By tapping the expertise of indigenous hunters, researchers found that conventional surveying techniques underestimate animal populations and miss species in the remote Amazon. Producing an accurate count is important for planning conservation efforts.
The Amazon rainforest has long been known for being an exotic place in the world, full of lush vegetation and diverse wildlife – perhaps even more than we previously thought. A new study led by Stanford scientists shows that tapping the expertise of indigenous hunters can provide more accurate animal counts than modern sampling techniques.
Estimating the number of animals in an ecosystem has been a relatively straightforward effort: Simply count which animals you see as you walk through a measured-off zone in the forest. Recently, the practice has expanded to include motion-triggered cameras to record animals as they walk by, together painting a picture of how many animals live in an area.
There are limitations to this approach, however, said Jose Fragoso, a biologist at Stanford and lead author on the new study. Animals often sense and avoid even the stealthiest human observers, and camera systems break down or are so expensive that a limited number can be deployed at a time.
In the remote areas of the forest in southern Guyana, however, Fragoso has experienced success using a technique called the "sign method." This estimates animal populations through indirect evidence of animals, such as footprints, feces, hair, burrows and so forth. Animals cannot inhabit an area without leaving their mark, he said, and trained local people can easily detect these marks. ...................................
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