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A LEAP Forward in Wildlife Conservation : A Standardized Framework to Determine Mortality Causes in Large GPS-Tagged Birds

Panter, Connor T ; Nebel, Carina LU ; Raab, Maximilian ; Strauss, Verena ; Freytag, Clara ; Wojta, Manuel ; Böing, Hannah ; Hacker, Patrick ; Raab, Rainhard and Windt, Jendrik , et al. (2025) In Ecology and Evolution 15(4).
Abstract

Anthropogenic activities threaten many wildlife populations by increasing mortality rates, making it crucial to identify the locations and causes of mortality to inform conservation actions. Technological advancements, such as GPS satellite tracking, enable precise recording of wildlife movements. High-resolution data from such devices can facilitate rapid carcass recovery and provide insights into the mortality causes of tagged individuals. Obtaining required information to determine these causes is complex, and standardized approaches can overcome these limitations. In this study, we introduce the LIFE EUROKITE Assessment Protocol (LEAP), a framework for determining the timing, locations, and causes of mortality in GPS-tagged birds.... (More)

Anthropogenic activities threaten many wildlife populations by increasing mortality rates, making it crucial to identify the locations and causes of mortality to inform conservation actions. Technological advancements, such as GPS satellite tracking, enable precise recording of wildlife movements. High-resolution data from such devices can facilitate rapid carcass recovery and provide insights into the mortality causes of tagged individuals. Obtaining required information to determine these causes is complex, and standardized approaches can overcome these limitations. In this study, we introduce the LIFE EUROKITE Assessment Protocol (LEAP), a framework for determining the timing, locations, and causes of mortality in GPS-tagged birds. LEAP is a multifaceted approach that integrates: (1) GPS tracking data, (2) evidence from the mortality location (site investigation), and (3) necropsy results to derive the mortality cause and a corresponding certainty score. We supplement the detailed description of LEAP with case studies assessing its effectiveness. Using 329 deceased GPS-tagged red kites (
Milvus milvus) we compared conditions of the carcasses processed using LEAP with 145 opportunistically collected raptor carcasses. We also show that LEAP improves carcass condition and therefore allows for higher quality necropsy results. Additionally, we assessed how availability among sources of information (tracking, site investigation and necropsy) influences the quality of mortality assessments. Applying LEAP with all data sources provided the highest quality assessments in 64% of cases. Some 35% of cases were of high quality without necropsy, instead drawing evidence only from tracking data and site investigations. Predation related mortality was less prevalent (11%) when relying on necropsy compared to cases without necropsy (36%), while poisoning showed the opposite trend. Furthermore, we provide guidelines and empirical examples of mortality assessments. Our standardized LEAP approach ensures the best use of all available information regarding mortality events in GPS-tagged birds and advances wildlife mortality research as a valuable tool for conservationists and wildlife managers.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Ecology and Evolution
volume
15
issue
4
article number
e70975
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:105002039095
  • pmid:40170813
ISSN
2045-7758
DOI
10.1002/ece3.70975
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
© 2025 The Author(s). Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
id
259b252f-97e9-4859-b89b-afe1cc9d1df6
date added to LUP
2025-04-14 13:03:20
date last changed
2025-07-08 10:58:59
@article{259b252f-97e9-4859-b89b-afe1cc9d1df6,
