Credit: Alessandro Araldi
Cheetah Conservation Botswana’s, Marie-Charlotte Gielen and Leopard Ecology & Conservation’s Alessandro Araldi led a group of researchers in the publication of a new scientific paper titled: “Refining population density estimation from track counts: Improving daily travel distance estimates through trailing of large herbivores in the Kalahari, Botswana” in the 13th Volume of the Movement Ecology journal.
The team sought to demonstrate that traditional animal track surveys can enable rapid population monitoring for conservation – provided that researchers have a suitable base material (e.g. sand), and work with highly skilled trackers. Previous studies have used the Formozov–Malyshev–Pereleshin (FMP) formula which converts track counts along transects – invisible lines or existing roads cutting through particular points in a landscape – into full population density estimates, using the species’ average daily travel distance estimate. Gielen and Araldi’s study demonstrated the effectiveness of the forward trailing technique (i.e. recording an animal path in the landscape by following its footprints) for accurately estimating the average distance large herbivores travel in 24h in sandy areas. For Kalahari species for which such empirical data are not available, the study also provides coefficients to directly correct allometric estimate of daily travel distance (i.e. distance estimated from the species body mass – larger species do travel more daily to access the resources they need). Such improved average daily travel distance estimates allowed to deliver more accurate density estimates for multiple herbivores species across 2800km² of protected areas in the Kalahari. They can also be applied to refine density estimates from other existing surveys.
The team sought to demonstrate that traditional animal track surveys can enable rapid population monitoring for conservation – provided that researchers have a suitable base material (e.g. sand), and work with highly skilled trackers. Previous studies have used the Formozov–Malyshev–Pereleshin (FMP) formula which converts track counts along transects – invisible lines or existing roads cutting through particular points in a landscape – into full population density estimates, using the species’ average daily travel distance estimate. Gielen and Araldi’s study demonstrated the effectiveness of the forward trailing technique (i.e. recording an animal path in the landscape by following its footprints) for accurately estimating the average distance large herbivores travel in 24h in sandy areas. For Kalahari species for which such empirical data are not available, the study also provides coefficients to directly correct allometric estimate of daily travel distance (i.e. distance estimated from the species body mass – larger species do travel more daily to access the resources they need). Such improved average daily travel distance estimates allowed to deliver more accurate density estimates for multiple herbivores species across 2800km² of protected areas in the Kalahari. They can also be applied to refine density estimates from other existing surveys.
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