Metrics of interest
The focus groups were generally interested in similar types of bird data, but different levels of detail.
The word cloud (below) summarises the various terms used in the discussions on preferred bird monitoring measures.
| Word cloud summary of occurrence of terms used in the focus group discussions of bird monitoring measures or indicators. |
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Presence/Absence
The most common information required by our focus group participants is the presence or absence of particular species in specific locations, environments, districts or even regions. Related terms used by focus group participants included “sightings “ and “occupancy”.
Counts (population)
Almost as equally important to our stakeholders is the need for indicators of bird populations i.e., counts and numbers of individual birds observed in a particular spatial unit or environment. People also referred to ‘abundance’, and bird censii (i.e. total counts).
Some of those with a professional or enthusiast interest in birds and conservation also wanted to be able to access more detail, for example, numbers of male and females for the observed species, the number of nests and chicks, and flock sizes.
Trends and distributions
Both trends and distributions of particular bird species were important to our focus group participants, especially those with a professional interest in land and resource management, conservation, biosecurity, and programme and policy evaluation and reporting. Both of these measures are derived from the previous two.
Trends refer to the differences between presence/absence recordings or counts of the species of interest made at different times in a specific geographical area.
Distribution is primarily about the geographical extent of the occurrence of the species of interest.
Other metrics
Iwi participants also noted that Maori had particular information needs around birds, such as the condition or health of traditional game bird species such as kereru, weka, titi and other species.