scholarly journals Spatial density estimates of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in the French Jura and Vosges Mountains

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivier Gimenez ◽  
Sylvain Gatti ◽  
Christophe Duchamp ◽  
Estelle Germain ◽  
Alain Laurent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Status ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Spatial Density ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Eurasian Lynx ◽  
Density Estimates ◽  
Vosges Mountains ◽  
French Jura ◽  
Jura Mountain

AbstractObtaining estimates of animal population density is a key step in providing sound conservation and management strategies for wildlife. For many large carnivores however, estimating density is difficult because these species are elusive and wide-ranging. Here, we focus on providing the first density estimates of the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in the French Jura and Vosges mountains. We sampled a total of 413 camera trapping sites (with 2 cameras per site) between January 2011 and April 2016 in seven study areas across seven counties of the French Jura and Vosges mountains. We obtained 592 lynx detections over 19,035 trap days in the Jura mountain and 0 detection over 6,804 trap days in the Vosges mountain. Based on coat patterns, we identified a total number of 92 unique individuals from photographs, including 16 females, 13 males and 63 individuals of unknown sex. Using spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models, we estimated abundance in the study areas between 5 (SE = 0.1) and 29 (0.2) lynx and density between 0.24 (SE = 0.02) and 0.91 (SE = 0.03) lynx per 100 km2. We also provide a comparison with non-spatial density estimates and discuss the expected discrepancies. Our study is yet another example of the advantage of combining SCR methods and non-invasive sampling techniques to estimate density for elusive and wide-ranging species, like large carnivores. While the estimated densities in the French Jura mountain are comparable to other lynx populations in Europe, the fact that we detected no lynx in the Vosges mountain is alarming. Connectivity should be encouraged between the French Jura mountain, the Vosges mountain and the Palatinate Forest in Germany where a reintroduction program is currently ongoing. Our density estimates will help in setting a baseline conservation status for the lynx population in France.

scholarly journals Spatial density estimates of Eurasian lynx ( Lynx lynx ) in the French Jura and Vosges Mountains

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (20) ◽  
pp. 11707-11715
Author(s):  
Olivier Gimenez ◽  
Sylvain Gatti ◽  
Christophe Duchamp ◽  
Estelle Germain ◽  
Alain Laurent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Density ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Eurasian Lynx ◽  
Density Estimates ◽  
Vosges Mountains ◽  
French Jura

scholarly journals A Study of Population Size and Activity Patterns and Their Relationship to the Prey Species of the Eurasian Lynx Using a Camera Trapping Approach

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 864
Author(s):  
Xiaoming Tang ◽  
Shupei Tang ◽  
Xiaoyu Li ◽  
Dalai Menghe ◽  
Wuliji Bao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Population Size ◽  
Habitat Management ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Camera Trapping ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Eurasian Lynx ◽  
Different Seasons

Revealing the behavioral relationships between predators and their prey is fundamental in understanding the community structure and ecosystem functions of such animals. This study aimed at detecting the population size and activity patterns of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) (along with its prey) by camera trapping monitoring from 2014 to 2017 at the Saihanwula nature reserve in central Inner Mongolia. The total effective trapping days were 29,892 and 20 lynx were identified from 343 trapping photos based on the inner side patterns of their forelimbs. The daily activity rhythms of the lynx overlapped with those of different prey in different seasons. The yearly activity pattern of the lynx was influenced by its main prey’s biology. In conclusion, this study reveals that the activity patterns of the top predator matched those of its prey in different time periods. Habitat management strategies promoting the restoration of prey communities would benefit the lynx in maintaining a stable community structure.

scholarly journals Citizen Scientists Showed a Four-Fold Increase of Lynx Numbers in Lithuania

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 9777
Author(s):  
Linas Balčiauskas ◽  
Laima Balčiauskienė ◽  
John A. Litvaitis ◽  
Eugenijus Tijušas
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Status ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Eurasian Lynx ◽  
Volunteer Monitoring ◽  
Track Counts ◽  
Range Fragmentation

By the early 2000s, Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) were nearly extirpated in Lithuania. To determine their status, we used snow-track counts in 2006–2012 and volunteer monitoring in 1999–2005 and 2015–2018. Using simple questionnaires, we collected incidental observations from hunters, foresters, and other interested citizens to estimate lynx distribution, abundance and extent of breeding. Citizen scientists provided 206 reports of 278 individual lynx that suggested expanding lynx distributions in central, western, southwestern, and southern parts of Lithuania. A decrease in range fragmentation has also been observed since 2015. Nationwide, the lynx population quadrupled from 2010 to 162 individuals in 2018. The number of breeding individuals reported was just seven in both 2007 and 2008, limited to two forests in the very north and central part of the country. This increased to 46 in 2015–2018. Our results indicate that the lynx population in Lithuania has increased and its conservation status should be reconsidered.

scholarly journals Robust monitoring of the Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx in the Slovak Carpathians reveals lower numbers than officially reported

Oryx ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 548-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakub Kubala ◽  
Peter Smolko ◽  
Fridolin Zimmermann ◽  
Robin Rigg ◽  
Branislav Tám ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Eurasian Lynx ◽  
Favourable Conservation Status ◽  
Scientific Approach ◽  
Capture Recapture ◽  
Eu Habitats Directive ◽  
The Eu

