SMART patrolling as a tool for adaptive management: Analysis of trends, achievements, challenges and gaps over 9 years of its implementation in Bhutan's Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park

This study evaluates the implementation of the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) in Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park (JSWNP), Bhutan, over a 9‐year period (2016–2024). We analyzed trends in patrol effort, spatial coverage, wildlife observations, and threat detections. Patrol effort varied considerably across years, with notable declines in 2016 and 2020 due to the infancy of SMART implementation and the SARS‐CoV‐2 (COVID‐19) pandemic, respectively, and a sharp increase from 2022 onward following a management policy linking incentives to recorded patrol distance. Interestingly, this variation was not associated with the number of patrolling staff, which remained fairly constant, indicating that changes in patrol effort were driven more by institutional and contextual factors than personnel capacity. While absolute numbers of wildlife observations and threats increased during high‐effort years, catch per unit effort for both declined, raising questions about whether this trend reflects actual reductions in wildlife and threats or changes in patrol focus and reporting practices. A strong correlation between patrol effort and wildlife observations ( r = 0.864) and a moderate correlation with threats ( r = 0.634) suggest effort strongly influences encounter rates, yet the deterrence effect of patrolling appears limited for certain livelihood‐driven threats, and spatial or behavioral patrol biases may further confound interpretation. These findings highlight the importance of accounting for patrol design and data quality in interpreting SMART outputs. Insights from this study emphasize the need for adaptive, effort‐sensitive monitoring approaches to guide more effective conservation decision‐making and safeguard biodiversity in Bhutan's protected areas.