  abstract     = {{<p>Anthropogenic activities threaten many wildlife populations by increasing mortality rates, making it crucial to identify the locations and causes of mortality to inform conservation actions. Technological advancements, such as GPS satellite tracking, enable precise recording of wildlife movements. High-resolution data from such devices can facilitate rapid carcass recovery and provide insights into the mortality causes of tagged individuals. Obtaining required information to determine these causes is complex, and standardized approaches can overcome these limitations. In this study, we introduce the LIFE EUROKITE Assessment Protocol (LEAP), a framework for determining the timing, locations, and causes of mortality in GPS-tagged birds. LEAP is a multifaceted approach that integrates: (1) GPS tracking data, (2) evidence from the mortality location (site investigation), and (3) necropsy results to derive the mortality cause and a corresponding certainty score. We supplement the detailed description of LEAP with case studies assessing its effectiveness. Using 329 deceased GPS-tagged red kites (<br>
 Milvus milvus) we compared conditions of the carcasses processed using LEAP with 145 opportunistically collected raptor carcasses. We also show that LEAP improves carcass condition and therefore allows for higher quality necropsy results. Additionally, we assessed how availability among sources of information (tracking, site investigation and necropsy) influences the quality of mortality assessments. Applying LEAP with all data sources provided the highest quality assessments in 64% of cases. Some 35% of cases were of high quality without necropsy, instead drawing evidence only from tracking data and site investigations. Predation related mortality was less prevalent (11%) when relying on necropsy compared to cases without necropsy (36%), while poisoning showed the opposite trend. Furthermore, we provide guidelines and empirical examples of mortality assessments. Our standardized LEAP approach ensures the best use of all available information regarding mortality events in GPS-tagged birds and advances wildlife mortality research as a valuable tool for conservationists and wildlife managers.<br>
 </p>}},
  author       = {{Panter, Connor T and Nebel, Carina and Raab, Maximilian and Strauss, Verena and Freytag, Clara and Wojta, Manuel and Böing, Hannah and Hacker, Patrick and Raab, Rainhard and Windt, Jendrik and Posautz, Annika and Kuebber-Heiss, Anna and Scherler, Patrick and Grüebler, Martin U and Kormann, Urs G and Kolbe, Martin and Millon, Alexandre and de la Puente, Javier and Viñuela, Javier and Orr-Ewing, Duncan and Krone, Oliver and Langgemach, Torsten and Åkesson, Susanne and Mattsson, Brady and Sumasgutner, Petra and Alcántara de la Fuente, Manuel and Alvarez, Ernesto and Arizaga, Juan and Bach Pagès, Albert and Bermejo, Ana and Ceccolini, Guido and Chakarov, Nayden and Derpmann-Hagenström, Peter and Dostál, Marek and Fabian, Gerd and Fiedler, Wolfgang and Galán, Manuel and Ganier, Clément and Gärtner, Andreas and Glesener, Liza and Godino, Alfonso and Guziová, Zuzana and Haraszthy, László and Karlsson, Caka and Klein, Katharina and Literák, Ivan and Lorenzini, Nicolas and Löwold, Manuela and Lüning, Christopher and Maderič, Boris and Makoň, Karel and Mammen, Kerstin and Mammen, Ubbo and Marczak, Torsten and Matušík, Hynek and Mionnet, Aymeric and Morollón, Sara and Mráz, Jakub and Nachtigall, Winfried and Nicolai, Bernd and Olalde Fernández, Marta and Ottensmann, Meinolf and Palacios González, María Jesús and Paquet, Jean-Yves and Pečeňák, Vladimír and Peške, Lubomír and Pfeiffer, Thomas and Pudwill, Robert and Rak, Dušan and Rapp, Tim Maximilian and Resetaritz, Alexander and van Rijn, Stef and Riols, Romain and Rodríguez, Arturo and Scholze, Luisa and Schulte, Laura and de Seynes, Aurélie and Škrábal, Jan and Spakovszky, Péter and Steinborn, Eike and Svetlík, Ján and Talhoet, Samuel and Vaczi, Miklós and Verdier, Anne-Gaelle and Vermouzek, Zdenĕk and Villanúa Inglada, Diego and Westphal, Jörg and Raab, Rainer}},
  issn         = {{2045-7758}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Ecology and Evolution}},
  title        = {{A LEAP Forward in Wildlife Conservation : A Standardized Framework to Determine Mortality Causes in Large GPS-Tagged Birds}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70975}},
  doi          = {{10.1002/ece3.70975}},
  volume       = {{15}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}