Integrating sign surveys and telemetry data for estimating brown bear (Ursus arctos) density in the Romanian Carpathians.

ABSTRACT: Accurate population size estimates are important information for sustainable wildlife management. The Romanian Carpathians harbor the largest brown bear (Ursus arctos) population in Europe, yet current management relies on estimates of density that lack statistical oversight and ignore uncertainty deriving from track surveys. In this study, we investigate an alternative approach to estimate brown bear density using sign surveys along transects within a novel integration of occupancy models and home range methods. We performed repeated surveys along 2-km segments of forest roads during three distinct seasons: spring 2011, fall-winter 2011, and spring 2012, within three game management units and a Natura 2000 site. We estimated bears abundances along transects using the number of uniq

SUBMITTER: Popescu VD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5606905 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature