Assessing the performance of index calibration survey methods to monitor populations of wide-ranging low-density carnivores.

ABSTRACT: Apex carnivores are wide-ranging, low-density, hard to detect, and declining throughout most of their range, making population monitoring both critical and challenging. Rapid and inexpensive index calibration survey (ICS) methods have been developed to monitor large African carnivores. ICS methods assume constant detection probability and a predictable relationship between the index and the actual population of interest. The precision and utility of the resulting estimates from ICS methods have been questioned. We assessed the performance of one ICS method for large carnivores-track counts-with data from two long-term studies of African lion populations. We conducted Monte Carlo simulation of intersections between transects (road segments) and lion movement paths (from GPS collar data) at

SUBMITTER: Droge E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7141012 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature