Title
Hierarchical spatial models of abundance using distance-sampling data: a methodological advance to evaluate conservation efficacy
Author(s)
Kumar, S.N.;Karanth, U.K.
Published
2015
Publisher
Cambodian Journal of Natural History
Abstract
The need to rigorously evaluate management effectiveness in the conservation of tropical forests has never before been as acute as it is at present, when the global community is investing huge resources to arrest biodiversity decline. Yet, these evaluations are often restricted by methods that either focus on observation processes or on ecological processes of interest. However, the data used for such assessments is invariably generated through interaction between these two processes, obscuring the relationship between conservation targets (e.g. animal abundance) and management actions (e.g. habitat modification). We address this issue by developing hierarchical Bayesian models that explicitly incorporate both observation and biological covariates to understand the spatial patterns of animal abundance and their drivers. We demonstrate the application of this modelling approach through using distance sampling data from 77 line transects placed across 1,500 sq. km to examine the drivers of ungulate abundance in a highly productive forest landscape in the Western Ghats, India. These data were used to investigate the relative influence of biological and anthropogenic factors in shaping the abundance patterns of five threatened ungulate species, which diff ered in body size and diet. Based on the ungulate–habitat relationship established in this study, we predicted ungulate responses to varying management efforts. We then compared the relative contributions of different management actions in influencing the levels of ungulate abundance to help prioritise conservation interventions. Through this example, we illustrate the efficiency of the hierarchical modelling approach to build realistic models of species–habitat relations for robust evaluation of conservation effectiveness.
Access Full Text
A full-text copy of this article may be available. Please email the WCS Library to request.
![]()
Back
PUB15562