https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Index en-au 5 https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:48897 15 kg) carnivores, namely lions (Panthera leo), leopards (Panthera pardus), cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus), spotted (Crocuta crocuta) and brown hyaenas (Parahyaena brunnea), have been reintroduced to 16 private- and state-owned reserves in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Objectives behind these reintroductions ranged from ecotourism, ecological restoration, to species conservation. We reassessed the reintroductions' objectives and updated their outcomes a decade after the initial assessment. Ecotourism and ecological restoration were the most common objectives for the reintroduction of top predators to these reserves. With one exception, these reintroductions were successful in meeting their specific objectives, as only African wild dogs have failed to re-establish in the province. Assessments for leopards and brown hyaenas were inconclusive due to a lack of monitoring data. Causes of objective- and species-specific failures in some reserves included founding same-sex populations, lack of breeding events and changes in reserve management objectives. Long-term monitoring is essential in managing and assessing the success of conservation actions, including reintroductions of threatened species. Our review demonstrates this by highlighting changed outcomes for populations and identifying new challenges that have arisen in the landscape. In the modern parlance of conservation marketing, the multi-species reintroductions that occurred within the Eastern Cape represent successful rewilding within the province.]]> Wed 07 Feb 2024 16:36:35 AEDT ]]> https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:35016 Equus zebra hartmannae survey in Gondwana Canyon Park, southern Namibia, for occupancy analysis on leopard Panthera pardus. Using a survey design with 15 camera traps at water sources, 26 leopard events were detected over 72 days. Model fit was adequate and produced a model-averaged occupancy of 0.64 (SE 0.36) and a detection probability of 0.24 (SE 0.07). Whilst there was a lack of precision in the final occupancy estimate, the study provided valuable pilot data for future surveys. The results highlight the ability of camera traps to obtain information-rich datasets, which, when properly archived, can be used for providing information on a number of ecological topics, ranging far beyond that which the traps were originally deployed for.]]> Thu 30 May 2019 16:15:50 AEST ]]> https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:46140 Panthera pardus is the last free-roaming large carnivore in the Western Cape province, South Africa. During 2011–2015, we carried out a camera-trap survey across three regions covering c. 30,000 km² of the Western Cape. Our survey comprised 151 camera sites sampling nearly 14,000 camera-trap nights, resulting in the identification of 71 individuals. We used two spatially explicit capture–recapture methods (R programmes secr and SPACECAP) to provide a comprehensive density analysis capable of incorporating environmental and anthropogenic factors. Leopard density was estimated to be 0.35 and 1.18 leopards/100 km², using secr and SPACECAP, respectively. Leopard population size was predicted to be 102–345 individuals for our three study regions. With these estimates and the predicted available leopard habitat for the province, we extrapolated that the Western Cape supports an estimated 175–588 individuals. Providing a comprehensive baseline population density estimate is critical to understanding population dynamics across a mixed landscape and helping to determine the most appropriate conservation actions. Spatially explicit capture–recapture methods are unbiased by edge effects and superior to traditional capture–mark–recapture methods when estimating animal densities. We therefore recommend further utilization of robust spatial methods as they continue to be advanced.]]> Mon 21 Nov 2022 15:43:44 AEDT ]]> https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:35267 Mon 08 Jul 2019 10:13:22 AEST ]]> https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:53663 Fri 15 Dec 2023 11:06:26 AEDT ]]>