Progress overview of the camera-trapping monitoring platform for the Qianjiangyuan National Park, Zhejiang Province

Abstract

The camera-trapping monitoring platform for the Qianjiangyuan National Park was established by the Qianjiangyuan National Park Administration in cooperation with the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Peking University. The monitoring platform covers the whole national park and several adjacent areas in the Jiangxi and Anhui provinces. The survey started May 2014 in Gutianshan, and July 2018 for the rest of the regions in the park. In November 2017 and March 2018 surveys began in the adjacent areas of the Jiangxi and Anhui provinces, respectively. As of May 2020, 718,515 pictures/videos of mammals and birds have been obtained resulting in 151,221 independent detections, with a survey effort of 331,834 camera-days from 1,033 stations in 343 1 km × 1 km grids. Among those detections, 658,644 pictures/videos were able to be identified to the species level, corresponding for 133,204 independent detections. The survey recorded 23 wild mammal species belonging to 7 orders and 15 families, and 75 wild bird species belonging to 9 orders and 27 families. We updated the baseline information for large-and medium-sized mammals in the park, and examined habitat selection and population dynamics for key species, which provided important information for park management. The monitoring platform will be expanded to cover more adjacent areas around the park to continually provide information to support park management and provide teaching materials for environmental education for the park.