Rangeland Ecology & Management

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PRACTICAL PERFORMANCE METRICS FOR ASSESSING THE NEED AND EFFICACY OF MANAGEMENT ACTIONS TOWARDS WILD PIGS
Author
Engeman, Richard
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2014
Body

Feral swine are a highly destructive species in many places around the world. Consequently, they are subject to many forms of management actions to reduce their negative impacts. Quantifiable metrics allow informed decisions on courses of actions and the evaluation of benefits produced by those actions. The variables most useful for assessing management actions include monitoring both population and damage levels. Because most actions against feral swine are carried out by operational field personnel rather than by researchers, metrics of abundance are most useful if they are: 1) practical to apply, 2) easy to understand, 3) sensitive to changes or differences, 4) rely on few analytical assumptions, and 5) permit valid statistical comparisons among results. Here, methods meeting these criteria for both monitoring swine abundance and assessing damage in natural environments are described. A passive tracking index has been a useful, low-labor method for monitoring wild pig populations in many places around the world. Likewise, an optimized line intercept sampling method is straight-forward to apply, produces quality damage estimates, and has low impact when used in sensitive habitats. Many other methods exist, but these two represent quality starting points when considering means to monitor the efficacy of management actions towards feral swine.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Orlando, FL