Monitoring Mongolian Biodiversity Wildlife Picture Index (WPI)

							Monitoring Mongolian Biodiversity
      Wildlife Picture Index
               (WPI)
        Zoological Society of London
   in cooperation with World Bank-NEMO
     and UNDP Altay Sayan Project and
       with the Park Administration of
                  Mongolia

                  WPI/ZSL
                Mongolia
• Undergoing rapid social, environmental
  and economic change
• Increased illegal hunting and wildlife trade
• Red List for Mammals, initiated by World
  Bank, indicates that 79% of large
  ungulates and 12% of carnivores are listed
  as threatened with extinction (Clark et al.
  2006)

                     WPI/ZSL
   Reversing Wildlife Declines
Define scope and severity of wildlife
 population declines

To help define and communicate trends in
 Mongolian biodiversity by implementing a
 large scale monitoring strategy based on
 camera trapping called WPI (Wildlife
 Picture Index)

                     WPI/ZSL
 Convention on Biological Diversity




• Target to reduce the current rate of loss of
  biodiversity for 2010
• WPI will help Mongolia meets its commitment to
  monitor progress towards this target

                      WPI/ZSL
    Why are camera traps (& WPI) a
    good tool to meet these goals?
•   Non-obtrusive
•   Low observer error
•   Scientifically robust
•   Does not require highly skilled staff
•   Can be used to reliably compare different sites
•   Low cost (compared to studies of equal rigor)
•   Interesting for the general public and policy
    makers


                         WPI/ZSL
         WPI Methodology
• Developed by world’s leading experts
• Led by ZSL and WCS but included WWF,
  Conservation International, and Flora and
  Fauna International




                    WPI/ZSL
              WPI: What is it?
• Community level biodiversity based
  approach for monitoring medium to
  large terrestrial vertebrates using
  presence/absence based occupancy
  statistics and indices of abundance
• Includes both community level and
  species level trends
• Possible, in some cases, to estimate
  populations based on count and
  occupancy



                          WPI/ZSL
    In order to determine trends in
  biodiversity, WPI recommends that
• Camera stations placed systematically
  within fixed sampling blocks
• Placed along a gradient from most human
  influence to least
• Implemented annually for site based
  priority setting and management
• Can be implemented in different habitats
  and biological communities

                   WPI/ZSL
       Calculating the Index
• Produces an indicator of the mean rate of
  population change for a species or for a
  suite of vertebrate species
• Geometric mean method described by
  Buckland et al. 2005
• Need multiple years of data



                    WPI/ZSL
    Pilot Study: Myangan Ugalzat
       Tsegtseg Soum, Hovd Aimag
•   30 day period
•   To test camera stations
•   Figure out feasibility
•   Refine methods for future training
•   Report findings
•   Assist Park Administration in
    managing its park
                     WPI/ZSL
Location in Western Mongolia




            WPI/ZSL
      Camera Station Lay Out
Grid I in Buffer Zone        Grid II in Core Area of
• 20 camera stations           Park
• 20 sq km grid              • 20 camera stations
• Lower elevation            • 20 sq km grid
• Dry steppe                 • Higher elevation
• More human                 • Dry steppe, steppe
  disturbance*                 and wet meadow
                             • Less human
                               disturbance*

                        WPI/ZSL
        Methods:
Camera Preparation & Set Up




            WPI/ZSL
Camera station maintenance




           WPI/ZSL
Other wildlife sampling techniques
Point Counts
- Bird density
- Bird diversity




                   WPI/ZSL
Small mammal trapping:
abundance and diversity




          WPI/ZSL
Acoustic monitoring: Bats




               WPI/ZSL
Mist netting: Bird Diversity




            WPI/ZSL
Findings




  WPI/ZSL
           Grid I: Findings




• Many pikas!
• Marmots
• Small birds such as wheatears
                   WPI/ZSL
Grid I: Red Fox and Corsac




           WPI/ZSL
Grid I: Argali




     WPI/ZSL
Grid II: Findings




       WPI/ZSL
Grid II: Findings




       WPI/ZSL
Grid II: Wildlife




       WPI/ZSL
Grid II: Livestock and Herder




             WPI/ZSL
               Conclusions
• Camera stations
  worked well
• Livestock were
  attracted to our
  camera stations,
  which caused
  problems
• With the help of the
  local community, this
  project could be a
  success
                          WPI/ZSL
          Project Expansion




• 100 camera stations
• Training for rangers and herder groups
• Set up and maintain for 3 months each year for
  3 years at several sites


                      WPI/ZSL
Future of WPI




     WPI/ZSL
Thanks




 WPI/ZSL
Funded by the Zoological Society
of London and World Bank/NEMO



              WPI/ZSL