scholarly journals Assessing Distribution Patterns and the Relative Abundance of Reintroduced Large Herbivores in the Limpopo National Park, Mozambique

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 456
Author(s):  
Dionísio Virgílio Roque ◽  
Thomas Göttert ◽  
Valério António Macandza ◽  
Ulrich Zeller
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
National Park ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Intermediate Stage ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Specific Response ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Large Herbivore ◽  
Large Herbivores ◽  
Abundance Index

This study is the first systematic assessment of large herbivore (LH) communities in Limpopo National Park (LNP) in Mozambique, an area where most LH species were extinct until the early 2000s. We investigate whether LH community parameters are linked with the availability of habitat types or the distance between sampling sites and the origin of LH resettlement. We placed camera traps in five habitat types in resettled and not-resettled areas to compare species richness, relative abundance index, grazers–browsers–mixed feeder ratio and naïve occupancy of 15 LH species. While the richness decreased along the distance gradient of LH resettlement, relative abundance index strongly responded to habitat features. Among habitat types, the browsers ratio oscillated, while from resettled to not-resettled areas, the ratio increased. Most species showed a wider distribution range among habitat types. The associations of most LH community parameters with habitat types rather than distance to initial release, together with the species-specific and guild-specific response patterns of LH, suggest LNP to already be in an intermediate stage of restoration. Our results highlight the importance of post-release monitoring of reintroduced wildlife as a tool to assess the success of ecological restoration initiatives in transboundary conservation areas.

Corrigendum to: Distribution and relative abundance of forest duikers in Dassioko Sud Forest Reserve (coastal Côte d'Ivoire)

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 194
Author(s):  
K. A. Yao ◽  
E. A. Bitty ◽  
K. B. Kassé ◽  
Y. C. Kouakou ◽  
K. H. Yaokokoré-Beibro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Encounter Rate ◽  
Line Transect ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Encounter Rates

Context Duikers play a vital role in maintaining forest ecosystems, as both seed dispersers and prey. In West Africa, duikers are also an important source of food and income; however, it is likely that some species are now being hunted at unsustainable levels. So as to contribute to duiker conservation, we used line-transect data and additional information on dung and track counts to estimate relative abundance and establish distribution patterns of forest duikers in Côte d'Ivoire's Dassioko Sud Forest Reserve (DSFR), a poorly known, remnant coastal rainforest. We also collected basic information on hunting pressure. Methods Forest duiker counts were made twice per month from July 2013 to March 2014 on six line transects of varying lengths (5.6–6.7km) and in different regions of the DSFR, representing different habitat types. The number of sightings per kilometre walked, defined as ‘encounter rate', was used to compute an index of relative abundance. We recorded all evidence of poachers and used these data to generate a poaching index (# poaching signs per kilometre) for different habitat types. Key results The DSFR has lost three of seven total forest duiker species and populations of the four remaining species are declining. Encounter rates were greatest for Philantomba maxwellii (0.46 indices km–1) and accounted for 68% of total encounters. Cephalophus niger, C. dorsalis and C. silvicultor were encountered at similar (0.07 indices km–1) but much lower rates. For all species, mean encounter rates were highest in degraded forest (0.38–0.73 indices km–1), followed by secondary (0.2–0.44 indices km–1) and primary (0.19–0.44 indices km–1) forest. Conclusions Of the four forest duiker species still present in the DSFR, the black, bay and yellow-backed duikers are the most affected by anthropogenic pressures. Duiker abundance in the DSFR varies with habitat type. This variation is apparently influenced by differences in forest structure, poaching pressure and proximity to villages. Implications The study provides baseline data for future managing of ungulate populations in the DSFR. We recommend that a biomonitoring study of duiker populations be initiated immediately to help determine population trends, investigate habitat preferences, and help curb illegal hunting activities in this important forest reserve.

scholarly journals An assessment of carnivore relative abundance and density in the eastern rainforests of Madagascar using remotely-triggered camera traps

