Adrien Gelle

Application of long-term demographic data to inform conservation strategies for endemic island birds.

Managing threatened species through nest manipulation and supplementary feeding is a key way in which conservationists can help prevent extinction. However, when a previously small population increases in size, monitoring can become increasingly difficult. 

The aim of Adrien's project is to use individual-based datasets to build advanced Capture-Mark-Recapture models of key demographic parameters for the Echo parakeet, a species endemic to Mauritius. This work will use 30 years of re-sightings data to investigate the potential to improve the monitoring by: 

1. Identifying variables responsible of impacting survival and viability, and
2. Reaching a minimum dataset that provides enough information about the population.

Through evidence-based conservation management and application of long-term demographic data, populations of threatened island species can benefit from informed conservation strategies and adaptive management decisions.

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