Table 1. List of covariates to model the relative abundance of sloth bears using the N-mixture model in Sanjay Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India, during 2016–2017.
| A. Environmental covariates (with abbreviations) | Description | Range of values | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land use land cover (LULC) classes | LULC was classified into six classes: dense forest, open forest, scrubland, barren land, agricultural land and water body. Area (in km2) of each class was calculated and extracted for each 12.40 km2 grid in Arc GIS 10.2. | 1–6 (Number of classes) | Dense forest-706.66 km2 Open forest-447.20 km2 Scrubland-41.81 km2 Barren land-66.77 km2 Agricultural land-303.25 km2 Water body-37.95 km2 |
| Forest type classes | Forest type map was classified into six classes: sal mixed, mixed, sal forest, bamboo mixed, grassland and non-forest. Area (in km2) of each class was calculated and extracted for each 12.40 km2 grid in Arc GIS 10.2. | 1–6 (Number of classes) | Sal mixed-538.06 km2 Mixed-457.54 km2 Sal forest-150.03 km2 Bamboo mixed-55.65 km2 Grassland-7.28 km2 Non-forest-390.02 km2 |
| Distance to water source (km) | Euclidean distance to nearest water source (natural or artificial) from the centroid of each 12.40 km2 grid was calculated using the Spatial analyst tool in Arc GIS 10.2. | 0–15 | - |
| Ruggedness index | Ruggedness index was generated for each 12.40 km2 grid, from DEM (Digital Elevation Model) by the roughness index tool in the 3D Analyst extension in Arc GIS 10.2. | 9.21–27.61 | - |
| Availability (or density) of fruiting trees (no./m2) | Number of fruiting trees was counted per 10 m-radius plot around each camera trap location and subsequently divided by the area (in m2) of each plot. | 0–0.09 | - |
| Density of shrubs (no./m2) | Number of woody shrubs was counted per 5 m-radius plot around each camera trap location and subsequently divided by the area (in m2) of each plot. | 0–1.39 | |
| No. of termite mounds | Number of termite mounds was counted per 10 m-radius plot around each camera trap location. | 0–4 | - |
| B. Anthropogenic covariates (with abbreviations) | |||
| Human photo-capture rate (no./total effort) | Number of total photographs of humans obtained from each camera trap was counted and divided by the total effort (trap-days or trap-nights) of each camera trap | 0–11.87 | - |
| Distance to village (km) | Euclidean distance to nearest village from the centroid of each 12.40 km2 grid was calculated using the Spatial analyst tool in Arc GIS 10.2. | 0–12 | - |
| Distance to metal road (km) | Euclidean distance to nearest metal road from the centroid of each 12.40 km2 grid was calculated using the Spatial analyst tool in Arc GIS 10.2. | 0–14 | - |