Assessing the Impact of Elevation and Seasonality on the Detection of Medium- to Large-Sized Mammals by Camera Traps.

Abstract

Factors such as elevation, season, and micro-environment may introduce bias and should be evaluated to minimize potential errors. Our findings revealed the significant impacts of altitude and season on the number of cameras and monitoring duration required in camera trap surveys. The optimal strategy for monitoring mammals is to increase the number of cameras and decrease the sampling period at lower elevations, to add more cameras and extend the sampling time during the dry season due to seasonal differences in capture ratio and species richness. Additionally, camera trap sites should be selected based on factors such as human disturbance, available resources, and concealment.