RE NG ». 700 HTEECTURE NOTE aes a Sey © WILDLIFE SURVEY TECHNIQUES Reasons for wildlife survey . Wildlife to be surveyed Survey. techniques ° SPATIAL ECOLOGY Spatial ecology ‘Human-wildlife conflicts ON at ‘Scanned with Ct 22 Ww ReeWILDLIFE SURVEY TECHNIQUES Wildlife survey is the néeds study and estimation of wildlife population dynamics. Reasons for wildlife survey Wildlife survey/census is an indispensable tool in wildlife conservation and management. Wildlife surveys are been done for many conservation reasons. These include: : > To determine the population size and ghanges of a specie > To know whether the population is declining or not > To understand the population dynamics of species > To know the habitat réquirements of species > To determine the importance of a site To estimate the population size The best way of estimating population is through random sampling of the population. This is because random sampling overcomes biases. and results in representative coverage. This can be done by dividing the area into blocks such as 1 or 2 kim squares or through natural divisions such as rivérs, lakes or mountains etc. the blocks are normally numbered and the ones to be surveyed are selected using random numbers. Monitoring population changes Population monitoring is done to monitor the fate of species of conservation interest or to see whether 2 pest’s species is increasing or decreasing. It is therefore very useful to monitor‘environmental variables in such a way that changes can be detected and then relate them to changes in population. The frequency of surveys need to be done will depend upon the likely rate of changes. For instant, literatures have shown that surveying trees each decade’ may be sufficient whilst phytoplankton survey may be weekly. To deter! vr declined... a Pears Understanding ¥: conservation ok are declining is important fhetdt in mainjgining and sation tionggThis can be attain by* -) ‘Scanned with CamScanner“~S either estimating the life history parameters such as fecundity, survival of the early stages or adult survival or by comparing of the sites in which the specie still occur and the sites from which it has disappeared. This can also be done by assessing the limiting factors (factors which affect wildlife survival and, their breeding output). It is therefore important to determine whether the limiting f factors are changing or not. Understanding population dynamics By measuring wildlife life history parameters and estimating the population size, it is possible to understand the population dynamics of a given ecosystem. Determining the habitat requirements of a species This is one of the useful objectives of wildlife surveys. This covers the determination issues such as prey abundance, predator abundance, breeding/nesting sites, the habitat structure and environmental variables of the species surrounding. Wildlife to be surveyed _ Mammals Though some marimals are easily seen, many species are highly secretive, often hidden from normal view, for example by being nocturnal or underwater. In some studies of mammals, the study species is very rarely seen. However, many larger mammais can simply be counted despite the fact that numerous have shown that many individuals are missed and as a result considerable thought needs to be minimize. Hence, the commonness survey techniques use for mammals includes: Total count method ~ Aerial and line transect method ~~ Counting breeding sites method 7 iv. ‘Counting‘calls method 17 y, Trapping method | Birds ‘Scanned with CamScannerBirds are said to-be the easiest of all animals to survey. They are mostly » coloured organisms, relatively easy to see and highly vocal. Because of this popularity, they are undoubtedly the most frequently surveyed of all taxa. Birds often give away their presence vocally, and many species of birds are’best detected by their calls and songs. The various methods used in surveying birds include: i. Mark-release and recapture method (applicable to almost all birds) ii, Counting nests'in colonies (aquatic birds and passerines) Dropping counts method (water birds and game bitds) Flocks counting method (water birds, wading birds and passerines) Territory mapping method (all birds group except sea birds) Reptiles Most common survey methods employed in estimating the abundance of reptiles involved capturing ‘individuals. This is because reptiles tend to be mobile, shy cryptic so that not all members of population will be visible at a time. Secondly, much more information can be obtained from an animal that has been captured than can be obtained from an animal that has simply been seen. Methods used in reptiles’ surveys are: i. Hand capturing ‘method (all reptiles) ii. Noosing (Lizards) iii, Trapping method (mostly, Lizards but may be applicable to snakes and crocodalians) . iv. Marking individuals method (all reptiles) Invertebrates By virtue of ‘vertebrates’ small size, they were able to exploit very’small and specific features within the environment. These features are called microhabitats. Many trapping methods have been devised for sampling invertebrates. Many of which are large. and expensive pieces of equipment and many consists of modifications of existing survey devices. However, methods discussed for Zoo 411 herein have been chosen to represent easy and cheap to use methods that are likely to be of more general practical use for invertebrate sampling. The methods rely on whether invertebrate is actively entering the trap used. Catches of individuals ‘Scanned with CamScannerwithin a trap will therefore reflect both the abundance and activity of the species, together with. species” susceptibility to being caught using particular trapping method. Live invertebrates should ideally be stored-in glass or plastic specimen tubes or jars. If these are not available, clear plastic bags can be used. A small amount of vegetation should be added to containers holding terrestrial invertebrates, so that they have something to attach themselves to during transport. Invertebrates of different phyla were surveyed through: i. Water traps (flies and hymenoptera) ii. Sweep nets (Low vegetation flying insects) iii, Pitfall traps (Crawling invertebrates) iv. Bait traps (Planarians) y. Soil sampling (fly larvae, Beetle larvae) Plants Plants communities consists of individual plants arrange on a surface such as soil or rock. These plants aie sessile that is they ‘sit still and wait to be counted’. It is sometime very easy to wander through vegetation and make a species list. The sessile nature vf plants causes a clear and slow-changing spatial pattern in the distribution of species. Patchiness in environmental variables, restricted dispersal of propagiiles and clonal growth all bring about patchy distributions such as clumped, contagious or over dispersed of plant species. Depending on their nature, plants are survey through: j. Total counts (Large plants with low density) Frame quadrats (plants cover, density, frequency in any vegetation) Transects (many plant surveys) Point quadrats (Grasses, herbs and mosses in short vegetation) v. Visual estimates (cover of species in any vegetation) The Survey techniques ‘Scanned with CamScannerMark-recapture method from population, marks them and releases them back to thoroughly mix to the general population. This method can be expressed symbolically as: m is the number of animals caught, marked and released. np is the size of the second sample and m2 is the number of marked animals in that sample while N is the total population size. Thus, mo/ng=ni/N. different types of animals markings are used in mark recapture method. The different types of markings are number rings, dots .and banding. However, markings sometimes become unnecessary. Wildlife sometime can be recognized without being caught. In this case, one can simply observe & sample of ni animals at one time, listing which ones are present, then observes another sample (nz) and identifies which animals were present in both samples (m2) in total population size. Different statistical methods are use in mark-recapture method for arriving at an estimated population size. This method involves catching a sample of animals Total count method This method is use in very specific situations. Total count method is use when the area to be surveyed is relatively small so that the whole area can be searched. This can make the individual species to be easily found and identified. Total count is normally used when the number of animals to be counted'is less than five hundred individuals. This method uses a sweep count involving several teams that search for the targeted animal, This method can provide a count.of all individuals and information on distribution. Data on age and sex composition can be collected at the same time, This method is good for conspicuous species in open, areas where the count can-be can be completed rapidly relative to the speed with which animals move between blocks, However, if the areas to be survey are large, it can be “iificult to assess whether individuals have been missed or counted twice and there are problems in ensuring that all areas are covered and none are double counted. Line transect method | wild animals, This is because the animals ckly and good method for the ally. Provide relative index and This is mainly use in studying diurnal can be used to cover long tistances relatively qui survey. It is normally performed annually or season: keeps good record. ‘Scanned with CamScanner