Other Life Sciences Commons^™

An Empirical Demonstration Of The Effect Of Study Design On Density Estimations, Muhammad Ali Nawaz, Barkat Ullah Khan, Amer Mahmood, Muhammad Younas, Jaffar Ud Din, Chris Sutherland

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

The simultaneous development of technology (e.g. camera traps) and statistical methods, particularly spatially capture-recapture (SCR), has improved monitoring of large mammals in recent years. SCR estimates are known to be sensitive to sampling design, yet existing recommendations about trap spacing and coverage are often not achieved, particularly for sampling wide-ranging and rare species in landscapes that allow for limited accessibility. Consequently, most camera trap studies on large wide-ranging carnivores relies on convenience or judgmental sampling, and often yields compromised results. This study attempts to highlight the importance of carefully considered sampling design for large carnivores that, because of low densities …