Wildlife Research Methodologies

Bioacoustics is changing the way researchers study wildlife, offering new insights into the behaviors and environments of animals through the sounds they make. A podcast mini-series, Wild Frequencies, embarks on an auditory journey across India, where researchers harness the power of sound to unlock the mysteries of wildlife. In the first episode, series producers Shreya Dasgupta and Kartik Chandramouli explore how researchers use bioacoustics to find and count elusive animals. By capturing and analyzing sounds, they are able to locate species that are difficult to observe directly: https://mongabay.cc/u262vw The second episode delves into animal behavior, examining how the sounds animals make—from the calls of large mammals to the buzzing of insects—reveal important information about their activities and interactions: https://mongabay.cc/XN6b8N The final episode investigates how bioacoustics can help us understand the impact of human-altered landscapes on wildlife. By listening to the sounds of animals and their environments, researchers can track changes in populations and behaviors, offering a new perspective on conservation: https://mongabay.cc/UaRz0z As researchers increasingly tune into these wild frequencies, they find themselves at the frontier of a new era, where every chirp, growl, and rustle has a story to tell, a behavior to document, and a secret to unveil. Bioacoustics, though still in its infancy, is poised to offer a richer, more nuanced understanding of the living world and our place within it. Photos: 1) Seema Lokhandwala records elephant calls at Kaziranga National Park. Image by Vijay Bedi. 2) Manjari Jain ascending the forest canopy in Kudremukh to study the crickets in 2007. Image by Natasha Mhatre. 3) A sarus crane pair performs a duet in the presence of an interloper. Image by K.S. Gopi Sundar. 4) An AudioMoth recorder installed in Valparai, Tamil Nadu. Image by Vijay Ramesh. 5) (Top) Release call, (bottom) free-flying call. Image courtesy of the Indian Bat Call Library. 6) Manjari Jain recording crickets in Kudremukh National Park in 2007. Image by H. Raghuram. 7) Isha Bopardikar deploys a towed hydrophone to study marine mammals along the Malvan coast in Maharashtra. Image courtesy of Isha Bopardikar. 8) Rohit Chakravarthy with a bat detector. Image by Rajesh Puttaswamaiah.

The capture of wild animals in their natural habitat is a highly sensitive procedure that requires meticulous planning to ensure animal welfare and minimize stress. GPS collars are deployed to monitor their movements across the landscape and are specifically designed not to exceed approximately 2.5% of the animal’s body weight. Furthermore, in the case of young individuals, collars are periodically removed or adjusted to accommodate natural growth. In this picture, a beautiful Pallas's cat is shown being captured and released at the capture site. Although capture and radio-tracking are not always well accepted by the public, they are essential tools for the conservation of wild populations. Pallas's cats, for example, inhabit areas that are heavily used for livestock grazing. Overgrazing caused by excessive livestock numbers can degrade the habitat of small rodents, the primary prey of Pallas's cats, ultimately reducing prey availability and forcing individuals to relocate. Data collected through GPS tracking offer valuable insights into the species' spatial ecology, which can thus be used to inform and design more effective conservation strategies. - With Giacomo De Donà Picture credits: Danilo Breda & Wildlife Initiative Supported by: Parajumpers, ZooParc de Trégomeur, @irbis.mongolia, Snow Leopard Conservancy, @AKU trekking & outdoor footwear and PICA Project. Visit: www.wildlifeinitiative.org - #wildlifeinitiative #wildlife #species #wildspecies #nature #wildnature #ecosystem #environment #biodiversity #ecology #habitat #research #wildliferesearch #conservation #wildlifeconservation #monitoring #wildlifemonitoring #capturing #radiocollaring #spatialecology #livestock #overgrazing #mammals #mammalia #carnivores #predators #felids #felidae #wildfelids #wildcats #pallasscat #otocolobusmanul #mongolia #asia

STRENGTHENING EVIDENCE-BASED CONSERVATION AT THE UGANDA WILDLIFE AUTHORITY (Research for Informed Decisions - R4IDs) UWA can must invest in its ecological monitoring and research capabilities thru: 1. A comprehensive needs assessment to identify current gaps in personnel skills, research infrastructure, and technological resources. 2. UWA should prioritize the recruitment and training of highly skilled ecological monitoring and research officers, focusing on areas such as wildlife population dynamics, habitat assessment, socio-ecological interactions, and data analysis. 3. Continuous professional development through workshops, mentorship programs, and collaborations with national and international research institutions will be crucial for keeping their expertise current. 4. UWA needs to establish standardized and robust ecological monitoring protocols across all protected areas. This includes the implementation of systematic data collection methods for key biodiversity indicators, such as species abundance, distribution, habitat condition, and threats like poaching and encroachment. 5. Invest more in modern technologies like SMART, GPS tracking, remote sensing, camera traps, and specialized software for data management and analysis will greatly improve the efficiency and accuracy of data collection and processing. 6. UWA should foster a culture of rigorous data management, ensuring data quality, accessibility, and secure storage for long-term analysis and informed decision-making. 7. UWA should develop a prioritized research agenda aligned with its management objectives and the National Development Plan IV. 8. Set a clear research agenda, This should focus on addressing critical knowledge gaps that hinder effective conservation, such as understanding the impacts of climate change on wildlife populations, assessing the effectiveness of current management interventions, and investigating human-wildlife coexistence dynamics. 9. Conduct regular meetings, joint field visits, and the development of user-friendly research summaries and policy briefs can facilitate the uptake of research findings in management decisions. 10. UWA should establish a dedicated budget line for ecological monitoring and research, recognizing it as a core function for effective wildlife management. Exploring diverse funding opportunities through partnerships with research institutions, conservation organizations, and international donors will be essential for long-term financial sustainability. Uganda Wildlife Authority James Musinguzi, PhD

The first step for wildlife conservation is locating and tracking individuals to understand both individual and population behavior and dynamics. Scientists have used radio-tracking methods since the 1960s to help with this process. But, how exactly does radio-tracking work, and how can drones help? With conventional radio-tracking, individuals are captured and tagged with a radio transmitter, which transmits radio signals. Scientists then can take to the field with a radio receiver, which beeps louder and louder the closer the receiver is to the transmitter. One of the drawbacks of conventional radio-tracking is that scientists need to be in relatively close proximity to the radio transmitter to determine the animal’s location. That’s why drone radio-telemetry is a huge advance for wildlife conservation. Wildlife Drones , an Australian drone company focused on animal tracking, has developed a radio-telemetry system that allows a specialized sensor to track animal tag signals from a drone. This system means that in one flight, the sensor can detect up to 40 tagged animals within range. While conventional radio-tracking required sending people out to rugged or remote places to track down tagged individuals, drone radio-telemetry saves both time and money. Additionally, the drone data can be mapped real-time, even when offline, and is compatible with all very-high frequency radio transmitters. Recently, Wildlife Drones partnered with Save Vietnam's Wildlife to protect the pangolin, which is the world’s most trafficked mammal. SVW’s conservation practices involve rescuing and releasing pangolins into wildlife reserves. However, it can be difficult to monitor the post-release survival of the animals they release, as pangolins can live in rugged and remote terrain. With drone radio-telemetry, SVW can track multiple animals and better understand the successes and challenges of their methods. Read more about drone radio-telemetry and pangolin conservation: https://lnkd.in/er85CjS2 Read about conventional radio-telemetry here: https://buff.ly/467EpeC #dronesforgood #drones4good  #wildlife #conservation #biodiversity Follow me (Kat James) to learn more about #dronesforgood. This month I'm talking about drones for wildlife conservation.