Resources Information Standards Committee

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Table of Contents

CIP

Preface

Acknowledgments

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Species Inventory and Biodiversity Conservation

1.2 The Resources Inventory Committee

2. SURVEY DESIGN

2.1 Level of Intensity


2.1.1 Presence/not detected (possible)
2.1.2 Relative abundance
2.1.3 Absolute abundance
2.1.4 General considerations

2.2 Standard Survey Design Hierarchy


2.2.1 Project
2.2.2 Survey
2.2.3 Study Area
2.2.4 Design Components
2.2.5 Observations

2.3 Sampling Design


2.3.1 Simple random sampling
2.3.2 Systematic sampling
2.3.3 Stratified sampling

2.4 Accuracy and Precision


2.4.1 Variability
2.4.2 Bias

2.5 Sampling Effort

2.6 Considerations for Identified Wildlife


2.6.1 Finding habitat features
2.6.2 Optimizing effort

3. PROJECT MANAGEMENT

3.1 Collating Resources


3.1.1 Information
3.1.2 Equipment

3.2 Personnel


3.2.1 Project Manager
3.2.2 Crew Leader
3.2.3 Field Technician
3.2.4 Specialized RIC training
3.2.5 Final preparations for field staff

3.3 Data Management


3.3.1 Dataforms
3.3.2 Data storage

3.4 Reporting

4. HABITAT DESCRIPTION & CLASSIFICATION

4.1 Habitat Capability and Suitability Models in British Columbia

4.2 Standard Habitat Attributes


4.2.1 Minimum Requirements
4.2.2 How to Apply the Requirements
4.2.3 Specialized Habitat Description

4.3 Habitat Use and Selection

4.4 Making Habitat Inferences from Species Inventory

4.5 Habitat Stratification

5. DATA ANALYSIS

5.1 Hypothesis Testing

5.2 Presence/Not detected (possible)


5.2.1 Limitations of a presence/not detected survey
5.2.2 Cluster sampling
5.2.3 Sample size for multi-species surveys in a particular habitat type
5.2.4 Sample sizes for individual species surveys

5.3 Relative Abundance


5.3.1 Distributions of count data
5.3.2 Comparisons between populations
5.3.3 Analysis of trend data

5.4 Absolute Abundance


5.4.1 Distance methods
5.4.2 Mark-recapture methods
5.4.3 Mark-resight methods

Glossary

Literature Cited

APPENDICES

Appendix A. List of Acronyms.

Appendix B. Format for Species Inventory Project Final Report.

Appendix C. Sample RIC Survey Design Hierarchy Diagrams.

Appendix D. Sample Habitat Form, Attribute Definitions, and References

Appendix E. Required Habitat Attributes by Taxon Group and Design Component.

Appendix F. Current Listing of Broad Ecosystem Units for British Columbia (Spring 1998).

Appendix G. Review of current software for population analysis by J. Boulanger and Dr. C. Krebs (January 1998).

List of Tables

Table 1. Manuals in the Components of British Columbia’s Biodiversity (CBCB) Series.

Table 2. Absolute abundance survey methods.

Table 3. Examples of questions that can be addressed at each level of inventory intensity.

Table 4. Some of the dataforms used for RIC Species Inventory Projects (not including ecosystem/habitat description forms).

Table 5.Suites of standard habitat attributes used in species inventory.

Table 6. Common distributions of count data.

Table 7. Regression models for trend analysis.

Table 8. Sources for sample size calculation.

List of Figures

Figure 1. Diagram showing how to use RIC forms. "Key" on left depicts general rules for form use. Diagram in center shows example with three surveys. Notes on right tell where to get each form.

Figure 2. Probabilities of detection as a function of mean abundance with a constant negative binomial dispersion factor, k = 1.

Figure 3. Probabilities of detection as a function of negative binomial dispersion factor (k) for data of mean = 0.25.

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Copyright © 1998 Province of British Columbia

Published by the Resources Inventory Committee