Capture–recapture population growth rate as a robust tool against detection heterogeneity for population management

摘要: Managing large carnivores is one of the most controversial issues in wildlife conservation, as sociopolitical challenges it raises are important biological ones. Such conservation require objective components to be implemented within management decision process, particular, a reliable way estimating trends abundance. However, these species usually exhibit territoriality, low densities, and social constraints that can generate individual detection heterogeneity (IDH) methodological (sampling) or (social status, marking behavior) origin. If not accounted for, IDH lead, turn, strong bias estimation population As complement size, we propose use growth rate (k) estimated with capture-recapture (CR) data, robust method detect account for IDH, monitor manage elusive species. case study, consider natural recovery wolf (Canis lupus) France, which previous study has shown leading 27% underestimation Analyzing nine-year data set based on noninvasive sampling protocol relying scat genotyping, adopt new CR approach estimate k while explicitly accounting IDH. The annual was at 1.271 6 0.087 (mean SE) vs. 1.270 0.095 when indicating much less sensitive than We evaluated robustness our simulation using increasing levels increased but whether used model not. Finally, discuss implications findings terms protocols strategies