Unmanned aerial vehicle surveys reveal unexpectedly high density of a threatened deer in a plantation forestry landscape
Javier A. Pereira, Diego� Varela, Leonardo J. Scarpa, Antonio E. Frutos, Natalia G. Fracassi, Bernardo Lartigau, Carlos I. Piña
Abstract
Abstract The Vulnerable marsh deer Blastocerus dichotomus , the largest native cervid in South America, is declining throughout its range as a result of the conversion of wetlands and overhunting. Estimated densities in open wetlands of several types are 0.1–6.8 individuals per km 2 . We undertook the first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) survey of the marsh deer to estimate the density of this species in a 113.6 km 2 area under forestry management in the lower delta of the Paraná River, Argentina. During 6–8 August 2019, at a time of year when canopy cover is minimal, we surveyed marsh deer using Phantom 4 Pro UAVs along 94 transects totalling 127.8 km and 8.6 km 2 (8.1% of the study area). The 5,506 photographs obtained were manually checked by us and by a group of 39 trained volunteers, following a standardized protocol. We detected a total of 58 marsh deer, giving an estimated density of 6.90 individuals per km 2 (95% CI 5.26–8.54), which extrapolates to 559–908 individuals in our 113.6 km 2 study area. As it has generally been assumed that marsh deer prefer open habitats, this relatively high estimate of density within a forestry plantation matrix is unexpected. We discuss the advantages of using UAVs to survey marsh deer and other related ungulates.