Modeling habitat suitability for moose in coastal northern Sweden: empirical vs process-oriented approaches

Habitat models may provide viable tools for co-management of large ungulates and forest resources, yet their applicability has not been comprehensively evaluated in managed forest. We examined 2 inherently different approaches to model the relative winter habitat suitability for moose (Alces alces) in the coastal area of northern Sweden. An empirical approach based on GPS positions of 15 female moose was used to scrutinize the assumptions and functional mechanisms of a process-oriented, conceptual approach, based on published material on the species' preferences for habitat components related to food and cover. For both model approaches habitat was described using estimates of forest-stand characteristics based on satellite imagery. The empirical model also included variables relating to topographic properties of the landscape as well as distances to landscape features. The output from both models was a habitat suitability index (HSI) score, enabling the models to be compared with each other. The models showed different results, highlighting the need to include the spatially explicit distribution of environmental variables in future conceptual, process-oriented models.