Collared peccary ( pecari tajacu), also known as javelina, occur throughout southern and western texas and in the rolling plains (taylor and synatske 2008 appendix a), and are classified as a game…

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) received a $2,134,388 Formula Grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 2 under the Wildlife Restoration and Basic Hunter Education and Safety program (CFDA 15.611). The grant will fund TPWD's work from September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2028 to improve population monitoring and management of collared peccaries in western South Texas through four key activities. TPWD will develop and evaluate survey methods such as camera, roadside, and helicopter surveys to estimate collared peccary abundance using distance sampling and other analytical techniques. Population models will be developed using survey data, harvest numbers, and other factors to investigate population dynamics and the effects of environmental changes. A web-based data management and analysis system will also be created to support ongoing monitoring efforts. Species distribution models and educational outreach materials will likewise be developed. TPWD subawarded $XXX,XXX of the grant funds to Texas A&M Agrilife Research to support specific research on collared peccary population and spatial ecology in the project area.

Collared peccary ( pecari tajacu), also known as javelina, occur throughout southern and western texas and in the rolling plains (taylor and synatske 2008 appendix a), and are classified as a game animal by texas parks and wildlife department (tpwd).however, collared peccary receive less management attention than other game species, and in many instances, data, information, and methods are limited. Current data show declining trends in population numbers, and IT is proposed that many factors could becausing these declines such as frequent and widespread drought, increases in wild PIG (SUS scrofa) populations, overharvest, improper rangeland management, or the reduction of woody vegetation (taylor and synatske 2008, tpwd RFP 2022).understanding a species life history, ecology, and behavior are critical to managing their populations and habitat, and for mitigating issues related to population decline. Our proposed work has four focal points aimed at improving knowledge of collared peccary formanagement purposes and increasing public interest both of which can incentivize future conservation efforts. First, we will develop and evaluate camera, roadside, and helicopter survey methods to estimate collared peccary abundance in the western south texas plains. These survey methods will rely on GPS tagged individuals to develop, evaluate, and validate each model using distance sampling, mark-resight, occupancy, and space-to-event methods (moeller ET AL. 2018). Second, we will use population abundance estimates from surveys along with harvest numbers, survival, reproduction, health, and habitat availability to model collared peccary population dynamics and growth. These data will also be used to investigate the effects of environmental characteristics and changing landscapes on population demographics. We will develop a web-based data management and analysis system to assist biologists with surveys, storing data, and fitting population models for collared peccary. Third, we will develop a suite of species distribution models for collared peccaries using helicopter survey detections, camera detections and occupancy analyses, and GPS tags and resource selection models. Last, we will develop educational media to elicit public interest in collared peccary management. These efforts will identify factors related to the distribution, survival, reproduction, and abundance ofcollared peccary, create user friendly tools (e.g., maps and web-based population models), and allow biologists, landowners and tpwd to prioritize management in a spatially explicit context.