A Rapid Biological and Ecological Inventory and Assessment of the Cajon Bonito Watershed, Sonora, Mexico. PartII: Using the Variable Transect

Abstract

The variable transect is an abbreviated, simplified version of a standard belt transect used in floristic analysis. Developed by the Rapid Assessment Program of Conservation International as part of a suite of "emergency field ecology" methods, it allows scientists to quickly inventory and assess habitats with high biodiversity values that are threatened by imminent development or other human activities. This alternate method was utilized in a study of Cajon Bonito in Sonora, Mexico. Assessment of the variable transect's value as both a convenient qualitative and quantitative tool for field studies and observations in the plant communities of the Southwest is reflected in the resulting database. The method proved flexible enough to vary the suite of floristic data to be sampled with little significant variation in the time spent applying the transect. The relatively quick sampling of flora, combined with easily characterized environmental observations, yields a wealth of information with less effort than most standard field methods.