The use of point-transects distance sampling to estimate the density of alpine marmot in the Gran Paradiso National Park

Abstract

Regular counts are an important tool to study and protect animal and plant species. The method used should be practical, reliable and repeatable. In this work we apply distance sampling by point transect to estimate density of alpine marmot (Marmota marmota) inhab- iting an area of the Gran Paradiso National Park where marmots have been marked and monitored since 2006. We compare results obtained with distance sampling with the known density of marmots in the area. Our results are good in terms of effort and density estimation, but the application of the method on this species can be improved. Future work should apply point-transect distance sampling in other areas.