Using a species distribution model to guide NSW surveys of the long‐footed potoroo (Potorous longipes)

Knowledge of threatened species’ distributions is essential for effective conservation decision‐making. Species distribution models (SDMs) are widely used to map species’ geographic ranges, identify new areas of suitable habitat and guide field surveys. In New South Wales (NSW), Australia, there are...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Austral ecology 2020-02, Vol.45 (1), p.15-26
Main Authors: Wauchope‐Drumm, Mareshell, Bentley, Joss, Beaumont, Linda J., Baumgartner, John B., Nipperess, David A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal species
Cameras
Conservation
conservation biology
Decision making
Endangered & extinct species
Endangered species
Geographical distribution
Habitats
Indigenous species
Maxent
Performance prediction
Polls & surveys
Potorous longipes
presence‐only model
species distribution model
Threatened species
Wildlife conservation
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Summary:Knowledge of threatened species’ distributions is essential for effective conservation decision‐making. Species distribution models (SDMs) are widely used to map species’ geographic ranges, identify new areas of suitable habitat and guide field surveys. In New South Wales (NSW), Australia, there are grave doubts about whether populations of the critically endangered long‐footed potoroo (Potorous longipes) remain extant, and identification of occupied sites is a high priority for its conservation. We used an SDM (Maxent) to identify regions in NSW that may have suitable habitat for the potoroo. The SDM was built with seven climate layers and had strong predictive performance (cross‐validated AUC = 0.94). We then combined this information on habitat suitability with vegetation and topography, to identify 58 survey sites across NSW. From April 2016 to May 2017, we undertook six field trips deploying six to eight cameras at each site for 52–63 days, resulting in 25 120 camera trap nights. A total of 215 759 images captured 43 native and feral animal species, but no long‐footed potoroos. Following the survey, newly available, independent presence and absence data were used to validate our model. A Kruskal–Wallis H test indicated that habitat suitability values were significantly higher at presence locations than absence locations (H = 58.66, d.f. = 1, P 
ISSN:1442-9985
1442-9993
DOI:10.1111/aec.12804