Mapping wildlife: integrating stakeholder knowledge with modelled patterns of deer abundance by using participatory GIS

Abstract

Context. Some species that are perceived by certain stakeholders as a valuable resource can also cause ecological or economic damage, leading to contrasting management objectives and subsequent conflict between stakeholder groups. There is increasing recognition that the integration of stakeholder knowledge with formal scientific data can enhance the information available for use in management. This is especially true where scientific understanding is incomplete, as is frequently the case for wide-ranging species, which can be difficult to monitor directly at the landscape scale.Aims. The aim of the research was to incorporate stakeholder knowledge with data derived from formal quantitative models to modify predictions of wildlife distribution and abundance, using wild deer in the UK as an example.Methods. We use selected predictor variables from a deer-vehicle collision model to estimate deer densities at the 10-km square level throughout the East of England. With these predictions as a baseline, we illustrate the use of participatory GIS as a methodological framework for enabling stakeholder participation in the refinement of landscape-scale deer abundance maps.Key results. Stakeholder participation resulted in modifications to modelled abundance patterns for all wild deer species present in the East of England, although the modifications were minor and there was a high degree of consistency among stakeholders in the adjustments made. For muntjac, roe and fallow deer, the majority of stakeholder changes represented an increase in density, suggesting that populations of these species are increasing in the region.Conclusions. Our results show that participatory GIS is a useful technique for enabling stakeholders to contribute to incomplete scientific knowledge, especially where up-to-date species distribution and abundance data are needed to inform wildlife research and management.Implications. The results of the present study will serve as a valuable information base for future research on deer management in the region. The flexibility of the approach makes it applicable to a range of species at different spatial scales and other wildlife conflict issues. These may include the management of invasive species or the conservation of threatened species, where accurate spatial data and enhanced community involvement are necessary in order to facilitate effective management.

Identifying conflicts and opportunities for collaboration in the management of a wildlife resource: a mixed-methods approach

“…A number of participatory research methods have been developed recently which investigate the role which stakeholders, both private and public, play in the process of environmental decision making. Quantitative methods include, amongst others, the use of participatory mapping approaches (Austin et al 2009;Irvine et al 2009;Jankowski 2009), Bayesian belief networks (Henriksen and Barlebo 2008) and Q-methodology (Raadgever et al 2008) for stakeholder participation. Choice experiment methodology, which was originally developed to determine consumer preferences for multi-attribute goods (Louviere and Woodworth 1983), has more recently been developed to assess stakeholder preferences for recreation and environmental management (Hearne and Salinas 2002;Othman et al 2004) and to examine the tradeoffs which stakeholders make between competing natural resource priorities (Breffle and Rowe 2002;Xu et al 2003;Horne et al 2005;Smyth et al 2009).…”

Accessing Local Tacit Knowledge as a Means of Knowledge Co-Production for Effective Wildlife Corridor Planning in the Chignecto Isthmus, Canada

“…Within the Chignecto landscape it is important to identify key wildlife features (populations, habitat and movement patterns) so that they may be considered in conservation planning and infrastructural adaptation studies. Local knowledge has been shown to improve understanding of species distributions and the factors that influence them, especially where recent shifts in these trends have occurred that are not yet captured in scientific data [88,144,158]. Such up-to-date knowledge is critical in situations when timely conservation planning is required, such as in response to imminent threats (e.g., sea-level rise), sudden opportunities (e.g., infrastructure adaptation studies) and urgent priorities such as recovery of endangered species (e.g., NS Mainland moose) [144,158].…”

Evaluating the tuberculosis hazard posed to cattle from wildlife across Europe

“…The projection of each country level map was transformed to the projection of the land-cover map. The land-cover map resolution was converted from 250 m square grid cells to 10 Â 10 km grid cells (hectads), which is a commonly used resolution for studies of animal distribution and abundance (Ward, 2005;Austin et al, 2009;Carden et al, 2011). The proportion of each land-cover class within each hectad was then calculated.…”