Human recreation affects spatio-temporal habitat use patterns in red deer (Cervus elaphus)

Area of Science:

• Wildlife ecology
• Conservation biology
• Human-wildlife interactions

Background:

• Outdoor recreation expansion can negatively affect wildlife, often causing habitat avoidance.
• Spatial zonation schemes aim to mitigate human-wildlife conflict by separating activities from key habitats.
• Current mitigation often overlooks temporal dynamics in human-wildlife interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of recreation infrastructure and spatial zonation on red deer habitat use.
• To analyze seasonal (winter/summer) and diurnal (day/night) variations in these effects.
• To inform effective mitigation strategies for human-wildlife coexistence.

Main Methods:

• Utilized GPS telemetry data from 15 red deer in south-western Germany.
• Analyzed habitat selection at home range and within-home range levels.
• Compared habitat use patterns across seasons and times of day in relation to recreation areas.

Main Results:

• Recreation infrastructure influenced within-home range habitat use, not home range selection.
• Spatial zonation was effective, with refuges and core areas preferred over border zones.
• Red deer avoided recreation trails and nearby foraging habitats during the day but showed positive association at night, varying by season.

Conclusions:

• Human recreation significantly affects red deer habitat use, with distinct daily and seasonal patterns.
• Effective mitigation requires integrating spatial zonation with temporal restrictions, such as limiting nocturnal recreation.
• Creating foraging habitats away from recreation trails is crucial for reducing human-wildlife conflict.