Tools and Techniques for Monitoring Wildlife Habitats, Communities, and Populations

Resource monitoring is critically important for documenting trends and learning from the past (i.e., adaptive management), yet it has been plagued with poor design and execution. We are developing and testing novel approaches to wildlife monitoring, including the use of non-invasive field sampling and molecular markers to determine patterns of species occurrence and population abundance relative to management actions or habitat conditions. We are using remote sensing methods to improve mapping and prediction of wildlife habitats and the quality of those habitats for different species.