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Assumptions about fence permeability influence density estimates for brown hyaenas across South Africa

Williams, K.S.; Williams, S.T.; Welch, R.J.; Marneweck, C.J.; Mann, G.T.; Pitman, R.T.; Whittington-Jones, G.; Balme, G.A.; Parker, D.M.; Hill, R.A.

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Authors

K.S. Williams

S.T. Williams

R.J. Welch

C.J. Marneweck

G.T. Mann

R.T. Pitman

G. Whittington-Jones

G.A. Balme

D.M. Parker



Abstract

Wildlife population density estimates provide information on the number of individuals in an area and influence conservation management decisions. Thus, accuracy is vital. A dominant feature in many landscapes globally is fencing, yet the implications of fence permeability on density estimation using spatial capture-recapture modelling are seldom considered. We used camera trap data from 15 fenced reserves across South Africa to examine the density of brown hyaenas (Parahyaena brunnea). We estimated density and modelled its relationship with a suite of covariates when fenced reserve boundaries were assumed to be permeable or impermeable to hyaena movements. The best performing models were those that included only the influence of study site on both hyaena density and detection probability, regardless of assumptions of fence permeability. When fences were considered impermeable, densities ranged from 2.55 to 15.06 animals per 100 km2, but when fences were considered permeable, density estimates were on average 9.52 times lower (from 0.17 to 1.59 animals per 100 km2). Fence permeability should therefore be an essential consideration when estimating density, especially since density results can considerably influence wildlife management decisions. In the absence of strong evidence to the contrary, future studies in fenced areas should assume some degree of permeability in order to avoid overestimating population density.

Citation

Williams, K., Williams, S., Welch, R., Marneweck, C., Mann, G., Pitman, R., …Hill, R. (2021). Assumptions about fence permeability influence density estimates for brown hyaenas across South Africa. Scientific Reports, 11, Article 620. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-77188-7

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Nov 5, 2020
Online Publication Date Jan 12, 2021
Publication Date 2021
Deposit Date Nov 5, 2020
Publicly Available Date Jun 14, 2021
Journal Scientific Reports
Publisher Nature Research
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 11
Article Number 620
DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-77188-7

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http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.





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