Building capacity for a wildlife ecotourism company using non-invasive research techniques

应用保护研究来发展关于野生动物种群的现有知识对工业以及管理人员和生物学家都有重要的意义。生态旅游业在很大程度上依赖于具有经济价值的重点物种的生态知识来为商业规划提供信息，其成功与当地野生动物种群的丰富性和持久性直接相关。灰熊牧场是一个观熊生态旅游企业，为客户提供独特的访问，以查看和了解灰熊在东南部的塞尔柯克-珀塞尔山脉的不列颠哥伦比亚省。随着该地区野生动物管理的变化，该公司需要有关灰熊活动模式的信息，以便在夏季/秋季建立新的观赏地点。在小密度的熊种群中，特定个体熊的存在会影响观察成功率，因此还需要识别特定的居民熊。这种扩展的知识将允许增加客户数量，从而直接增加收入。非侵入性远程跟踪相机将监测熊在各种栖息地的活动，并将开发技术来捕捉视觉识别熊所需的最佳图像。随着技术的进步，重要的是要开发新的方法，以促进非侵入性现场技术的使用。该研究项目将以技术报告的形式向公司提供反馈，详细介绍当地灰熊种群的空间和时间知识，以及可用于公司人员持续监测的不同熊的图像目录。此外，该项目将开发方法，并建立多个生态旅游公司之间的大型研究合作所需的关系。通过NSERC的拨款，灰熊牧场将利用产生的科学知识来扩大他们的业务，巩固他们的商业地位，同时也为当地经济做出贡献。低密度灰熊种群的生态知识也可能对加拿大的适当管理和保护产生影响。

Applied conservation research to develop current knowledge on wildlife populations has importantimplications for industry as well as managers and biologists. The ecotourism industry relies heavily onecological knowledge of economically valuable focal species to inform business planning, with success directlylinked to the abundance and persistence of local wildlife populations. Grizzly Bear Ranch is a bear-viewingecotourism business that provides clients with unique access to view and learn about grizzly bears in theSelkirk-Purcell Mountains of south-eastern British Columbia. Following wildlife management changes in thearea, the company needs information on grizzly bear activity patterns in order to establish new viewing sites inthe summer/fall seasons. In small density bear populations, the presence of specific individual bears can affectviewing success, therefore identification of specific resident bears is also required. This extended knowledgewill allow for increased client numbers, thus directly increasing revenue. Non-invasive remote trail cameraswill monitor bear activity in a variety of habitats and techniques will be developed to capture the optimalimages required for visual recognition of bears. As technology advances, it is important to develop novelmethodologies to facilitate the use of non-invasive field techniques. This research project will provide feedbackto the company in the form of a technical report, detailing the spatial and temporal knowledge gained of thelocal grizzly bear population, as well as a catalogue of images of different bears that can be used for continuedmonitoring by company personnel. Additionally, this project will develop methodologies and establishrelationships required for a large research collaboration between multiple ecotourism companies. Through thisNSERC grant, Grizzly Bear Ranch will use the scientific knowledge generated to expand their business,solidifying their business position but also contributing to the local economy. Ecological knowledge of lowdensity grizzly bear populations can also have implications for their appropriate management and conservationin Canada.