Oryx ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Gerber ◽  
Sarah M. Karpanty ◽  
Charles Crawford ◽  
Mary Kotschwar ◽  
Johnny Randrianantenaina
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
National Park ◽  
Camera Trap ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Domestic Dog ◽  
Likelihood Method ◽  
Ranomafana National Park ◽  
Carnivore Species ◽  
Cryptoprocta Ferox ◽  
Capture Recapture

AbstractDespite major efforts to understand and conserve Madagascar’s unique biodiversity, relatively little is known about the island’s carnivore populations. We therefore deployed 43 camera-trap stations in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar during June–August 2007 to evaluate the efficacy of this method for studying Malagasy carnivores and to estimate the relative abundance and density of carnivores in the eastern rainforest. A total of 755 camera-trap nights provided 1,605 photographs of four endemic carnivore species (fossa Cryptoprocta ferox, Malagasy civet Fossa fossana, ring-tailed mongoose Galidia elegans and broad-striped mongoose Galidictus fasciata), the exotic Indian civet Viverricula indica and the domestic dog Canis familiaris. We identified 38 individual F. fossana and 10 individual C. ferox. We estimated density using both capture-recapture analyses, with a buffer of full mean-maximum-distance-moved, and a spatially-explicit maximum-likelihood method (F. fossana: 3.03 and 2.23 km-2, respectively; C. ferox: 0.15 and 0.17 km-2, respectively). Our estimated densities of C. ferox in rainforest are lower than published estimates for conspecifics in the western dry forests. Within Ranomafana National Park species richness of native carnivores did not vary among trail systems located in secondary, selectively-logged and undisturbed forest. These results provide the first assessment of carnivore population parameters using camera-traps in the eastern rainforests of Madagascar.

scholarly journals Ecological Relationships in the Serengeti National Park

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kole Brownstein
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
National Park ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Migratory Species ◽  
Serengeti National Park ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Ecological Relationships ◽  
Dramatic Shift ◽  
Associated Species

AbstractThe use of camera traps in animal ecology has transformed the field by allowing a greater quantity of detailed observations with limited human interference. One of largest camera trap studies published to date is from the Serengeti National Park (SNP) in Tanzania, East Africa which deployed 225 camera traps and obtained over 1.2 million pictures. This paper will focus primarily on the top predator of the Serengeti, the lion, and how it affects and is affected by prey, subordinate predators and the dramatic shift in the seasons. I asked the following three questions to better understand species relationships in the SNP: 1) Do the seasons in the SNP have an effect on the RAB of lions? 2) Does the presence or absence of lions have an effect on the RAB of hyenas in the wet season? 3) Does the presence/absence of Thompson gazelles (Eudorcas thomsonii) and impalas (Aepyceros melampus) in the wet season have an effect on the RAB of lions? During the dry and wet season of 2012 in the SNP there did not appear to be a change in the relative abundance of lions (Fig. 1), nor did lion relative abundance affect hyenas. The lions might possibly alter their diet during the dry seasons to include non-migratory species and choose not to change their territory on a season to season basis. Based on these findings research should focus on how the lions adapt to the changes in prey abundance during the wet and dry season. This preliminary analysis of the ecological dynamics of lions and associated species in the SNP is intriguing and yet raises significantly more questions than it has answered. Additional research surrounding the effects of yearly migration on the lions home territory, diet, and species interactions should be investigated more thoroughly, to greater understand the ecological relationships in the SNP.

scholarly journals Camera trapping rare and threatened avifauna in west-central Sumatra

2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoan Dinata ◽  
Agung Nugroho ◽  
Iding Achmad Haidir ◽  
Matthew Linkie
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Camera Trap ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Forest Site ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
West Central ◽  
Routine Monitoring ◽  
Kerinci Seblat National Park ◽  
Central Sumatra

