Research overview: power analysis and statistical power for camera surveys

Designing a camera-trap study to reliably answer its question requires anticipating whether the planned effort will yield enough data for adequate statistical power, the ability to detect a real effect or estimate a parameter with acceptable precision. This overview surveys how researchers use simulation and analytical tools to forecast the precision of occupancy, density, and trend estimates given proposed numbers of cameras, deployment durations, expected detection rates, and effect sizes. It discusses power to detect population change over time, a critical concern for monitoring programs, and the consequences of underpowered designs that waste resources and produce inconclusive results. The overview highlights that investing in design evaluation before fieldwork, matching effort to objectives, prevents the common, costly mistake of collecting data unable to support the intended inferences about felids or other wildlife.