislation affords threatened species protections and safeguards to prevent a decline in their population.

Commonwealth Park has been occupied by flying-foxes seasonally every year since 2003, and the ABS has been surveying the camp since then. In 2012, the ABS entered into an agreement with the NCA to monitor this camp. Since 2013 the ABS has also been providing quarterly census survey data to the ACT and Commonwealth Governments as part of the National Flying-fox Monitoring Program. The survey methodology is consistent with the CSIRO Commonwealth Flying-fox census method.

Repository structure

This repository follows an organised structure for clarity and reproducibility:

Folders

• input folder: contains datasets required for analyses (e.g., raw data tables, geospatial data files, etc.).
• output folder: contains datasets generated from these analyses (e.g., processed data tables, maps, plots, etc.).

Project files

• .gitattributes: manages repository-specific configurations.
• .gitignore: specifies intentionally untracked files to be ignored by Git (e.g., large files or sensitive information).
• analyses.Rmd: R markdown containing the workflow for the project's analyses, including narrative text, code, and results.
• project.Rproj: RStudio Project file for managing the R environment to ensure consistent working directories and settings.
• README.md: provides an overview of the repository and instructions for usage (i.e., what you're reading right now).
• tutorial.html: rendered HTML output of the analyses.Rmd markdown, serving as a shareable tutorial that summarises the project's analyses and results.