AbstractTropical forests are becoming increasingly degraded and fragmented by logging, which can affect the survival of forest bird species in different ways. In this study, we present avifauna data collected from a monitoring programme in west-central Sumatra that set camera traps in three study areas with different habitat types, levels of degradation and protection status. From 5,990 camera trap-nights, 248 independent bird photographs were recorded, comprising four orders and nine species, including three endemic species. The Great Argus Pheasant (Argusianus argus) was recorded in all study areas and most frequently (n = 202 photographs), followed by the threatened Salvadori's Pheasant (Lophura inornata). The greatest diversity of bird species (five) and abundance index (1.44 bird photographs/100 trap-nights) was recorded from a primary hill-submontane forest site located inside Kerinci Seblat National Park (KSNP) bordering degraded forest in a former logging concession recently repatriated into KSNP. However, inside a primary-selectively logged hill-submontane forest site spread over KSNP and an ex-logging concession, a Sumatran Ground Cuckoo (Carpococcyx viridis) was photographed. This species is noteworthy because prior to this study it had only been documented once since 1916. It is therefore crucial to use the camera trap results to increase the protection status for the ground cuckoo area. This has already happened in the other two study areas, where camera trap data have been used to reclassify the areas as Core Zones, the highest level of protection inside KSNP. This study illustrates how routine monitoring can have wider benefits through recording, and conserving, threatened and endemic non-target species in unexpected habitats that might not otherwise have been surveyed.

scholarly journals Herbivore dung deposit counts around drinking troughs in the Kruger National Park

Koedoe ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Thrash ◽  
G.K. Theron ◽  
J. Du P. Bothma
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Kruger National Park ◽  
Large Herbivore ◽  
Large Herbivores ◽  
Significant Positive Relationship ◽  
The Relationship

The density of deposits of dung of indigenous large herbivores was measured in transects starting at drinking troughs in the Kruger National Park. The aim was to test whether a relationship exists between intensity of (large indigenous) herbivore use and distance from drinking troughs. There was a significant positive relationship between intensity of herbivore use and'distance from the troughs. The variance was too high, however, to detect relationships at individual transects or to warrant further modelling of the relationship. It was concluded that there was indeed a slight concentration of large herbivore rangeland use around the troughs.

scholarly journals Reappearance of Dhole Cuon alpinus (Mammalia: Carnivora: Canidae) in Gujarat after 70 years

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 18655-18659
Author(s):  
A.A. Kazi ◽  
D.N. Rabari ◽  
M.I. Dahya ◽  
S. Lyngdoh
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Human Disturbance ◽  
National Park ◽  
Indian Subcontinent ◽  
Abundance Index ◽  
Cuon Alpinus ◽  
Extinction Probabilities ◽  
The Future

The Dhole Cuon alpinus used to be the meso carnivore of the forests throughout Indian subcontinent; however, habitat loss, low prey biomass, and human disturbance exterminated the species from India’s 60% historic range, and the numbers are less than 1,500 individuals in wild.  Following the same shrinking trend, Dholes were extirpated from Gujarat.  A few doubtful sightings and inevident reportings generated ambiguity of Dhole presence in Gujarat.  We conducted a study in Vansda National Park with 15,660 trap nights at 30 trap locations, and have confirmed the rediscovery of Dholes in Gujarat after 70 years.  We estimated the Dhole’s minimum home range as 13.7km2 and also analyzed relative abundance index of other mammals.  The future retention of Dholes requires detailed range, diet, and adaption studies along with conservational efforts to reduce re-extinction probabilities.

scholarly journals Vegetation Classification and Habitat Types of Gambella National Park

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Gatluak Rolkier ◽  
Kumelachew Yeshitela
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Relative Frequency ◽  
National Park ◽  
Satellite Image ◽  
Vegetation Classification ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Community Types

Gambella National Park has a diverse set of habitat types which Ethiopia shares with its neighbor, South Sudan, and the park is considered as one of the top wildlife areas of Ethiopia. The objectives of this research were to determine vegetation types and identify habitat types on recent satellite imageries. The method used for vegetation data collection was transects lines. PC-ORD software was used for analyzed vegetation data while Rapid Eye image 5 m resolution 2012 was analyzed by ArcGIS version 10.1 to classify the habitats map of Gambella National Park. The cluster analysis classified the Gambella National Park into 6 vegetation communities, and the relative abundance and relative frequency were used for naming vegetation community types. However, the satellite image had classified the Gambella National Park into 5 major habitat types.

