Eliciting and integrating expert knowledge for wildlife habitat modelling

Abstract

Expert knowledge regarding the distribution of sambar deer (Cervis unicolor) in Lake Eildon National Park (LENP), Victoria was used to build a wildlife habitat model to assist with park management. The paper presents two methods for eliciting expert knowledge. These were a quantitative geographical information system (GIS)-based approach using a customised graphical user interface, and a qualitative approach that uses semi-structured interviews. The GIS approach is valuable as it is objective, repeatable and provides a spatial context for knowledge elicitation. Experts were asked to provide estimates of sambar sightings and predicted densities with the assistance of contextual environmental ..