Assessing global patterns in mammalian carnivore occupancy and richness by integrating local camera trap surveys

Abstract

Aim Biodiversity loss is a major driver of ecosystem change, yet the ecological data required to detect and mitigate losses are often lacking. Recently, camera trap surveys have been suggested as a method for sampling local wildlife communities, because these observations can be collated into a global monitoring network. To demonstrate the potential of camera traps for global monitoring, we assembled data from multiple local camera trap surveys to evaluate the interchange between fine‐ and broad‐scale processes impacting mammalian carnivore communities. Location Argentina, Belize, Botswana, Canada, Indonesia, Iran, Madagascar, Nepal, Norway, Senegal, South Africa, and the U.S.A. Methods We gathered camera trap data, totalling > 100,000 trap nights, from across five continents. To analyse local and species‐specific responses to anthropogenic and environmental variables, we fitted multispecies occurrence models to each study area. To analyse global‐level responses, we then fitted a multispecies, multi‐area occurrence model. Results We recorded 4,805 detections of 96 mammalian carnivore species photographed across 1,714 camera stations located in 12 countries. At the global level, our models revealed that carnivore richness and occupancy within study areas was positively associated with prey availability. Occupancy within study areas also tended to increase with greater protection and greater distances to roads. The strength of these relationships, however, differed among countries. Main conclusions We developed a research framework for leveraging global camera trap data to evaluate patterns of mammalian carnivore occurrence and richness across multiple spatial scales. Our research highlights the importance of intact prey populations and protected areas in conserving carnivore communities. Our research also highlights the potential of camera traps for monitoring wildlife communities and provides a case study for how this can be achieved on a global scale. We encourage greater integration and standardization among camera trap studies worldwide, which would help inform effective conservation planning for wildlife populations both locally and globally.

Competition and specialization in an African forest carnivore community

“…This could also mean that habitat preferences of marsh mongooses are not necessarily consistent across their range. This supports recent evidence that the influence of covariates on occupancy models varies geographically (Rich et al, ). It also highlights the difficulty in understanding obligate (what they must use), preferred (what they want to use), and facultative (what they are forced to use), resource use within species.…”

Ecological correlates of the spatial co‐occurrence of sympatric mammalian carnivores worldwide

“…In the last decade, however, the exponential increase in the use of camera trap surveys has opened the door to studying mammalian carnivore species in remote areas across the world (Rich et al . ; Steenweg et al . ).…”

Measuring agreement among experts in classifying camera images of similar species

“…Camera trapping has become a common noninvasive survey technique (Burton et al, ; O'Connell, Nichols, & Karanth, ; Rowcliffe & Carbone, ), especially for rare and elusive forest‐dwelling species (Furnas, Landers, Callas, & Matthews, ; Stewart et al, ), and has been used to obtain crucial ecological information (Caravaggi et al, ). Landscape‐scale camera grids or transects are increasing across the globe (McShea, Forrester, Costello, He, & Kays, ), and such sampling may be used to monitor global biodiversity in the future (Rich et al, ; Steenweg et al, ). For example, the project Snapshot Wisconsin currently has over 1,000 registered volunteers maintaining over 1,200 remote cameras and has collected over 22 million images since it was established in 2016 (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, ).…”