Drawn out of the shadows: Surveying secretive forest species with camera trap distance sampling

With animal species disappearing at unprecedented rates, we need an efficient monitoring method providing reliable estimates of population density and abundance, critical for the assessment of population status and trend. We deployed 160 camera traps (CTs) systematically over 743 locations covering 17,127 km2 of evergreen lowland rainforest of Salonga National Park, block South, Democratic Republic of the Congo. We evaluated the applicability of CT distance sampling (CTDS) to species different in size and behaviour. To improve precision of estimates, we evaluated two methods estimating species' availability (‘A’) for detection by CTs. We recorded 16,700 video clips, revealing 43 different animal taxa. We estimated densities of 14 species differing in physical, behavioural and ecological traits, and extracted species-specific availability from available video footage using two methods (a) ‘ACa’ (Cappelle et al. [2019] Am. J. Primatol., 81, e22962) and (b) ‘ARo’ (Rowcliffe et al. [2014] Methods Ecol. Evol. 5, 1170). With sample sizes being large enough, we found minor differences between ACa and ARo in estimated densities. In contrast, low detectability and reactivity to the camera were main sources of bias. CTDS proved efficient for estimating density of homogenously rather than patchily distributed species. Synthesis and applications. Our application of camera trap distance sampling (CTDS) to a diverse vertebrate community demonstrates the enormous potential of this methodology for surveys of terrestrial wildlife, allowing rapid assessments of species' status and trends that can translate into effective conservation strategies. By providing the first estimates of understudied species such as the Congo peafowl, the giant ground pangolin and the cusimanses, CTDS may be used as a tool to revise these species' conservation status in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Based on the constraints we encountered, we identify improvements to the current application, enhancing the general applicability of this method. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Applied Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Societ

Contextualizing organizational frames: Teaching leadership to faculty in agricultural and natural resources

Possessing leadership skills has been determined to be an essential requirement within the workplace. A multi-level leadership program was designed to help provide undergraduates with more exposure to leadership principles. The program team was created through the collaboration of multiple universities found within the southeastern United States. Through a 14-week online training program followed by a field experience, participants were exposed to Bolman and Deal’s organizational frames. Participants then created cased studies grounded in this leadership framework and based on the data that was collected during their field experiences. This study quantitatively analyzed the consistency with which each of the frames were used. From the 16 published case studies on the multi-institutional project’s website, assessment questions were analyzed based on which frame/frames were being referenced. Findings from this study identified a similar use of each of the frames throughout all the case studies. Further research should be conducted to better understand each participant’s comprehension of the organizational frames prior to the development of their case studies

The drive for Chinese Investments in Agriculture: Comparing South Africa to the continent.

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