Using environmental features to model highway crossing behavior of Canada lynx in the Southern Rocky Mountains

Baigas, Phillip E.; Squires, John R.; Olson, Lucretia E.; Ivan, Jacob S.; Roberts, Elizabeth K.

doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2016.06.007

Cited by 23 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Group size of gaur was similar to that of wild pig; yet gaur had the highest AVC probabilities across all heterogeneity scenarios as a result of its low running speed. Mammals with low reproductive rates and high mobility, like carnivores show more negative responses to roads and traffic 34 , and carnivore movement is affected more than herbivores 35,36 at high traffic volumes. Even though both carnivores in our study had the lowest AVC probabilities among all study species, they may not attempt crossing wider roads at high traffic volumes which could ultimately present a barrier to their movement 19 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating large mammal behaviour and traffic flow to determine traversability of roads with heterogeneous traffic on a Central Indian Highway

Saxena

Chatterjee

Rajvanshi

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Roads impact wildlife in multiple ways, most conspicuous amongst which are animal-vehicle collisions (AVCs). Mitigation measures to reduce AVCs at the local scale are often centred on species-specific crossing zones and collision hotspots. However, at the road network scale, consideration of interactions among road, species and traffic characteristics influencing AVC occurrence is required to design effective mitigation strategies. We modelled traversability—the probability of an animal successfully crossing a road- across an Indian highway for six large mammal species under different scenarios of road and traffic characteristics. Among the study species, group-living and slow-moving animals had higher AVC probabilities that increased significantly with increasing traffic volume and proportions of heavy vehicles in the traffic flow. The risk of AVC was higher for species that were active near roadside habitat during peak traffic hours. Our approach could help identify roads that pose potential mortality risks to animals using empirical data on animal and traffic characteristics. Results suggest that regulating traffic volume and heterogeneity on existing road stretches could potentially reduce animal mortality and barrier effect. Mitigation on roads expected to carry heavy traffic loads passing through ecologically-sensitive areas should be prioritised to ensure traversability for animal communities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating large mammal behaviour and traffic flow to determine traversability of roads with heterogeneous traffic on a Central Indian Highway

Saxena

Chatterjee

Rajvanshi

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…For example, Canada lynx in the southern Rocky Mountains cross two‐lane highways approximately every other day with little evidence of spatial avoidance immediately adjacent to highways (Baigas et al. ). The forest roads included in this study were snow‐covered during winter that precluded travel by wheeled vehicles.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Winter recreation and Canada lynx: reducing conflict through niche partitioning

Squires

Olson

Roberts³

et al. 2019

Ecosphere

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Outdoor recreationists are important advocates for wildlife on public lands. However, balancing potential impacts associated with increased human disturbance with the conservation of sensitive species is a central issue facing ecologists and land managers alike, especially for dispersed winter recreation due to its disproportionate impact to wildlife. We studied how dispersed winter recreation (outside developed ski areas) impacted a reintroduced meso‐carnivore, Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), at the southern periphery of the species’ range in the southern Rocky Mountains. On a voluntary basis, we distributed global positioning system (GPS) units to winter recreationists and documented 2143 spatial movement tracks of recreationists engaged in motorized and nonmotorized winter sports for a total cumulative distance of 56,000 km from 2010 to 2013. We also deployed GPS radio collars on adult Canada lynx that were resident in the mountainous topography that attracted high levels of dispersed winter recreation. We documented that resource‐selection models (RSFs) for Canada lynx were significantly improved when selection patterns of winter recreationists were included in best‐performing models. Canada lynx and winter recreationists partitioned environmental gradients in ways that reduced the potential for recreation‐related disturbance. Although the inclusion of recreation improved the RSF model for Canada lynx, environmental covariates explained most variation in resource use. The environmental gradients that most separated areas selected by Canada lynx from those used by recreationists were forest canopy closure, road density, and slope. Canada lynx also exhibited a functional response of increased avoidance of areas selected by motorized winter recreationists (snowmobiling off‐trail, hybrid snowmobile) compared with either no functional response (hybrid ski) or selection for (backcountry skiing) areas suitable for nonmotorized winter recreation. We conclude with a discussion of implications associated with providing winter recreation balanced with the conservation of Canada lynx.

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“…For example, in areas within 50 m of road, the habitat value in the habitat quality raster was lowered by 4. Although Baigas, Squires, Olson, Ivan, and Roberts () found that lynx on Colorado did not select against highways, roads do present the danger of vehicle strikes to lynx and thus increase resistance to successful lynx movement.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Navigating fragmented landscapes: Canada lynx brave poor quality habitats while traveling

Vanbianchi

Gaines²,

Murphy

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Anthropogenic and natural habitat fragmentation inhibit movement of animals through landscapes. An important challenge for connectivity conservation is determining which conditions facilitate or limit movements, so that these areas can be prioritized for protection or restoration. We examine Canada lynx Lynx canadensis habitat connectivity in the fragmented North Cascade Mountains of Washington, as an example of a highly mobile species that is specialized both on prey and in habitat needs. We identify lynx Habitat Concentration Areas based on Core Habitat Models, parameterize resistance surfaces from our Matrix Habitat Model, and develop linkages of habitat lynx use to move between patches of high quality habitat. We identify a number of linkages for lynx comprised of habitat conditions that differed from high quality core patches identified from our habitat modeling. Radio‐locations from lynx confirm lower‐quality habitats of low resistance to movement were used by traveling lynx. Our results thus suggest traveling lynx do indeed use a much broader range of habitats than do lynx moving within core areas. For lynx in the North Cascades, our results show that maintaining connectivity will require preserving habitats and linkages that would previously have been deemed unsuitable for lynx. Maintaining connectivity for lynx is particularly important given the many recent large wildfires in this region that have reduced the number of mature forest stands that form prime habitat for lynx. Policy implications. Our results strongly suggest that habitat connectivity models should be based on empirical information of animal location data and focused on matrix habitat analysis. Traveling predators use a wide suite of habitats, resulting in more and broader linkage zones that should inform conservation efforts. Failure to identify these areas of functional connectivity could result in the oversight of usable linkage zones, leaving them without protection and vulnerable to degradation.

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Using environmental features to model highway crossing behavior of Canada lynx in the Southern Rocky Mountains

Cited by 23 publications

References 54 publications

Integrating large mammal behaviour and traffic flow to determine traversability of roads with heterogeneous traffic on a Central Indian Highway

Integrating large mammal behaviour and traffic flow to determine traversability of roads with heterogeneous traffic on a Central Indian Highway

Winter recreation and Canada lynx: reducing conflict through niche partitioning

Navigating fragmented landscapes: Canada lynx brave poor quality habitats while traveling

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