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A comparison of scat counts and camera-trapping as means of assessing Iberian lynx abundance

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Abstract

Rigorous cost-effective census methods are an essential part of managing wild animal populations, particularly if the involved species require continuous monitoring. In recent years, the range and size of the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) population have increased notably as a result of conservation programs. Given this expansive scenario, monitoring Iberian lynx using camera-traps may become logistically and financially unfeasible. Here, we test whether or not scat counts are as efficient as camera-trapping in predicting lynx densities and compare the cost of these two approaches to lynx monitoring. We found a significant positive linear relationship between these two methods of assessing Iberian lynx abundance. Lynx abundance assessment by scat counting was six times less expensive than camera-trapping; there was no significant effect of the two study areas on the observed patterns (GLM F1,7 = 45.81, P < 0.001). Our study shows that scat counting is a non-invasive cost-effective method that can provide reliable assessments of Iberian lynx abundance. However, if comparisons are to be made, censuses should be carried out (a) under as nearly identical conditions as possible and (b) in the same season. A number of different factors affect scat abundance, and in order to improve counts, it would be of great interest to evaluate the potential effect of the factors that cause scat estimates to vary.

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Acknowledgments

The study was supported by DGCONA-MIMAM project “Censo- Diagnóstico de las Poblaciones de Lince Ibérico en España”. We wish to express our gratitude to Nicolas Guzmán, Paco García, Concha Iglesias, Pablo Pereira, and Paco Robles that carried out with us the fieldwork. We also thank Organismo Autónomo de Parques Nacionales (Doñana and Lugar nuevo), Parque Natural de Doñana, Parque Natural de la Sierra de Andújar, TRAGSA, Fundación CBD-Hábitat, WWF/España, EGMASA, CMA Junta de Andalucía. We thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agencia de Medioambiente y Agua, Consejería de Medio Ambiente Junta de Andalucía, O. P. Jaén, Avenida de Andalucía 106, 1ª planta, 23006, Jaén, Spain

    Germán Garrote

  2. Grupo de investigación de Biología y Conservación de Vertebrados, Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, 28040, Spain

    Germán Garrote & Ramón Pérez de Ayala

  3. WWF/España. Gran Vía de San Francisco, 8-D. 28005, Madrid, Spain

    José Luis Tellería

Authors
  1. Germán Garrote
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  2. Ramón Pérez de Ayala
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  3. José Luis Tellería
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Correspondence to Germán Garrote.

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Communicated by C. Gortázar

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Garrote, G., de Ayala, R.P. & Tellería, J.L. A comparison of scat counts and camera-trapping as means of assessing Iberian lynx abundance. Eur J Wildl Res 60, 885–889 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-014-0855-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-014-0855-7

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