Managing wildlife populations with uncertainty: cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo.

ABSTRACT: Managing wildlife populations for conservation, control or harvesting involves uncertainty. Nevertheless, decisions need to be made based on the available evidence. The two main sources of uncertainty in population modelling are parameter estimates and structural uncertainty. Structural uncertainty in models is not included as often as parameter uncertainty.We present an approach where parameter and structural uncertainty (strength of density dependence) is included within a model, using the over-wintering English population of cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo L. Because of the damage caused to inland fishery interests by cormorants, there was a change in UK government policy in autumn 2004, increasing the numbers of birds that can be shot under licence.A stochastic Monte Carlo annual popula

SUBMITTER: Smith GC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2695860 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature