Data-driven analysis of fine-scale badger movement in the UK

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Animal Behaviour
• Wildlife Management

Background:

• Understanding animal movement across spatial scales is crucial for effective wildlife population management.
• European badger (Meles meles) movements exhibit complex patterns influenced by foraging, migration, and territoriality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze European badger movement data from three UK regions using diffusion analysis and generalized linear mixed-effects models.
• To apply extended dynamic mode decomposition (EDMD) for uncovering social organization patterns in badger populations.
• To assess the performance of these methods across varying badger densities and identify impacts of management interventions.

Main Methods:

• Diffusion analysis of European badger movement data.
• Generalized linear mixed-effects modeling to examine variable relationships.
• Extended Dynamic Mode Decomposition (EDMD) for social organization analysis.

Main Results:

• EDMD clusters corresponded with observed group home ranges in some European badger populations.
• Discrepancies between EDMD clusters and home ranges were linked to population management interventions, including badger culling.
• Method performance was evaluated across different badger densities in Gloucestershire, Cornwall, and Northern Ireland.

Conclusions:

• The presented methods offer a robust approach for studying animal territoriality and movement behavior.
• EDMD is a promising tool for uncovering social structures and the effects of management strategies on wildlife.
• Movement analysis can reveal the impact of interventions like culling on animal social organization and spatial behavior.