Use of artificial habitat in herpetofauna (reptile and amphibian) monitoring

Wildlife conservation managers need effective survey methods to be able to detect and understand species population trends over time. Common methods of surveying both ground based and arboreal herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians) include active searches and checking around and under artificially placed habitat, such as railway sleepers, corrugated iron and roofing tiles. This research tested and compared herpetofauna detection rates from active searches with the detection rates at common types of terrestrial artificial habitat and at novel arboreal artificial habitat across the Endangered box gum grassy woodlands of temperate south-eastern Australia.