Camera trap research in Africa: A systematic review to show trends in wildlife monitoring and its value as a research tool

Cordier, Craig P.; Smith, David A. Ehlers; Smith, Yvette Ehlers; Downs, Colleen T.

doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02326

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 183 publications

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“…Many parts of the world remain understudied in CT studies. As is the case for biodiversity monitoring in general, CT data collection in Africa remains much lower than on other continents and within Africa a large focus is concentrated in South Africa [ 459 , 460 ]. As tools to process CT data become more accessible, we anticipate data collection efforts to grow.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Camera trapping expands the view into global biodiversity and its change

Oliver

Iannarilli

Ahumada

et al. 2023

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Growing threats to biodiversity demand timely, detailed information on species occurrence, diversity and abundance at large scales. Camera traps (CTs), combined with computer vision models, provide an efficient method to survey species of certain taxa with high spatio-temporal resolution. We test the potential of CTs to close biodiversity knowledge gaps by comparing CT records of terrestrial mammals and birds from the recently released Wildlife Insights platform to publicly available occurrences from many observation types in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. In locations with CTs, we found they sampled a greater number of days (mean = 133 versus 57 days) and documented additional species (mean increase of 1% of expected mammals). For species with CT data, we found CTs provided novel documentation of their ranges (93% of mammals and 48% of birds). Countries with the largest boost in data coverage were in the historically underrepresented southern hemisphere. Although embargoes increase data providers' willingness to share data, they cause a lag in data availability. Our work shows that the continued collection and mobilization of CT data, especially when combined with data sharing that supports attribution and privacy, has the potential to offer a critical lens into biodiversity. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Detecting and attributing the causes of biodiversity change: needs, gaps and solutions’.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Camera trapping expands the view into global biodiversity and its change

Oliver

Iannarilli

Ahumada

et al. 2023

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…In our case, camera traps were unbaited but rather were providentially camouflaged with rocks, stones, and Ericaceous heathlands of the study sites. Site selection for camera placement was randomly carried out across various habitats of both study areas, as was proposed by several other studies (e.g., Burton et al, 2015 ; Cordier et al, 2022 ; Meek et al, 2014 ; Tanwar et al, 2021 ; Wearn & Glover‐Kapfer, 2017 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In biodiversity‐rich Sub‐Saharan African countries such as Ethiopia, little attention is paid to camera trap‐based research (Cordier et al, 2022 ). To fill this knowledge gap, our sampling protocol for Moorland Francolins occupancy estimates relies on data obtained using camera traps.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although this approach may disturb wildlife and alter their behavior (Caravaggi et al, 2020 ; Wearn & Glover‐Kapfer, 2017 , 2019 ), it is cost‐effective and non‐invasive to study ecological patterns such as population size and distribution of animals. The centerpiece in most occupancy‐based camera trap studies are frequently applied on mammal species (e.g., Burton et al, 2015 ; Niedballa et al, 2015 ; Kays et al, 2020 ; Cremonesi et al, 2021 ; Wevers et al, 2021 ; Cordier et al, 2022 ), yet some studies are conducted on ground‐dwelling bird species, mainly pheasants (e.g., O'Brien & Kinnaird, 2008 ; Sharief et al, 2022 ; Tanwar et al, 2021 ; Zou et al, 2019 ). Most importantly, camera traps are particularly useful to study elusive, cryptic, and rare species (O'Brien & Kinnaird, 2008 ; Sharief et al, 2022 ; Si et al, 2014 ; Winarni et al, 2005 ) and thus represent the most promising approach to investigate Moorland Francolin.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Occupancy of the Ethiopian endemic Moorland Francolin in pristine and degraded Afroalpine biome using a camera trap approach

Abrha,

Gedeon,

Podsiadlowski

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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Occupancy modeling is an essential tool for understanding species‐habitat associations, thereby helping to plan the conservation of rare and threatened wildlife species. The conservation status and ecology of several avian species, particularly ground‐dwelling birds, are poorly known in Ethiopia. We used camera trap‐based occupancy modeling to investigate habitat covariate influence on occupancy (Ψ) and detection probability (ρ) estimates of Moorland Francolins Scleroptila psilolaema from spatially replicated surveys across both relatively pristine and disturbed landscapes in the Afroalpine biome of Ethiopia. Model‐averaged estimate of across all sites was 0.76 (SD = 0.28) and was 0.77 (SD = 0.13) in the pristine landscape. The of the species in the disturbed landscape was 0.56 (SD = 0.19) and was 0.48 (SD = 0.06). As hypothesized, based on our model‐averaged beta coefficient estimates (βmean ± SE), predators significantly negatively influenced the occupancy of Moorland Francolins in pristine habitat. We also found a significant positive association of occupancy with herb species richness. Contrary to our prediction, distance to road significantly negatively influence the occupancy of the species, suggesting that occupancy probability was highest in proximity to roadsides and trails in the pristine habitat. There was no significant influence of habitat covariates on the occupancy of the species in the disturbed habitat. The most important covariates that significantly influence the detectability of the species in pristine habitat included sampling occasion and precipitation. The greater occupancy and detectability of this endemic species in the pristine habitat could be linked with the particular conservation status and management of this biodiversity hotspot in the central highlands of Ethiopia. Our results suggest that strict legal enforcement is required to sustainably preserve Moorland Francolins and the ecological integrity of the entire Afroalpine biome. We recommend using camera traps in order to develop realistic and effective conservation and management strategies for rare, sensitive, cryptic, and ground‐dwelling animals in the region.

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“…Each monitoring method includes their own respective biases (Brittain et al, 2022; Hofmeester et al, 2019). CT surveys are a commonly used, non‐invasive method of monitoring wildlife over a long period of time and often across large spatial scales (Cordier et al, 2022; Cove et al, 2021; Pardo et al, 2021; Steenweg et al, 2017). CTs are a systematic method to collect animal observation and allow to record continuously animals activity (Zwerts et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing local ecological knowledge with camera trap data to study mammal occurrence in anthropogenic landscapes of the Garden Route Biosphere Reserve

Bernard,

Guerbois,

Venter

et al. 2024

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Accurate information on wildlife occurrence in anthropogenic landscapes is essential to develop effective conservation measures. Monitoring multiple mammal species in heterogeneous landscapes can be challenging because of the diversity of land‐uses and species behaviors. Therefore, different monitoring methods are better adapted to different contexts. We compared data obtained from camera traps with data gathered through an online survey to document the presence of mammal species in mosaic landscapes of the Garden Route Biosphere Reserve in South Africa. The survey detected the same 15 species as the camera traps as well as the additional common duiker. Both methods effectively detected most large mammal species, whereas results were less consistent for smaller species and carnivores. Combining the two methods enabled us to produce more robust estimates of species absence and confirm species presence reported by survey respondents. In less disturbed areas, respondents with good ecological knowledge were effective at monitoring mammal species, while extending the spatial coverage of the study. Bearing in mind the limitations of each method, camera traps and an online survey could complement each other if combined. Together, they can provide a more comprehensive understanding of mammal communities in anthropogenic landscapes, increasing both spatial coverage and the number of species sightings.

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Camera trap research in Africa: A systematic review to show trends in wildlife monitoring and its value as a research tool

Cited by 8 publications

References 183 publications

Camera trapping expands the view into global biodiversity and its change

Camera trapping expands the view into global biodiversity and its change

Occupancy of the Ethiopian endemic Moorland Francolin in pristine and degraded Afroalpine biome using a camera trap approach

Comparing local ecological knowledge with camera trap data to study mammal occurrence in anthropogenic landscapes of the Garden Route Biosphere Reserve

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