Data from: Scat DNA provides important data for effective monitoring of mammal and bird biodiversity

Fauna has long been neglected in the monitoring of ecological restoration,
despite the key role they play in ecosystem function. Vertebrate surveys
can be time consuming and costly, often requiring multiple methodologies
and taxonomic expertise, making comprehensive monitoring cost prohibitive.
Here we evaluate a new method of assessing mammal and bird diversity
through the genetic identification of scat collections. Using DNA
metabarcoding of scat collections from three bioregions we generated bird
and mammalian assemblage data and distinguished between sites with
different restoration histories. However, scat detectability was affected
by environmental conditions (e.g. rainfall and soil), suggesting that our
approach is most applicable at certain times of year or in arid (or
semi-arid) environments with rocky soils, where conditions are favourable
for scat preservation. Taken together these data provide a pathway to:
plan, monitor and establish best-practice when restoring landscapes and
add to the growing body of literature on the value of DNA metabarcoding in
biomonitoring applications.