
Samuel AyebareWildlife Conservation Society | WCS
Samuel Ayebare
MSc in Environmental Sciences
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51
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Publications (51)
Estimating spatiotemporal patterns of population density is a primary objective of wildlife monitoring programs. However, estimating density is challenging for species that are elusive and/or occur in habitats with limited visibility. In such situations, indirect measures (e.g., nests, dung) can serve as proxies for counts of individuals. Scientist...
As data and computing power have surged in recent decades, statistical modeling has become an important tool for understanding ecological patterns and processes. Statistical modeling in ecology faces two major challenges. First, ecological data may not conform to traditional methods, and second, professional ecologists often do not receive extensiv...
We conducted surveys at 14 locations in western Uganda to generate baseline data on the diversity and community structure of herpetofauna before the area is significantly impacted by oil and gas extraction activities. Sampling involved visual encounter surveys and pitfall traps with drift fences covering a total of 118 survey days over three period...
Data deficiencies among rare or cryptic species preclude assessment of community‐level processes using many existing approaches, limiting our understanding of the trends and stressors for large numbers of species. Yet evaluating the dynamics of whole communities, not just common or charismatic species, is critical to understanding and the responses...
Niche theory predicts that ecologically similar species can coexist through multidimensional niche partitioning. However, owing to the challenges of accounting for both abiotic and biotic processes in ecological niche modelling, the underlying mechanisms that facilitate coexistence of competing species are poorly understood. In this study, we evalu...
Many threats to biodiversity can be predicted and are well mapped but others are uncertain in their extent, impact on biodiversity, and ability for conservation efforts to address, making them more difficult to account for in spatial conservation planning efforts, and as a result, they are often ignored. Here, we use a spatial prioritisation analys...
The mitigation hierarchy is based on four key actions (Avoid, Minimize, Restore, and Offset) and seeks to limit the negative direct and indirect impacts of developmental projects on biodiversity. We assessed the application of the mitigation hierarchy (Minimization and Restoration) as applied in the development of oil and gas fields in Murchison Fa...
Community occupancy models estimate species‐specific parameters while sharing information across species by treating parameters as sampled from a common distribution. When communities consist of discrete groups, shrinkage of estimates toward the community mean can mask differences among groups. Infinite‐mixture models using a Dirichlet process (DP)...
Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes anthrax, a disease that primarily affects herbivorous animals, is a soil borne endospore-forming microbe. Environmental distribution of viable spores determines risky landscapes for herbivore exposure and subsequent anthrax outbreaks. Spore survival and longevity depends on suitable conditions in its env...
The Albertine Rift is one of Africa's most biodiverse regions, but is threatened by habitat loss as a result of agricultural expansion and human development. Previous studies estimated that 30% of the region has been lost to agricultural conversion and we estimate here that 33% is allocated for mining concessions. For conservation planning, we used...
Uganda is one of the most species rich countries in Africa because of the presence of several major biomes. However, it is also a country that has lost much of its natural habitat to agriculture. Uganda is a country that has been better surveyed for its biodiversity than many African countries, but despite this, there has not been a comprehensive a...
Uganda is one of the most species rich countries in Africa because of the presence of several major biomes. However, it is also a country that has lost much of its natural habitat to agriculture. Uganda is a country that has been better surveyed for its biodiversity than many African countries, but despite this, there has not been a comprehensive a...
Introduction: Anthrax is caused by the spore-forming, Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus anthracis. The aim of this study was to predict the potential distribution of B. anthracis in Tanzania and produce epidemiological evidence for the management of anthrax outbreaks in the country. Methods: The Maxent algorithm was used to predict areas at risk of...
Avian endemism in the Albertine Rift is among the highest of any region in Africa. Conservation of these forests is a high priority, but informed prioritization has been hampered by limited data for most endemic bird species. We employed ecological niche models, coupled with remote sensing and field data, to present a case study of 2 Albertine Rift...
This article contains data on the estimated ranges of endemic species in the Albertine Rift both currently and under future climate change related to the research article entitled “Conservation of the endemic species of the Albertine Rift under future climate change” (Ayebare et al., 2018) [1]. Biodiversity surveys focused mainly on 5 taxa: birds,...
This report summarizes the findings of a chimp survey conducted in the forest fragments located within Hoima district in the Murchison – Semliki landscape under the Murchison-Semliki REDD+ (MSREDD+) project. A total of 209 chimp nests were observed during the survey with an average encounter rate of 0.76 nests per km per parish. Chimp nests were ob...
The Albertine Rift region of Africa is one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet, with more threatened and endemic vertebrates than elsewhere on the continent. Many of the endemic species are confined to montane forest or alpine areas. We assessed impacts of loss of habitat to agriculture and predicted impacts from niche modelling of climate c...
Biological surveys starting in the 1950s provided clear evidence that the Itombwe Massif, located in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, is one of the most important areas for conservation in Africa. Further surveys in the mid 1990s and early 2000s showed key species were still present and could be conserved. Following a report on these surveys t...
This report summarises the in-depth study of existing knowledge of changes in animal behavior in the Greater Virunga Landscape (GVL) resulting from industrial development, climate changes and other factors as well as the assessment of changes in ecology resulting from habitat changes across the GVL. The objectives of this study were specifically to...
Introduction
Uganda has reported eight outbreaks caused by filoviruses between 2000 to 2016, more than any other country in the world. We used species distribution modeling to predict where filovirus outbreaks are likely to occur in Uganda to help in epidemic preparedness and surveillance.
Methods
The MaxEnt software, a machine learning modeling a...
The Albertine Rift is known to be one of the most biodiverse regions on the African continent, having been designated an endemic bird area (Stattersfield et al.1998), a Global 200 Priority Ecoregion (Olson and Dinerstein, 1998; Burgess et al., 2004) and part of the Eastern Afromontane Hotspot (Brooks et al.,2004). The richness of vertebrate and pla...
The experimental ecosystem accounts for Uganda presented in this report follow on from a recent publication which explored approaches to accounting for species-level biodiversity and a feasibility study of applications using existing data in Uganda. The accounts compiled respond to policy entry points for biodiversity and ecosystem related concerns...
Climate change is likely to shift the distributions of ecosystems worldwide. Most assessments of climate change are primarily species-focused and do not directly estimate how entire ecosystems may change. Using an ecosystem-based modelling approach, we provide a region-wide climate change vulnerability assessment of the seven major ecosystems acros...
Uganda is particularly rich in biodiversity, having recorded more than half of Africa’s birds for instance, despite being a small area of the continent. This is because several major African biomes meet in this country and contain different fauna and flora from the continent. It is also because of the large altitude range found here from 5,100 metr...
This strategy and action plan was designed to meet the management needs of Omaniman, Panyagara and Loyoro micro catchments. It provides a strategic option for each management element and cross cutting elements. It highlights strategic objectives under management and cross cutting elements and offers the specific activities to be undertaken and who...
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), the cause of chytridiomycosis, is a pathogenic fungus that is found worldwide and is a major contributor to amphibian declines and extinctions. We report results of a comprehensive effort to assess the distribution and threat of Bd in one of the Earth's most important biodiversity hotspots, the Albertine Rift in...
Trained model of the current relative habitat suitability and distribution of Bd.
A. (Initial model). Current distribution of areas where amphibians are likely to be at risk for Bd infection using original records (maroon hexagons). All areas predicted as suitable where the new positive localities (green hexagons) appear indicate areas where we had...
FASTA file.
DNA sequence alignment of partial ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequences used in Fig 2.
(FASTA)
Calculated copy numbers in positive samples.
Log-scale graph showing all Bd-positive samples plotted against the calculated number of copies of the ITS1-5.8S region per swab. Error bars indicate the standard deviation (positive only) for each triplicate sample. Red bars indicate which two samples had corresponding skin tissue analyzed and had histo...
Summary of Bd results from historical specimens.
Elevations are in meters above sea level.
(DOCX)
PCR results of historical samples collected from Makerere University in Uganda.
Elevations are in meters above sea level.
(DOCX)
Sample ID, Genus, Date of collection, and GPS location of all Bd positive samples included in the modelling analysis.
Elevations are in meters above sea level.
(DOCX)
Additional Bd-positive localities provided by Bd-maps.net and E. Greenbaum that went into the modelling analysis [29–32,49].
Elevations are in meters above sea level.
(DOCX)
Water quantity, quality and use in the Greater Virunga Landscape
The Albertine Rift is known to be one of the most biodiverse regions on the African continent, having been designated an endemic bird area (Stattersfield et al.1998), a Global 200 Priority Ecoregion (Olson and Dinerstein, 1998; Burgess et al., 2004) and part of the Eastern Afromontane Hotspot (Brooks et al.,2004). The richness of vertebrate and pla...
This report summarises the findings of an 18 month study of radio-collared elephants in the Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP) in western Uganda. The radio collaring study was made to assess the impacts of oil exploration activities on ranging patterns of elephants in MFNP, and was funded by Total Exploration and Production, Uganda (TEP Uganda).....
This report summarises the findings of a biodiversity survey of Murchison Falls Protected Area (MFPA - including Murchison Falls National Park, Bugungu and Karuma Wildlife Reserves). The survey shows that MFPA is rich in species and biodiversity with a total known list of 144 mammal species, 556 bird species, 51 reptile species, 28 known amphibian...
This report summarises the findings of a biodiversity survey of Murchison Falls Protected Area (MFPA - including Murchison Falls National Park, Bugungu and Karuma Wildlife Reserves). The survey shows that MFPA is rich in species and biodiversity with a total known list of 144 mammal species, 556 bird species, 51 reptile species, 28 known amphibian...
Activities carried out by resource extraction industries in and adjacent to protected areas have increased the risk to biodiversity conservation in different parts of the world. Oil and natural gas developments in the Albertine rift, one of Africa's biodiversity hotspots, have raised concerns about the potential impacts to wildlife populations and...
Understanding the impact of fire and large mammals on African Savannas is essential for ecologically sustainable management. Fire impacts both vegetation and wildlife directly by killing species in both categories but it is the longer term effects on vegetation which are the more important to understand as this ultimately affects the species compos...