Cameras or <i>Camus</i>? Comparing Snow Track Surveys and Camera Traps to Estimate Densities of Unmarked Wildlife Populations.

ABSTRACT: Population density is a valuable metric used to manage wildlife populations. In the Russian Far East, managers use the Formozov- Malyushev-Pereleshin (FMP) snow tracking method to estimate densities of ungulates for hunting management. The FMP also informs Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) conservation since estimates of prey density and biomass help inform conservation interventions. Yet, climate change and challenges with survey design call into question the reliability of the FMP. Camera traps offer a promising alternative, but they remain unexplored for monitoring tiger prey density. Over three years (2020-2022), we used the FMP and camera-based methods to estimate densities of four prey species of the Amur tiger in the Sikhote- Alin Biosphere Reserve, Russian Far East: wild

SUBMITTER: Waller SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11664323 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature