38 Boffa Miskell Ltd | Pest Animal Management Plan | Wharekirauponga Compensation Package | 30 May 2022 10.2.5 Chew card analysis Any bite marks recorded on the chew cards need to be identified to species level and CCI needs to be calculated to gain an estimate of relative population abundance for each target species. For each target species: • Count the total number of devices with bite marks of target species for each line. Assistance with bite mark identification can be found on the Landcare Research website (www.landcareresearch.co.nz). • Divide the total number of devices with bite marks on each line by the total number of devices per line to get the proportion of devices with bite marks for each line. • Calculate mean proportion of devices with bite marks for all lines for the site (i.e. the sum of the proportion of devices with bite marks of each target species). • Multiply by 100 to get the CCI percentage. • Calculate the standard error (SE). This is the standard deviation of the CCI / square root of the number of lines. • Multiply the combined SE by 2 to calculate the approximate 95% confidence interval. Note that some statistical assumptions may be violated by the field layout, so the 95% confidence intervals are approximations only. 10.3 Camera trap methods 10.3.1 Description Camera traps have become an increasingly used tool in the past 5 years (e.g. (Gillies & Brady, 2018; Glen et al., 2013, 2014). Cameras are much more effective for detecting the larger pest species (cats, ferrets and stoats) (Norbury et al., 2017), including in comparison to standard tracking tunnels (Department of Conservation, 2020; Smith & Weston, 2017; Dilks et al., 2020). This success of camera traps is likely in part due to the reduction of a neophobic response (the avoidance of new objects in the environment such as tracking tunnels) with this passive method (Smith & Weston, 2017). Note: DOC’s best practice guidelines for camera trapping (and potential indices from camera trap data for key target species) is currently underway and expected to be completed in 2024. These camera trap methods and targets outlined in this document are based on the draft recommendations (Gillies, 2021) and should be updated based on the final guidelines as they become available. 10.3.2 Camera spacing For monitoring feral cats and mustelids, four cameras should be deployed along lines spaced 200 m apart in areas of preferred habitat for cats and mustelids. All lines should be spaced at least 400 m apart, with a minimum of 7 lines, as is recommended for areas between 600 and 900 ha (Gillies, 2021).
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