Towns and trails drive carnivore movement behaviour, resource selection, and connectivity

Area of Science:

• Wildlife ecology
• Conservation biology
• Movement ecology

Background:

• Human activity increasingly threatens wildlife habitat connectivity and population persistence.
• Effective conservation requires models predicting human impacts on animal movement, resource selection, and connectivity.
• State-dependent movement behavior, where animals tolerate human activity more in faster movement states, is crucial but understudied in connectivity analyses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the cumulative effects of anthropogenic development on carnivore movement behavior, resource selection, and Merriam connectivity.
• To model habitat use and connectivity under varying development scenarios using movement data.
• To incorporate state-dependent movement behavior into connectivity assessments for grizzly bears and gray wolves.

Main Methods:

• Utilized hidden Markov movement models and step selection functions to simulate movement paths.
• Analyzed 20 years of movement data for grizzly bears and gray wolves in Banff National Park.
• Compared connectivity and habitat use across three scenarios: reference, current, and future development.

Main Results:

• Carnivores increased travel speed near human infrastructure, showing stronger avoidance when foraging/resting and during the day.
• Wolves exhibited greater avoidance of human development than grizzly bears.
• Current development reduced high-quality habitat by over 35% and connectivity by 85%, with further declines projected under future development.

Conclusions:

• Anthropogenic development cumulatively impacts carnivore movement, habitat use, and connectivity.
• Conservation strategies must consider behavior-specific responses to human activity and landscape use.
• Understanding how development affects animal travel and habitat selection is vital for effective conservation planning.