Linking modelling, monitoring and management: An integrated approach to controlling overabundant wildlife

Abstract

1. Overabundant wildlife can cause economic and ecological damage. Therefore population control typically seeks to maintain species' abundance within desired control limits. Efficient control requires targets, methods for estimating population size before and after control, and reliable means of forecasting population size. Demographic stochasticity, environmental variability and model uncertainty complicate these tasks. Monitoring provides critical feedback in the control process, yet examples of integrated monitoring and management are scarce. 2. We developed an integrated Bayesian population modelling and monitoring algorithm to assist with dynamic cull control of an overabundant populati..