engleski

POPULATION ANALYSIS OF STRICTLY PROTECTED SPECIES OF SMALL MAMMALS (RODENTIA: CRICETIDAE, GLIRIDAE) IN CROATIA – PRELIMINARY REPORT

Population data of rodent strictly protected species Dinaromys bogdanovi, Dryomys nitedula, Muscardinus avellanarius and Cricetus cricetus in Croatia is generally insufficiently known. Field protocols for the first two species are not available and have yet to be developed. The ‘zero state’ knowledge of populations will be established by processing the existing avail able data (habitat modelling) and collecting of new field data. This will greatly enhance the knowledge on the ecology of target species and consequently facilitate the development of effective conservation management. Some of the available methods of data collection are laborious, expensive and lack desired sensitivity to detect the target species. We are therefore seeking for improvements of the available protocols and the development of novel ones, specifically techniques which will provide unbiased information on the distribution, population size and habitat requirements. At last, we are keen to estimate the anthropogenic pressures and to assess the conservation status of the species. If appropriate, we shall propose implementation of urgent conservation measures already in duration of the project. Also, methods tested and improved for the duration of this survey will be again implemented during the next reporting periods. It is therefore crucial to standardize monitoring protocols and provide detailed instructions for the field work, sampling design, data processing and long-term storage of primary data.

habitat modelling, biodiversity, population, small mammals, monitoring, conservation management

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