scholarly journals Wildlife Diversity and Relative Abundance among a Variety of Adjacent Protected Areas in the Northern Talamanca Mountains of Costa Rica

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Sáenz-Bolaños ◽  
Todd K. Fuller ◽  
Eduardo Carrillo J.
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
National Park ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Conservation Strategy ◽  
Species Abundances ◽  
Indigenous Territories

Protected areas are intended to achieve the long-term conservation of nature, but not all such areas are equal in their effectiveness because of their varying regulation of human activities. In Costa Rica, we assessed mammal and bird species presence and relative abundance in three protected areas in the northern Talamanca Mountains. In this humid tropical forest area, we placed camera traps in an adjacent national park, forest reserve, and indigenous territories, each with a different mix of human activities. In 10,120 trap nights, we obtained 6181 independent photos of mostly mammals (34 species other than humans) and birds (34 species). Species with greater abundance or only occurrence in the national park were mammals and birds commonly hunted outside of the park, large carnivores rarely documented in other areas, and poachers. Species found more often outside of the park were medium-sized mammals, some birds, and domestic mammals. We conclude that even in the same ecological area, varying regulations related to type of protected area have significant effects on some mammal and bird species abundances and occurrences, and thus need to be considered when assessing the overall effectiveness of protection as a conservation strategy.

Distribution and relative abundance of forest duikers in Dassioko Sud Forest Reserve (coastal Côte d'Ivoire)

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (8) ◽  
pp. 660 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. A. Yao ◽  
E. A. Bitty ◽  
K. B. Kassé ◽  
Y. C. Kouakou ◽  
K. H. Yaokokoré-Beibro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Encounter Rate ◽  
Line Transect ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Encounter Rates

Context Duikers play a vital role in maintaining forest ecosystems, as both seed dispersers and prey. In West Africa, duikers are also an important source of food and income; however, it is likely that some species are now being hunted at unsustainable levels. So as to contribute to duiker conservation, we used line-transect data and additional information on dung and track counts to estimate relative abundance and establish distribution patterns of forest duikers in Côte d’Ivoire’s Dassioko Sud Forest Reserve (DSFR), a poorly known, remnant coastal rainforest. We also collected basic information on hunting pressure. Methods Forest duiker counts were made twice per month from July 2013 to March 2014 on six line transects of varying lengths (5.6–6.7km) and in different regions of the DSFR, representing different habitat types. The number of sightings per kilometre walked, defined as ‘encounter rate’, was used to compute an index of relative abundance. We recorded all evidence of poachers and used these data to generate a poaching index (# poaching signs per kilometre) for different habitat types. Key results The DSFR has lost three of seven total forest duiker species and populations of the four remaining species are declining. Encounter rates were greatest for Philantomba maxwellii (0.46 indices km–1) and accounted for 68% of total encounters. Cephalophus niger, C. dorsalis and C. silvicultor were encountered at similar (0.07 indices km–1) but much lower rates. For all species, mean encounter rates were highest in degraded forest (0.38–0.73 indices km–1), followed by secondary (0.2–0.44 indices km–1) and primary (0.19–0.44 indices km–1) forest. Conclusions Of the four forest duiker species still present in the DSFR, the black, bay and yellow-backed duikers are the most affected by anthropogenic pressures. Duiker abundance in the DSFR varies with habitat type. This variation is apparently influenced by differences in forest structure, poaching pressure and proximity to villages. Implications The study provides baseline data for future managing of ungulate populations in the DSFR. We recommend that a biomonitoring study of duiker populations be initiated immediately to help determine population trends, investigate habitat preferences, and help curb illegal hunting activities in this important forest reserve.

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