| Abstract: | We used GIS‐based techniques and inductive‐spatial modelling to analyse spatial interactions between predator and prey populations, a unique example of an extension to an existing ecological approach. The approach identifies spatial predictors of predation and is demonstrated for braided riverbed habitat in the Mackenzie Basin, New Zealand. This habitat is highly modified and is the focus of intensive management because of the presence of introduced mammalian predators and their native prey (primarily nests of ground‐nesting native birds that are extremely vulnerable to predators). Native prey are currently in decline due to predation; GIS techniques therefore have the potential to augment conventional ecological techniques and management practices. Predation risk to nests of ground‐nesting birds was interpolated across an area using inverse distance weighting. A linear regression model for spatio‐temporal predictors of nest predation was deter‐mined using a predation risk surface and three separate surfaces representing predator abundance, prey abundance, and habitat structure. These measures can enhance the non‐spatial results from conventional ecological inquiry and help solve pest management problems affecting the natural environment. |
