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Cost and Efficiency of Large Mammal Census Techniques: Comparison of Methods for a Participatory Approach in a Communal Area, Zimbabwe

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Abstract

The comparison of precision is often advocated for the selection of an appropriate census and/or monitoring method for wildlife, but little attention is generally paid to their cost effectiveness, a crucial criterion given budgetary and logistical constraints. We present six direct count methods conducted in a communal area of the Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe, and compare them in terms of (1) effort and cost to survey an area (sampling efficiency), and (2) efficiency in data collection (detection efficiency). Methods ranged from c.US$0.2 to over US$6.0/km2 and needed from 0.1 to 5.0 human-h/km2. The comparison of efficiencies showed the advantages of simple ground methods: foot counts and particularly bicycle counts appear well adapted to the ecological and human context of our study. The relative benefits and constraints of the different methods are discussed in the context of a community-based wildlife management programme.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CIRAD-Emvt/econap, Campus International de Baillarguet, 34 398, Montpellier, Cedex 5, France

    Nicolas Gaidet-Drapier, Mathieu Bourgarel, Pierre Poilecot, Philippe Chardonnet & Sébastien Le Bel

  2. Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS UPR 1934, 79 360, Beauvoir sur Niort, France

    Hervé Fritz

  3. Biodiversity Project, Guruve Rural District Council – Guruve and Cirad-Emvt, P.O. Box 1378, Harare, Zimbabwe

    Nicolas Gaidet-Drapier, Mathieu Bourgarel, Pierre-Cyril Renaud, Pierre Poilecot, Craig Coid, Denys Poulet & Sébastien Le Bel

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  1. Nicolas Gaidet-Drapier
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  2. Hervé Fritz
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  3. Mathieu Bourgarel
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  4. Pierre-Cyril Renaud
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  7. Craig Coid
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  9. Sébastien Le Bel
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Correspondence to Nicolas Gaidet-Drapier.

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Gaidet-Drapier, N., Fritz, H., Bourgarel, M. et al. Cost and Efficiency of Large Mammal Census Techniques: Comparison of Methods for a Participatory Approach in a Communal Area, Zimbabwe. Biodivers Conserv 15, 735–754 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-004-1063-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-004-1063-7

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