Monitoring of cats and foxes

The project consists in monitoring biodiversity, in particular the quantification of the presence of mesopredators, cats and foxes, already monitored by means of a kilometre index of abundance. The objective is to be able to study and quantify in a more precise way the presence/absence of mesopredators and to estimate a relative density by spatial sampling techniques without marking the individuals.

In order to cover the entire surface of the Saclay plateau and to increase the monitoring pressure on certain specific areas (notably edges), 40 photo traps will be installed. This project will be followed at present by a student of 2nd Licence and a student of Master 1 of AgroParisTech.

The presence of mesopredators could have an impact on the presence and vigilance of certain bird species that consume crops (pigeons, corvids). This project could therefore overlap with ongoing research projects in the Quantitative Genetics and Evolution laboratory on the monitoring of these birds. Another project already in place -the monitoring of biodiversity in hedgerow plantations- could also be complementary.

This small project was followed by a larger one, carried out by the same researcher.

- Project leader: Elsa Bonnaud from the laboratory Ecologie Sytématique et Evolution.

- Graduate School concerned: Biosphera

- Partner: Terre & Cité association