Long-term monitoring of the Iberian ibex population in the Sierra Nevada of the southeast Iberian Peninsula

José Enrique Granados,Blanca Ramos,José Espinosa Cerrato,Antonio Jesús Pérez-Luque,Francisco Javier Cano-Manuel,Regino Zamora,Paulino Fandos,Jesús María Pérez Jiménez,Ramón C Soriguer,Ricardo Moreno-Llorca,Andrea Ros-Candeira

doi:10.1038/s41597-020-0544-1

Abstract

This dataset provides long-term information on the presence of the Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica hispanica Schimper, 1848) in Sierra Nevada (SE Iberian Peninsula). Data on the abundance and demographic structure of the Iberian ibex population were compiled over the last three decades. Transects were laid out to record different variables such as the number of individuals sighted, the perpendicular distance of each group of Iberian ibex to the transect line and sex as well as age of individuals in the case of males. These data enabled the calculation of population parameters such as density, sex ratio, birth rate, and age structure. These parameters are key for Iberian ibex conservation and management, given that Sierra Nevada harbours the largest population of this species in the Iberian Peninsula. The data set we present is structured using the Darwin Core biological standard, which contains 3,091 events (582 transect walk events and 2,509 group sighting events), 5,396 occurrences, and 2,502 measurements. The occurrences include the sightings of 11,436 individuals (grouped by sex and age) from 1993 to 2018 in a total of 88 transects distributed along Sierra Nevada, of which 33 have been continuously sampled since 2008.

Highlights

Background and SummaryThe Iberian ibex, one of the bovine species of the genus Capra in Europe[1], is an endemic ungulate of the Iberian Peninsula, distributed in different mountain ranges[2,3]
Considering the results found during the demographic monitoring, the Iberian ibex population of Sierra Nevada can be considered somewhat stable with a slight increase over the last 20 years[2,3]
The population trends of this species in Sierra Nevada in recent decades appear to be related to land-use changes and human depopulation[2,3]. This dataset provides historical and recent information compiled over the last few decades on the population abundance and demographic structure of the Iberian ibex population of Sierra Nevada, this being the largest population reservoir of the species

Summary

Background and Summary

The Iberian ibex, one of the bovine species of the genus Capra in Europe[1], is an endemic ungulate of the Iberian Peninsula, distributed in different mountain ranges[2,3]. Relating demographic information to changes in land-use transformations and/or climate This information is essential for the management of this Iberian ibex, an iconic animal species for conservation as well as hunting. Four different stages in the monitoring of the Iberian ibex population can be considered chronologically in Sierra Nevada (Fig. 1), characterized by changes in environmental-protection categories and the methodology used to estimate the number of individuals. The fourth stage began in 1999 with the declaration of part of Sierra Nevada mountain range as a National Park This new category of protection has not entailed changes in the methodology used to estimate population size, it has implied a new management model combining one territory where sport hunting is prohibited (National Park) with another where this activity is permitted (Natural Park). The data can be reused to generate new information useful for the management of these Iberian ibex in Sierra Nevada and similar mountains

Methods

Findings

Code availability