ETD

• abbondanza relativa
• Alpi Apuane
• Apuan Alps
• camera trapping
• cinghiale
• driver habitat-topografici
• fototrappolaggio
• habitat-topographic drivers
• monitoraggio faunistico
• relative abundance
• seasonality
• stagionalità
• wild boar
• wildlife monitoring
• wolf detection rate

This thesis evaluates spatial and temporal variation in wild boar (Sus scrofa) relative abundance in the Apuan Alps, northwestern Tuscany, using long-term camera-trap monitoring data collected from August 2021 to June 2025. The study combines a systematic review of ecological and human-related drivers of wild boar density and abundance with an empirical analysis of camera-trap data. The empirical component first assessed whether a weighted relative abundance index preserved the main monthly temporal signal described by two density-oriented camera-trap formulations, the Random Encounter Model and the Time-in-Front-of-Camera approach. Then, site-month variation in wild boar relative abundance was modeled in relation to habitat–topographic, wolf-related, human-related, seasonal, and interannual covariates. Results showed that the weighted index retained the dominant temporal pattern observed across the camera-trap array. Wild boar relative abundance was mainly associated with broadleaf forest cover, terrain ruggedness, elevation, and recurrent seasonality, while wolf detection rate and human-related variables provided additional contextual information. Overall, the thesis supports the use of standardized camera-trap indices for monitoring wild boar relative abundance in heterogeneous mountain landscapes.