The Use of Camera Traps and Auxiliary Satellite Telemetry to Estimate Jaguar Population Density in Northwestern Costa Rica
Regular evaluation of jaguar (<i>Panthera onca</i>) population status is an important part of conservation decision-making. Currently, camera trapping has become the standard method used to estimate jaguar abundance and demographic parameters, though evidence has shown the potential for...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/19/2544 |
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| author | Víctor H. Montalvo Carolina Sáenz-Bolaños Juan C. Cruz-Díaz Eduardo Carrillo Todd K. Fuller |
| author_facet | Víctor H. Montalvo Carolina Sáenz-Bolaños Juan C. Cruz-Díaz Eduardo Carrillo Todd K. Fuller |
| author_sort | Víctor H. Montalvo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Regular evaluation of jaguar (<i>Panthera onca</i>) population status is an important part of conservation decision-making. Currently, camera trapping has become the standard method used to estimate jaguar abundance and demographic parameters, though evidence has shown the potential for sex ratio biases and density overestimates. In this study, we used camera trap data combined with satellite telemetry data from one female jaguar to estimate jaguar population density in the dry forest of Santa Rosa National Park in the Guanacaste Conservation Area of northwestern Costa Rica. We analyzed camera trap data collected from June 2016 to June 2017 using spatial capture-recapture methods to estimate jaguar density. In total, 19 individual jaguars were detected (11 males; 8 females) with a resulting estimated population density of 2.6 females (95% [CI] 1.7–4.0) and 5.0 male (95% [CI] 3.4–7.4) per 100 km<sup>2</sup>. Based on telemetry and camera trap data, camera placement might bias individual detections by sex and thus overall density estimates. We recommend population assessments be made at several consecutive 3-month intervals, that larger areas be covered so as not to restrict surveys to one or two individual home ranges, as in our case, and to carry out long-term camera monitoring programs instead of short-term studies to better understand the local population, using auxiliary telemetry data to adjust field designs and density estimations to improve support for jaguar conservation strategies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:09:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-737fe139a87c4d9f9b90172df2b1b5fa |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:09:26Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-737fe139a87c4d9f9b90172df2b1b5fa2023-11-23T19:35:27ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152022-09-011219254410.3390/ani12192544The Use of Camera Traps and Auxiliary Satellite Telemetry to Estimate Jaguar Population Density in Northwestern Costa RicaVíctor H. Montalvo0Carolina Sáenz-Bolaños1Juan C. Cruz-Díaz2Eduardo Carrillo3Todd K. Fuller4Instituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre, Universidad Nacional, Heredia 1350-3000, Costa RicaInstituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre, Universidad Nacional, Heredia 1350-3000, Costa RicaNamá Conservation, Heredia 40101, Costa RicaInstituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre, Universidad Nacional, Heredia 1350-3000, Costa RicaDepartment of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USARegular evaluation of jaguar (<i>Panthera onca</i>) population status is an important part of conservation decision-making. Currently, camera trapping has become the standard method used to estimate jaguar abundance and demographic parameters, though evidence has shown the potential for sex ratio biases and density overestimates. In this study, we used camera trap data combined with satellite telemetry data from one female jaguar to estimate jaguar population density in the dry forest of Santa Rosa National Park in the Guanacaste Conservation Area of northwestern Costa Rica. We analyzed camera trap data collected from June 2016 to June 2017 using spatial capture-recapture methods to estimate jaguar density. In total, 19 individual jaguars were detected (11 males; 8 females) with a resulting estimated population density of 2.6 females (95% [CI] 1.7–4.0) and 5.0 male (95% [CI] 3.4–7.4) per 100 km<sup>2</sup>. Based on telemetry and camera trap data, camera placement might bias individual detections by sex and thus overall density estimates. We recommend population assessments be made at several consecutive 3-month intervals, that larger areas be covered so as not to restrict surveys to one or two individual home ranges, as in our case, and to carry out long-term camera monitoring programs instead of short-term studies to better understand the local population, using auxiliary telemetry data to adjust field designs and density estimations to improve support for jaguar conservation strategies.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/19/2544densitydry forest<i>Panthera onca</i>spatial capture-recapturesex ratio |
| spellingShingle | Víctor H. Montalvo Carolina Sáenz-Bolaños Juan C. Cruz-Díaz Eduardo Carrillo Todd K. Fuller The Use of Camera Traps and Auxiliary Satellite Telemetry to Estimate Jaguar Population Density in Northwestern Costa Rica Animals density dry forest <i>Panthera onca</i> spatial capture-recapture sex ratio |
| title | The Use of Camera Traps and Auxiliary Satellite Telemetry to Estimate Jaguar Population Density in Northwestern Costa Rica |
| title_full | The Use of Camera Traps and Auxiliary Satellite Telemetry to Estimate Jaguar Population Density in Northwestern Costa Rica |
| title_fullStr | The Use of Camera Traps and Auxiliary Satellite Telemetry to Estimate Jaguar Population Density in Northwestern Costa Rica |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Use of Camera Traps and Auxiliary Satellite Telemetry to Estimate Jaguar Population Density in Northwestern Costa Rica |
| title_short | The Use of Camera Traps and Auxiliary Satellite Telemetry to Estimate Jaguar Population Density in Northwestern Costa Rica |
| title_sort | use of camera traps and auxiliary satellite telemetry to estimate jaguar population density in northwestern costa rica |
| topic | density dry forest <i>Panthera onca</i> spatial capture-recapture sex ratio |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/19/2544 |
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