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Can, ™.E.; Togan, I.
Camera trapping of large mammas in Yenice Forest, Turkey: local information versus camera traps
2010  Oryx (43): 427-430

Information on large mammals in Turkey is limited, and widely applicable, reliable field methods need to be used to gather appropriate data for conservation and management. To evaluate local information on mammal species we conducted interview and ground surveys, followed by a camera trap survey, during January-May 2006 in Yenice Forest, a globally important and intact region for mammals in Turkey. Interviews with local people provided information on the occurrence of wolf _Canis lupus_, brown bear _Ursus arctos_, wild cat _Felis silvestris_, red fox _Vulpes vulpes_, Eurasian badger _Meles meles_, pine marten _Martes martes_, roe deer _Capreolus capreolus_, wild boar _Sus scrofa_ and Eurasian lynx _Lynx lynx_. The ground and camera trap surveys confirmed the presence of all these species except lynx. In addition, the camera trap survey documented the presence of jackal _Canis aureus_ and brown hare _Lepus europaeus_, signs of which were not found in the ground survey and whose presence was not known by local people. Local information on wildlife is important but management and conservation initiatives should not solely depend on such information and, as our study indicates, interview surveys cannot replace field research. The Turkish Ministry of Environment and Forestry needs to consider the establishment of a protected area large enough to secure the future of the large mammals of Yenice Forest.

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