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Vassar College

Publication Date

Spring 2023

Program Name

Australia: Sustainability and Environmental Action

Abstract

Wildlife provisioning and camera trapping are two recently evolving methods of conservation and wildlife management, aimed at protecting animals in the face of ever worsening climate change. Habitats are being destroyed by climate disruption, decreasing species diversity and abundance worldwide. It is imperative that methods of protecting species are developed to slow or reverse this era of extinction. By providing supplementary food and water to ecological communities, the hope is that species will have improved survivorship and reproduction, making them more resilient and resistant to population decline. Camera trapping is product of modern technology, allowing researchers to monitor species without invading their habitats and causing them harm. The cameras are triggered by movement, capturing images of animals as they move through their environment.

Using an array of cameras set up in four locations near Sydney, NSW, Chantelle de Kock and I monitored the populations over two periods of 6-8 weeks. Between the periods, Chantelle set out food and water provisions at two of the sites – leaving the other two as controls – creating a before and after treatment study design. This project aims to assess the impact of wildlife provisioning on the species within the study area and if it is a worthwhile conservation tool.

I found little to no difference in species diversity, relative frequency, or richness at the Golden Jubilee site before and after provisioning. These findings suggest that provisional feeding does not improve species measurements and was not an effective conservation tool within the study area.

Disciplines

Biodiversity | Environmental Monitoring | Photography | Research Methods in Life Sciences | Zoology

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