Watarrka Waterhole Wildlife by Jennifer A. Davis, Feodora Kojevnikov, James Friend

About At a time when the world is facing multiple and major environmental threats, including global warming and biodiversity loss, it is heartening to know that there are still some places where ecosystems, and the plants and animals they support, remain largely intact. Watarrka National Park in central Australia is one of these places. This book contains images from camera traps placed at four waterholes, ranging from always flowing (a perennial spring) to rarely flowing (a stream high on the Watarrka escarpment). These cameras have been continuously recording the animals that come to drink, bathe and capture prey at these waterholes since 2014. The information provided in these images contributes to a long-term research project investigating how terrestrial vertebrates use waterholes in arid regions, and how they may be affected as temperatures rise under a warming climate. The cameras have also produced information that supports Park management. Rare species, such as the black-footed rock wallaby, have been detected, in addition to feral species such as foxes and cats. Camera traps have many uses and in remote regions they will continue to be invaluable for assessing the success of biodiversity and wildlife conservation programs. The images in this book provide snapshots of animals and their behaviours that we rarely get to see by any other means.