https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/7814
By Grant Palmer
CSIRO
ISBN: 9781486308989
AUD$49.99
The Great Ocean Road, the Otway Ranges and the Great Otway National Park are among the most visited tourist attractions in Australia, and are within a day’s travel, south west of Melbourne. As a guide to the vertebrate wildlife of this region, this book is a valuable resource for any traveller to the area. The first 3 chapters provide a good general introduction to the wildlife of the area, their habitats, and conservation and management arrangements for the different wildlife, vegetation and landforms. Chapter 5 provides information to access and observe or encounter wildlife at 14 key viewing locations. Each location includes a description of the location, directions for finding the location, facilities available, what to do , including walks, key habitat species and wildlife that can most commonly be encountered.
The greatest part of the book (Chapter 4, 158 pages) presents in the form of half page descriptions, a location map and colour photograph of each of the 288 species which may be encountered in the area. Each species is described, along with the distribution/range and status of populations, the specifics of habitat/s where they occur, and their ecology and specific locations where they have been recorded. There are many references to the rich biodiversity of the region throughout the book, which reflects the unique place this area has in country’s National Park and tourist setting. The book also provides a checklist of all species included, where the reader can record observations they make. In addition there is a good bibliography for additional resources, and web addresses for various databases where sightings can be reported to government agencies and scientific groups. The distribution maps are small for each species, but adequate to allow the reader to assess their likelihood of encountering them. There is a section in Chapter 4 which also includes introduced species, as some of these may be the most commonly encountered. Overall, the book is well presented, written, edited and bound, particularly given that it is a field guide, which will find lots of use out on walks. Species which will be most commonly encountered are highlighted in the viewing locations section, which should make it a good resource for ecologists, citizen scientists, through to a broad range of tourists. I found the conservation focus very good, and is essential for such a highly visited tourist area.
As a field guide, I would recommend it for anybody planning to visit the Otways and Shipwreck Coast.
Reviewed by Russell Tait