Assessing movements of brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) in relation to depopulated buffer zones for the management of wildlife tuberculosis in New Zealand

Assesses the effectiveness of buffers in protecting livestock from the threat of bovine tuberculosis (TB) via an analysis of GPS telemetry data from possums located in untreated forest adjacent to buffers, and using these data to characterise patterns of movement that could lead to possums reaching farmland during the season when most dispersal occurs. Investigates specifically what proportion of possums exhibited movement patterns typified as : (1) settled home range; (2) home range displacement (i.e. a gradual shift in home range); (3) exploratory movements; or (4) dispersal to a new home range. Considers whether the possums' dispersal or exploratory movements were influenced by an elevation gradient or by encountering a water-course, and how the probability of incursion of an M. bovis-infected possum onto farmland was influenced by the width of the buffer and by the population density and prevalence of TB among possums in adjacent un-controlled forest. Source: National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, licensed by the Department of Internal Affairs for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand Licence.