Wildlife population monitoring tracks changes in animal numbers, distribution and demography over time. It supports research and management by showing trends, while accounting for uncertainty in how populations are detected.
7 stories
A national acoustic survey recorded millions of bat calls and added distribution information for several rare and threatened species. The data provide a monitoring baseline, not evidence of population recovery.
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The 2025 survey recorded similar occupancy and territory totals to recent years in consistently monitored plots, but local trends and habitat indicators varied.
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Testing from 2022 to 2025 found three confirmed infections alongside widespread influenza-antibody evidence in sampled ducks and geese. The antibodies indicate previous exposure, but cannot show that birds are immune or identify the virus responsible.
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A USGS-led study tested very-high-resolution satellite images from Alaska’s Beaufort Sea coast. Its findings point to potential for helping screen images, while leaving wider monitoring applications unproven.
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Camera-trap data from Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve show strong establishment and expanding landscape use by elephants and buffalo, while trends among other translocated herbivores vary.
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The team returned to the field after October funding came through, but continued support is not secured. The Critically Endangered saola has not been conclusively detected since 2013.
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The official Mekong tally is 118, but it is not directly comparable with the latest formal population estimate, made in 2020. Serious threats remain.
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