Initial Project Goals and Plans in Preparation for 2014 AAG

Annual Meeting

Dr. Rebecca Lewison & Jennifer FeltnerBiology Department

Goals/Papers/ProductsNext 1-2 years• Conduct a pilot test using

cameras/occupancy modeling• Write a short paper on results from

pilot test and applicability to other primate species

• Complete coursework at SDSU/UC Davis by Spring 2015

• Launch full-time field work and data collection

Photo by Xi Zhinong

Goals/Papers/ProductsNext ~ 5 years• Complete data collection/analyses• Publish several papers– My findings for occupancy and

habitat suitability modeling– Survey techniques for

monitoring primates– Contribute to papers produced

by other PIs/grad students on CNH project

– Popular article on cross-disciplinary collaborations in science Photo by Xi Zhinong

Current Research Objectives:

1)Apply a multi-season occupancy model to investigate ecological and anthropogenic factors affecting monkey distribution and habitat use2)Construct a spatially explicit co-occurrence and habitat suitability model to characterize patterns of monkey and human space/resource overlap 3)Evaluate the effectiveness of PES as a conservation tool for monkeys

Data Needs:

I plan to collect/gather data on monkey occupancy and distribution and the following environmental and anthropogenic covariates: vegetation type, canopy cover, elevation/slope/aspect, food resources, human activities, distance to roads, major villages and tourist areas, distance to farmland and PES parcels

Data I will collect• Camera Trap Images

- Monkey use/occupancy- Human use- Other species

• Vegetation Sampling- Microhabitat (5x5m) vegetation plot sampling at each camera station: vertical structure, canopy cover, tree dbh, understory density, stand density- Additional vegetation sampling, using plots, line transects, or other survey methods especially to ID/locate important monkey food resources

• Line transects or other survey methods to collect human use, disturbance data• Locations of roads, major villages and tourist areas, distance to farmland and PES parcels

Data I will need from others• Remote Sensing data

– Vegetation sampling from 210 plots (dominant plant species compositions and percent cover, etc.)

– Land cover classification/vegetation type (currently 7 types)– Canopy fractional cover

• Participatory mapping – GPS points of homes, villages, resource collection, community

forests, etc.– If available info on what resources are exacted (buds, wood,

hunting)• Stakeholder Survey

– GPS locations of resource collection activities or households that list resource extraction as their livelihood

• Locations of PES parcels – do we have this?• Locations of important monkey food trees – does FNNR have this?

Potential timeline for doing fieldworkFeb/March 2014 Trip Goals• Get familiar with landscape, terrain, habitat• Test 3-4 cameras in field• Befriend Niu; establish grounds for data-sharing by bringing an image

sorting database, sound-triggered sensing device/camera, etc• Assist remote sensing team; learn vegetation sampling techniques2014/2015 School Year• Currently unsure if taking a quarter off from the UC Davis will be an

option given course requirements I need to fulfill in order to advance to candidacy

• If possible, would like to conduct a short pilot test over winter and/or spring breaks – install cameras in December 2014 – pull in March 2015.

2015/2016 School Year• Latest for beginning full-time field work – hope to stay in China for

extended period of time: 9-12 months

Questions??

Photo by Cyril Ruoso