USE OF
CAMERA TRAPS for conservation actions
1
Picture of a cougar ( Puma concolor ) in the Sierra de San Pedro Martir captured with a camera trap .
By Cesar Guerrero and Antonieta Valenzuela
The use of camera traps for capturing images of wildlife is a helpful and important tool for environmental conservation , since it provides evidence on wildlife diversity of a determined place without human interference .
This technique has gained popularity in the last years as a consequence of the rise of the new rather economic and easy-to-use automatic cameras ( Kucera & Barret , 1993 ). They are also non-invasive and highly efficient compared to traditional techniques ( Monroy-Vilchis et al . 2009 ).
A camera trap is an automatic device that detects movement or temperature changes ( depending on the camera ), and is triggered by a sensor to take a photograph . Generally , they are used to capture medium- to large-sized land mammals and some species of birds .
Broadly speaking , there are two types of cameras : triggered and non-triggered . Non-triggered cameras work by taking pictures continuously or with programed time intervals to capture events . On the other hand , triggered cameras activate with an event , usually the arrival of an animal . It can be activated mechanically , like with an animal stepping on a pressure pad , but more typically they are activated by an infrared system .
“ The use of camera traps is a helpful technique to study wildlife , […] and recollect information on
a range of species , simultaneous or continuously in different areas of study , during a large period of time ” ( Ancrenaz et al ., 2012 , p . 2 ).
As to Terra Peninsular , both in Valle Tranquilo Nature Reserve as in Punta Mazo Nature Reserve , camera traps are used to collect useful information on the habitat by being an eco-friendly option that generates little to no impact .
In these nature reserves , camera traps are strategically located in the areas of study and are rotated following systematic methods according to the objectives .
Depending on the objectives and based on the obtained data , decisions focused on conservation following the Adaptive Habitat Management program are made , such as identifying changes in the ecosystem , determining presence or absence of wildlife to know in detail the biodiversity , use of habitat , among other aspects .
As a result , different species have been detected in both reserves , especially in the Valle Tranquilo Nature Reserve where pictures of cougars , bobcats , mule deer , coyotes , and gray foxes , among other species have been taken .
Chavez et al . ( 2013 ) stated that : “ Detecting an individual or species […] is just the tip of a big mountain of information that allows us to analyze and understand both special aspects ( distribution and abundance ) and temporal aspects ( if the sampling
04 AUGUST 2016