Ape Surveys and Distribution Modeling

JGI’s Applied Conservation Science Program provides the detailed census data that is essential to conservation planning and assessment. To be effective, the conservation community needs to know the distribution, status and trends of great ape populations. Identification of human threats in specific landscapes is also critical. JGI works closely with other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and partners in academia to apply distance sampling and element-distribution modeling using a variety of sampling approaches, including remote sensing and GIS, to conduct detailed censuses of great apes in landscapes where we work. The resulting data and analyses inform conservation strategies to maximize efficacy and to develop baselines to monitor conservation success.

 This work is integral to the following JGI programs in Africa:

• Gombe-Masito-Ugalla
• Tanzania Conservation Action Plan
• Tanzania REDD project
• DRC Chimpanzee Conservation Action Plan
• Tchimpounga Nature Reserve
• Tchimpounga Release and Reintroduction Plan

Learn more about JGI’s ape surveys and distribution modeling:

• http://weber.ucsd.edu/~jmoore/courses/methprimconsweb08/MoyerEtAl2006WCSTanzania.pdf
• http://weber.ucsd.edu/~jmoore/publications/PielEtAlSavChimpIPS2006.pdf
• http://weber.ucsd.edu/~jmoore/publications/OgawaEtAlIJP07.pdf