| Description |
In a world where natural areas are increasingly developed and fragmented, an understanding of spatial ecology is critical for proper land management that benefits both people and nature. Traditionally, policy makers have relied on the use of a single, charismatic species to serve as a protective umbrella for the rest of its occupying ecosystem when making decisions. However, shifting conservation efforts focus more on preserving ecosystem functioning than any one species, and a holistic, nuanced approach is required. Hierarchical multi-species approaches that are powered by camera trap data avoid many of the pitfalls single-species analyses encounter. As more habitat is exploited for human uses, more species of wildlife will be forced to compete with humans for food and territory, leading to human/wildlife conflict. One such highly exploited landscape surrounds the town of Sarikamis, in northeastern Turkey. This area has a unique food web, where carnivores far outnumber their prey species. The goal of this thesis is to elucidate how habitat usage of large carnivores changes due to habitat factors, and if the presence of a garbage dump is a positive or negative indicator of a species' site usage. Results from the occupancy model indicated that there is no statistically significant effect of habitat variables on the target species' usage of a site. However, N-mixture analysis showed strong effects of slope and elevation on wolves and distance to forest edges on lynx. Future research will endeavor to elucidate species' behavioral responses to the presence of each other, as well as humans. Additionally, there are several more years of camera trap data to analyze. |