AbstractThe Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx population in the Carpathian Mountains is considered to be one of the best preserved and largest in Europe and hence is a source for past and current reintroduction projects in central Europe. However, its status in Slovakia has been reported to the European Commission on the basis of hunters´ reports and expert estimates that have never been validated by a robust scientific approach. We conducted the first camera-trapping surveys to estimate the density of Eurasian lynx in Slovakia by means of spatial capture–recapture models in two reference areas during 2011–2015. We estimated population density per 100 km2 of suitable lynx habitat (posterior SD) as 0.58 ± SD 0.13 independent individuals (adults and subadults) in the Štiavnica Mountains and 0.81 ± SD 0.29 in Veľká Fatra National Park and surroundings. These are the lowest densities estimated using spatial capture–recapture models so far reported for the species, suggesting the lynx population in Slovakia is below carrying capacity. We suspect that low densities may be attributable to undetected human-caused mortality. Our results imply that official game statistics are substantially overestimated. Moreover, the lynx population in Slovakia may not be at favourable conservation status as required by the EU Habitats Directive. We therefore call for a thorough assessment of the density and trend of the Slovak Carpathian lynx population, and the establishment of a scientifically robust monitoring system.

scholarly journals Occurrence of large carnivores – Lynx lynx, Canis lupus, and Ursus arctos – and of Felis silvestris in the Czech Republic and western Slovakia in 2012–2016 (Carnivora)

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miroslav Kutal ◽  
Elisa Belotti ◽  
Josefa Volfová ◽  
Tereza Mináriková ◽  
Luděk Bufka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Brown Bear ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Grey Wolf ◽  
Felis Silvestris ◽  
Eurasian Lynx ◽  
The Czech Republic

Abstract In the last decades, large carnivores – the grey wolf (Canis lupus), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) and brown bear (Ursus arctos), and to a certain extent also the wildcat (Felis silvestris) – have increased their distribution ranges throughout Europe. Monitoring of their current distribution and population trends in the Czech Republic is crucial for the effective conservation and elimination of possible conflicts with humans in the future. In the last years, many projects focused on small-scale monitoring of large carnivores were implemented in the Czech Republic and the neighbouring mountain ranges of Slovakia. Using their results, we compiled the dataset from different regions and analysed the recent distribution of large carnivores and the wildcat. The distribution maps are based on verified data on the presence and reproduction in 2012–2016. This is consistent with the standardized methodology used across Europe. The Eurasian lynx was the most widespread of all large carnivore species in the Czech Republic, with the two trans-boundary populations (Carpathian and Bohemian-Bavarian-Austrian) occupying 94 out of 868 squares (10.8%) of the mapping grid of the Czech Republic. Reproduction was confirmed in 46.8% of the occupied squares. The grey wolf occupied 6.8% of the squares in the Czech Republic and its reproduction was confirmed in 10.2% of the occupied squares. Three reproducing packs belonging to the Central European lowland population were confirmed and the area occupied by the species increased three times within the study period. The brown bear occupied 2.8% of the squares of the Czech Republic – the area is restricted to the Carpathians – with no signs of reproduction; its distribution fluctuated heavily during the study period. The wildcat occupied the smallest range of the Czech Republic among the studied species (1.4% of the squares) but its reproduction was confirmed in a trans-boundary area (White Carpathians) at the Slovakian side of the border. The wildcat also significantly increased its range from one to six squares during the study period.

scholarly journals Recovery of large carnivores in Europe’s modern human-dominated landscapes

Science ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 346 (6216) ◽  
pp. 1517-1519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillaume Chapron ◽  
Petra Kaczensky ◽  
John D. C. Linnell ◽  
Manuela von Arx ◽  
Djuro Huber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Eurasian Lynx ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Gray Wolves ◽  
Formidable Challenge ◽  
European Situation

The conservation of large carnivores is a formidable challenge for biodiversity conservation. Using a data set on the past and current status of brown bears (Ursus arctos), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), gray wolves (Canis lupus), and wolverines (Gulo gulo) in European countries, we show that roughly one-third of mainland Europe hosts at least one large carnivore species, with stable or increasing abundance in most cases in 21st-century records. The reasons for this overall conservation success include protective legislation, supportive public opinion, and a variety of practices making coexistence between large carnivores and people possible. The European situation reveals that large carnivores and people can share the same landscape.

scholarly journals In situ feeding as a new management tool to conserve orphaned Eurasian lynx (lynx lynx)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe Premier ◽  
Martin Gahbauer ◽  
Franz Leibl ◽  
Marco Heurich
Keyword(s):  
Management Tool ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Eurasian Lynx ◽  
In Situ Feeding

scholarly journals Conservation of snow leopards: spill-over benefits for other carnivores?

Oryx ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justine S. Alexander ◽  
Jeremy J. Cusack ◽  
Chen Pengju ◽  
Shi Kun ◽  
Philip Riordan
Keyword(s):  
Red Fox ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Camera Trap ◽  
Snow Leopard ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Eurasian Lynx ◽  
Detection Rates ◽  
Cuon Alpinus ◽  
Sign Surveys ◽  
Snow Leopards

AbstractIn high-altitude settings of Central Asia the Endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia has been recognized as a potential umbrella species. As a first step in assessing the potential benefits of snow leopard conservation for other carnivores, we sought a better understanding of the presence of other carnivores in areas occupied by snow leopards in China's Qilianshan National Nature Reserve. We used camera-trap and sign surveys to examine whether other carnivores were using the same travel routes as snow leopards at two spatial scales. We also considered temporal interactions between species. Our results confirm that other carnivores, including the red fox Vulpes vulpes, grey wolf Canis lupus, Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx and dhole Cuon alpinus, occur along snow leopard travel routes, albeit with low detection rates. Even at the smaller scale of our camera trap survey all five carnivores (snow leopard, lynx, wolf, red fox and dhole) were observed. Kernel density estimates suggested a high degree of temporal overlap between the snow leopard and the fox, and the snow leopard and the lynx, as indicated by high overlap coefficient estimates. There is an opportunity to consider protective measures at the local scale that would benefit various species simultaneously. However, it should also be recognized that snow leopard conservation efforts could exacerbate human–wildlife conflicts through their protective effect on other carnivore species.

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