New Publication is out! Multi-species occupancy modeling of ground-dwelling mammals in central Laos: a case study for monitoring in tropical forests

We are pleased to share our new publication in Wildlife Biology: Multi-species occupancy modeling of ground-dwelling mammals in central Laos: a case study for monitoring in tropical forests

In this study, we conducted a landscape-scale systematic camera-trapping survey in Nakai-Nam Theun National Park in 2020 (20,794 camera-trap days for 131 operational stations 255 cameras) and applied a multi-species occupancy analysis on our dataset.

Objectives:

• Estimate occupancy and species richness within three Biodiversity Priority Zones: Nam Chae, Thong Kacheng, Thong Kouang
• Assess anthropogenic and ecological factors influencing species distribution in the national park
• Establish this methodology as part of the long-term wildlife monitoring program for the national park

Our main findings:

• Total of 40 terrestrial mammals were detected, including 5 Annamite endemics and 18 threatened species
• 28 species with sufficient detections to be included in the multi-species occupancy analysis
• Overall species richness increased with remoteness and elevation
• Mean (SD) predicted species richness in surveyed areas:
  • Thong Kacheng Zone: 14.6 (± 1.55)
  • Thong Kouang Zone: 13.2 (± 1.64)
  • Nam Chae Zone: 11.8 (± 1.15)

Species richness in Nakai-Nam Theun National Park for the selected species

Covariate effects on species occupancy probability

Our conclusions:

• Nakai-Nam Theun National Park is a priority area for biodiversity conservation in the Annamites
• The national park holds globally significant populations of Annamite endemics, including two of some of the largest remaining populations in the world of Endangered Owston’s civet and Critically Endangered Large-antlered Muntjac
• This wildlife monitoring program with a systematic large-scaled camera-trap survey should be replicated in the long-term every 3-5 years as part of Nakai-Nam Theun National Park management strategy

You can access our publication here:

We have also produced a poster presenting the presentation: