To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Wildlife connectivity.
Journal articles on the topic 'Wildlife connectivity'
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 50 journal articles for your research on the topic 'Wildlife connectivity.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse journal articles on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Zeller, Katherine, David Wattles, Javan Bauder, and Stephen DeStefano. "Forecasting Seasonal Habitat Connectivity in a Developing Landscape." Land 9, no. 7 (2020): 233. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land9070233.
Full textAbstract:
Connectivity and wildlife corridors are often key components to successful conservation and management plans. Connectivity for wildlife is typically modeled in a static environment that reflects a single snapshot in time. However, it has been shown that, when compared with dynamic connectivity models, static models can underestimate connectivity and mask important population processes. Therefore, including dynamism in connectivity models is important if the goal is to predict functional connectivity. We incorporated four levels of dynamism (individual, daily, seasonal, and interannual) into an individual-based movement model for black bears (Ursus americanus) in Massachusetts, USA. We used future development projections to model movement into the year 2050. We summarized habitat connectivity over the 32-year simulation period as the number of simulated movement paths crossing each pixel in our study area. Our results predict black bears will further colonize the expanding part of their range in the state and move beyond this range towards the greater Boston metropolitan area. This information is useful to managers for predicting and addressing human–wildlife conflict and in targeting public education campaigns on bear awareness. Including dynamism in connectivity models can produce more realistic models and, when future projections are incorporated, can ensure the identification of areas that offer long-term functional connectivity for wildlife.
2
LACHER, IARA, and MARIT L. WILKERSON. "Wildlife Connectivity Approaches and Best Practices in U.S. State Wildlife Action Plans." Conservation Biology 28, no. 1 (2013): 13–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12204.
Full text
3
Lines, Robin, Joseph Tzanopoulos, and Douglas MacMillan. "Status of terrestrial mammals at the Kafue–Zambezi interface: implications for transboundary connectivity." Oryx 53, no. 4 (2018): 764–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0030605317001594.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractThe Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area Programme promotes landscape-level connectivity between clusters of wildlife management areas in five neighbouring countries. However, declining regional biodiversity can undermine efforts to maintain, expand and link wildlife populations. Narratives promoting species connectivity should thus be founded on studies of system and state changes in key resources. By integrating and augmenting multiple data sources throughout eight wildlife management areas, covering 1.7 million ha, we report changes during 1978–2015 in the occurrence and distribution of 31 mammal species throughout a landscape linking the Greater Kafue System to adjacent wildlife management areas in Namibia and Botswana. Results indicate species diversity is largely unchanged in Kafue National Park and Mulobezi and Sichifulo Game Management Areas. However, 100% of large carnivore and 64% of prey diversity have been lost in the Simalaha areas, and there is no evidence of migrational behaviour or species recolonization from adjacent wildlife areas. Although temporal sampling scales influence the definition of species occupancy and distribution, and data cannot elucidate population size or trends, our findings indicate an emerging connectivity bottleneck within Simalaha. Evidence suggests that at current disturbance levels the Greater Kafue System, Zambia's majority component in the Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, is becoming increasingly isolated at the trophic scale of large mammals. Further investigations of the site-specific, interacting drivers influencing wildlife distribution and occurrence are required to inform appropriate conservation interventions for wildlife recovery in key areas identified to promote transboundary connectivity in the Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area.
4
Buchholtz, Erin K., Amanda Stronza, Anna Songhurst, Graham McCulloch, and Lee A. Fitzgerald. "Using landscape connectivity to predict human-wildlife conflict." Biological Conservation 248 (August 2020): 108677. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108677.
Full text
5
Mimet, Anne, Céline Clauzel, and Jean-Christophe Foltête. "Locating wildlife crossings for multispecies connectivity across linear infrastructures." Landscape Ecology 31, no. 9 (2016): 1955–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10980-016-0373-y.
Full text
6
Niyogi, Rajashekhar, Mriganka Shekhar Sarkar, Poushali Hazra, Masidur Rahman, Subham Banerjee, and Robert John. "Habitat Connectivity for the Conservation of Small Ungulates in A Human-Dominated Landscape." ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 10, no. 3 (2021): 180. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijgi10030180.
Full textAbstract:
Conserving landscape connections among favorable habitats is a widely used strategy to maintain populations in an increasingly fragmented world. A species can then exist as a metapopulation consisting of several subpopulations connected by dispersal. Our study focuses on the importance of human–wildlife coexistence areas in maintaining connectivity among primary habitats of small ungulates within and outside protected areas in a large landscape in central India. We used geospatial information and species presence data to model the suitable habitats, core habitats, and connectivity corridors for four antelope species in an ~89,000 km2 landscape. We found that about 63% of the core habitats, integrated across the four species, lie outside the protected areas. We then measured connectivity in two scenarios: the present setting, and a hypothetical future setting—where habitats outside protected areas are lost. We also modelled the areas with a high risk of human-influenced antelope mortality using eco-geographical variables and wildlife mortality records. Overall, we found that the habitats in multiple-use forests play a central role in maintaining the connectivity network for antelopes. Sizable expanses of privately held farmlands and plantations also contribute to the essential movement corridors. Some perilous patches with greater mortality risk for species require mitigation measures such as underpasses, overpasses, and fences. Greater conservation efforts are needed in the spaces of human–wildlife coexistence to conserve the habitat network of small ungulates.
7
Sawaya, Michael A., Steven T. Kalinowski, and Anthony P. Clevenger. "Genetic connectivity for two bear species at wildlife crossing structures in Banff National Park." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 281, no. 1780 (2014): 20131705. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.1705.
Full textAbstract:
Roads can fragment and isolate wildlife populations, which will eventually decrease genetic diversity within populations. Wildlife crossing structures may counteract these impacts, but most crossings are relatively new, and there is little evidence that they facilitate gene flow. We conducted a three-year research project in Banff National Park, Alberta, to evaluate the effectiveness of wildlife crossings to provide genetic connectivity. Our main objective was to determine how the Trans-Canada Highway and crossing structures along it affect gene flow in grizzly ( Ursus arctos ) and black bears ( Ursus americanus ). We compared genetic data generated from wildlife crossings with data collected from greater bear populations. We detected a genetic discontinuity at the highway in grizzly bears but not in black bears. We assigned grizzly bears that used crossings to populations north and south of the highway, providing evidence of bidirectional gene flow and genetic admixture. Parentage tests showed that 47% of black bears and 27% of grizzly bears that used crossings successfully bred, including multiple males and females of both species. Differentiating between dispersal and gene flow is difficult, but we documented gene flow by showing migration, reproduction and genetic admixture. We conclude that wildlife crossings allow sufficient gene flow to prevent genetic isolation.
8
Riggio, Jason, and Tim Caro. "Structural connectivity at a national scale: Wildlife corridors in Tanzania." PLOS ONE 12, no. 11 (2017): e0187407. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0187407.
Full text
9
McIntyre, Nancy E., Joseph C. Drake, and Kerry L. Griffis-Kyle. "A connectivity and wildlife management conflict in isolated desert waters." Journal of Wildlife Management 80, no. 4 (2016): 655–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.1059.
Full text
10
Ghoddousi, Arash, Erin K. Buchholtz, Alia M. Dietsch, et al. "Anthropogenic resistance: accounting for human behavior in wildlife connectivity planning." One Earth 4, no. 1 (2021): 39–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2020.12.003.
Full text
11
Safner, Toni, Nikica Šprem, Marko Apollonio, et al. "State border fences as a threat to habitat connectivity." Šumarski list 145, no. 5-6 (2021): 269–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.31298/sl.145.5-6.6.
Full textAbstract:
The conservation value of transboundary management of wildlife populations in Europe, that marked end of the 20<sup>th</sup> and the beginning of the 21<sup>th</sup> century, has come under huge pressure since 2015 especially in the South-eastern Europe due to border fences construction in response to large influxes of refugees/migrants. The primary aim of this study was to present data on the direct impacts of the long fence on wildlife (e.g. fence-related mortality) across the Hungary–Croatia border. We collected data on fence-related animal mortality along 136 km of the fence in the first 28 months after its construction. In total, 64 ungulates (38 red deer, 23 roe deer, and three wild boar) were found entangled in or deceased due to the razor wire fence. In addition, we present direct (photographic) evidence of newly recorded behaviour of red deer, as they gather in huge herds attempting to cross the border fence between Hungary and Croatia. Short term effect of the border fence is reflected in direct animal mortality, and as obstruction to the movement and behaviour of animals. In the case that current fences will remain or continue to expand along the northern boundary of South-eastern Europe, it is likely that fragmented wildlife populations in the region will suffer from negative effects of genetic subdivision such as loss of alleles and reduced heterozygosity that can cause important long-term damage to their vitality.
12
Teixeira, Fernanda Z., Trina Rytwinski, and Lenore Fahrig. "Inference in road ecology research: what we know versus what we think we know." Biology Letters 16, no. 7 (2020): 20200140. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0140.
Full textAbstract:
Roads and traffic impacts on wildlife populations are well documented. Three major mechanisms can cause them: reduced connectivity, increased mortality and reduced habitat quality. Researchers commonly recommend mitigation based on the mechanism they deem responsible. We reviewed the 2012–2016 literature to evaluate authors' inferences, to determine whether they explicitly acknowledge all possible mechanisms that are consistent with their results. We found 327 negative responses of wildlife to roads, from 307 studies. While most (84%) of these responses were consistent with multiple mechanisms, 60% of authors invoked a single mechanism. This indicates that many authors are over-confident in their inferences, and that the literature does not allow estimation of the relative importance of the mechanisms. We found preferences in authors' discussion of mechanisms. When all three mechanisms were consistent with the response measured, authors were 2.4 and 2.9 times as likely to infer reduced habitat quality compared to reduced connectivity or increased mortality, respectively. When both reduced connectivity and increased mortality were consistent with the response measured, authors were 5.2 times as likely to infer reduced connectivity compared to increased mortality. Given these results, road ecologists and managers are likely over-recommending mitigation for improving habitat quality and connectivity, and under-recommending measures to reduce road-kill.
13
Dupuis-Desormeaux, Marc, Timothy N. Kaaria, Mary Mwololo, Zeke Davidson, and Suzanne E. MacDonald. "A ghost fence-gap: surprising wildlife usage of an obsolete fence crossing." PeerJ 6 (November 27, 2018): e5950. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5950.
Full textAbstract:
Wildlife fencing has become more prevalent throughout Africa, although it has come with a price of increased habitat fragmentation and loss of habitat connectivity. In an effort to increase connectivity, managers of fenced conservancies can place strategic gaps along the fences to allow wildlife access to outside habitat, permitting exploration, dispersal and seasonal migration. Wildlife can become accustomed to certain movement pathways and can show fidelity to these routes over many years, even at the path level. Our study site has three dedicated wildlife crossings (fence-gaps) in its 142 km perimeter fence, and we continuously monitor these fence-gaps with camera-traps. We monitored one fence-gap before and after a 1.49 km fence section was completely removed and 6.8 km was reconfigured to leave only a two-strand electric fence meant to exclude elephant and giraffe, all other species being able to cross under the exclusionary fence. The removal and reconfiguration of the fence effectively rendered this fence-gap (which was left in place structurally) as a “ghost” fence-gap, as wildlife now had many options along the 8.29 km shared border to cross into the neighboring habitat. Although we documented some decline in the number of crossing events at the ghost-gap, surprisingly, 19 months after the total removal of the fence, we continued to document the usage of this crossing location by wildlife including by species that had not been previously detected at this location. We discuss potential drivers of this persistent and counterintuitive behavior as well as management implications.
14
HORAN, RICHARD D., JASON F. SHOGREN, and BENJAMIN M. GRAMIG. "Wildlife conservation payments to address habitat fragmentation and disease risks." Environment and Development Economics 13, no. 3 (2008): 415–39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1355770x08004269.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACTWe develop a bioeconomic model to gain insight into the challenges of Payments for Environmental Services (PES) as applied to protect endangered species given wildlife-livestock disease risks and habitat fragmentation. We show how greater connectivity of habitat creates an endogenous trade-off. More connectedness both (i) ups the chance that populations of endangered species will grow more rapidly, while (ii) simultaneously increasing the likelihood diseases will spread more quickly. We examine subsidies for habitat connectedness, livestock vaccination, and reduced movement of infected livestock. We find the cost-effective policy is to first subsidize habitat connectivity rather than vaccinations – this serves to increase habitat contiguousness. Once habitat is sufficiently connected, disease risks increase to a level to make disease-related subsidies worthwhile. Highly connected habitat requires nearly all the government budget be devoted to disease prevention and control. The result of the conservation payments is significantly increased wildlife abundance, increased livestock health and abundance, and increased development opportunities.
15
Koen, Erin L., Jeff Bowman, Carrie Sadowski, and Aaron A. Walpole. "Landscape connectivity for wildlife: development and validation of multispecies linkage maps." Methods in Ecology and Evolution 5, no. 7 (2014): 626–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/2041-210x.12197.
Full text
16
CORLATTI, LUCA, KLAUS HACKLÄNDER, and FREDY FREY-ROOS. "Ability of Wildlife Overpasses to Provide Connectivity and Prevent Genetic Isolation." Conservation Biology 23, no. 3 (2009): 548–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.01162.x.
Full text
17
Wallace, Robert, Guido Ayala, Nuno Negroes, et al. "Identifying Wildlife Corridors Using Local Knowledge and Occupancy Methods along the San Buenaventura-Ixiamas Road, La Paz, Bolivia." Tropical Conservation Science 13 (January 2020): 194008292096647. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1940082920966470.
Full textAbstract:
In 2013, we conducted a baseline study on the presence, distribution and occupancy of medium- to large-sized mammals in Bolivia along the San Buenaventura-Ixiamas road that runs parallel to the Madidi National Park and Natural Area of Integrated Management boundary and cuts through the Tacana Indigenous Territory and a number of neighboring private properties. Establishing a 3 km buffer on each side of the road, we studied an 865 km2 area divided into 1 km2 cells and sampled a total of 356 of these cells. In each cell, we established one 300 m transect divided into 25 m sections and registered wildlife sign, mainly footprints, from eight wildlife species or species groups. The transects were placed either along streams (75% of cells) or within forest (25% of cells). Using single-season single-species occupancy models we estimated occupancy (ψ) for Tapirus terrestris (ψ = 0.39), Pecari tajacu (ψ = 0.5), Mazama americana (ψ = 0.56), Dasyprocta spp. (ψ = 0.59), Cuniculus paca (ψ = 0.56), Leopardus spp. (ψ = 0.33), and use for Tayassu pecari (ψ = 0.17) and Panthera onca (ψ = 0.11). Occupancy and use results verified community perceived wildlife corridors between Madidi and its area of influence. We identified additional corridors along many streams crossing the San Buenaventura-Ixiamas road. This connectivity is not only important for wildlife, but also from a food security perspective for the indigenous communities that depend on wildlife as an important source of protein. The results will be used to mitigate the impact of road improvements through the identification of priority areas for maintaining connectivity between Madidi and the surrounding landscape.
18
GURRUTXAGA, MIKEL, and SANTIAGO SAURA. "Prioritizing highway defragmentation locations for restoring landscape connectivity." Environmental Conservation 41, no. 2 (2013): 157–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0376892913000325.
Full textAbstract:
SUMMARYTransport infrastructures are a major driver of global landscape change. In many areas, highways were built before environmental impact assessments required the implementation of wildlife crossing structures. A fundamental task in the development of ecological networks is identifying areas where dispersal pathways of vulnerable populations may be blocked or affected by high volume roads. Financial considerations may limit investment, thus it is vital to establish the relative contribution of each road defragmentation location to upholding habitat connectivity and availability. In this paper, recent methodological developments in habitat network analysis, derived from the probability of connectivity index, were refined and used to evaluate the role of each highway defragmentation location in restoring landscape connectivity. The forest protected area network in the Basque country (northern Spain) was selected as an illustrative case study. The proposed approach was able to quantify and effectively account for a combination of factors determining the contribution of each highway defragmentation location to upholding connectivity, which are rarely jointly considered in analyses oriented to support restoration decisions in landscapes affected by the barrier effect of transport infrastructures. The contribution to connectivity of each defragmentation location depended on its topological position in the landscape, on the relative decrease in the effective distance among habitat areas that results from the permeability restoration at that location, on the distance from the defragmentation location to other alternative wildlife crossing structures already existing in the landscape, on the amount of habitat in the areas connected by the linkages that run through the defragmentation location and on the dispersal abilities of the focal species.
19
Seo, Hyunjin, Chulhyun Choi, Kyeongjun Lee, and Donggul Woo. "Landscape Characteristics Based on Effectiveness of Wildlife Crossing Structures in South Korea." Sustainability 13, no. 2 (2021): 675. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13020675.
Full textAbstract:
Roads are notable and responsible for the loss of biodiversity and disruption of wildlife habitats connectivity. Wildlife crossing structures (WCS) help wildlife move between habitats by connecting fragmented habitats. Their effectiveness is affected by various factors. Here, to identify methods for improving the effectiveness of wildlife crossing structures, we controlled the effect of intrinsic factors, such as size, that are difficult to improve in an already installed area, and then, evaluated the differences in extrinsic factors using 12 landscape characteristics. Our results show that 18 wildlife crossing structures were selected with propensity-score (PS) matching method. The surrounding landscape characteristics differed between high-effectiveness wildlife crossing structures and low-effectiveness wildlife crossing structures. Particularly, there was a significant difference between the ‘statutory protected area’ and the ‘edge’ index of the morphological spatial pattern analysis among the landscape characteristic variables derived within 1 km2 of wildlife crossing structures. We empirically demonstrate that characteristics around highly effective WCS, statutory protected areas are widely distributed, and the ratio of edge of MSPA is low (within 1 km2). Therefore, an important outcome of our research is the demonstration that management of WCS itself is important, but conservation of surrounding habitats and landscape management plans are also significant.
20
Norwood, Chris. "Linkages in the Landscape: The Role of Corridors and Connectivity in wildlife Conservation." Pacific Conservation Biology 5, no. 2 (1999): 158. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc990158.
Full textAbstract:
Increasing demand for resources through a growing world population and the development of consumer led economies has led to large-scale habitat modification. One of the most disturbing aspects of these changes is the loss of biodiversity. Conservation biology as a discipline seeks to counteract or minimize the loss of biodiversity. Management is an Important aspect in achieving this goal. One concept used in Wildlife management and conservation is that of landscape linkages. Linkages are aimed at faclhtatmg .the connectivity for species, communities or ecological processes. There are many types of linkages in the landscape; both natural and human induced. Covered in this book are linkages such as greenways, dispersal corridors, riparian remnants, wildlife corridors, stepping stones, hedgerows and road underpasses. Linkages range in scale from small patches of old-growth forest in a forest mosaic to migratory routes for birds across and between continents.
21
Alonso, Robert S., Lisa M. Lyren, Erin E. Boydston, Christopher D. Haas, and Kevin R. Crooks. "Evaluation of road expansion and connectivity mitigation for wildlife in southern California." Southwestern Naturalist 59, no. 2 (2014): 181–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1894/f04-tal-51.1.
Full text
22
Jenkins, Deborah A., Nicolas Lecomte, James A. Schaefer, et al. "Loss of connectivity among island-dwelling Peary caribou following sea ice decline." Biology Letters 12, no. 9 (2016): 20160235. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2016.0235.
Full textAbstract:
Global warming threatens to reduce population connectivity for terrestrial wildlife through significant and rapid changes to sea ice. Using genetic fingerprinting, we contrasted extant connectivity in island-dwelling Peary caribou in northern Canada with continental-migratory caribou. We next examined if sea-ice contractions in the last decades modulated population connectivity and explored the possible impact of future climate change on long-term connectivity among island caribou. We found a strong correlation between genetic and geodesic distances for both continental and Peary caribou, even after accounting for the possible effect of sea surface. Sea ice has thus been an effective corridor for Peary caribou, promoting inter-island connectivity and population mixing. Using a time series of remote sensing sea-ice data, we show that landscape resistance in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago has increased by approximately 15% since 1979 and may further increase by 20–77% by 2086 under a high-emission scenario (RCP8.5). Under the persistent increase in greenhouse gas concentrations, reduced connectivity may isolate island-dwelling caribou with potentially significant consequences for population viability.
23
Allen, Corrie H., Lael Parrott, and Catherine Kyle. "An individual-based modelling approach to estimate landscape connectivity for bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis)." PeerJ 4 (May 5, 2016): e2001. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2001.
Full textAbstract:
Background. Preserving connectivity, or the ability of a landscape to support species movement, is among the most commonly recommended strategies to reduce the negative effects of climate change and human land use development on species. Connectivity analyses have traditionally used a corridor-based approach and rely heavily on least cost path modeling and circuit theory to delineate corridors. Individual-based models are gaining popularity as a potentially more ecologically realistic method of estimating landscape connectivity. However, this remains a relatively unexplored approach. We sought to explore the utility of a simple, individual-based model as a land-use management support tool in identifying and implementing landscape connectivity.Methods. We created an individual-based model of bighorn sheep(Ovis canadensis)that simulates a bighorn sheep traversing a landscape by following simple movement rules. The model was calibrated for bighorn sheep in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada, a region containing isolated herds that are vital to conservation of the species in its northern range. Simulations were run to determine baseline connectivity between subpopulations in the study area. We then applied the model to explore two land management scenarios on simulated connectivity: restoring natural fire regimes and identifying appropriate sites for interventions that would increase road permeability for bighorn sheep.Results.This model suggests there are no continuous areas of good habitat between current subpopulations of sheep in the study area; however, a series of stepping-stones or circuitous routes could facilitate movement between subpopulations and into currently unoccupied, yet suitable, bighorn habitat. Restoring natural fire regimes or mimicking fire with prescribed burns and tree removal could considerably increase bighorn connectivity in this area. Moreover, several key road crossing sites that could benefit from wildlife overpasses were identified.Discussion.By linking individual-scale movement rules to landscape-scale outcomes, our individual-based model of bighorn sheep allows for the exploration of how on-the-ground management or conservation scenarios may increase functional connectivity for the species in the study area. More generally, this study highlights the usefulness of individual-based models to identify how a species makes broad use of a landscape for movement. Application of this approach can provide effective quantitative support for decision makers seeking to incorporate wildlife conservation and connectivity into land use planning.
24
Jawalkar, Mayur Sunil, Nayan Desale, Fanil Suratwala, Amol Lamkhade, Parikshit N. Mahalle, and Poonam N. Railkar. "Intelligent Wildlife Tracking Using Ubiquitous Technological Suite." International Journal of Synthetic Emotions 8, no. 1 (2017): 44–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/ijse.2017010104.
Full textAbstract:
This paper proposes an intelligent system to track location of an individual animal or animals in wildlife sanctuary. Existing systems makes use of various technologies such as RFID, GPS, GSM, etc. RFID based systems either lack in range if passive tags are used or lack in cost effectiveness if active tags are used. Similarly, GSM based system becomes costlier and requires constant network connectivity. Hence this paper proposes a Wi-Fi based tracking system. Proposed system makes use of ubiquitous technology which encourages the use of Wi-Fi Transceivers. The Stationary Wi-Fi Transceiver consists of ESP8266 NodeMCU development board which detects the Mobile Transceiver. The Mobile Transceiver consists of ESP8266 NodeMCU attached to animals. The Stationary Wi-Fi transceiver detects Mobile Transceivers under its vicinity and sends the data to other Stationary transceiver through hop based transmission and ultimately the data is stored in the database. The mobile application accesses the location information from the database for particular animal and plots it onto the Map. This paper comprises of system architecture, proposed algorithm and mathematical model.
25
Underhill, J. E., and P. G. Angold. "Effects of roads on wildlife in an intensively modified landscape." Environmental Reviews 8, no. 1 (2000): 21–39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/a00-003.
Full textAbstract:
This paper examines the ecological impacts arising from road networks and the potential ameliorating effects of roadside habitat in a highly modified landscape. A U.K. focus has been adopted to illustrate the effects of roads in a landscape with a long history of land use and intensive land management where the impacts and the potential for improvement are considerable. The impacts of roads in the ecological landscape include habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation. These interrupt and modify natural processes altering community structures and in the longer term, population dynamics. The large number of fauna fatalities each year from road traffic accidents is also of concern. Road verges can however also provide habitat opportunities and restore connectivity in an otherwise fragmented landscape offering potential to offset some of the adverse impacts of the existing road network. This review demonstrates that roads can present both ecological costs and ecological benefits although currently there is insufficient evidence to confirm some of the key theories which relate to the impact of the barrier effects (at population level) or the value of road verges as ecological corridors. In the absence of complete information the full extent of the problems and opportunities cannot be gauged and every effort should be made therefore to enhance the habitat adjacent to existing roads and to constrain further fragmentation caused by the development of the existing road network. Where further construction is unavoidable conditions should be enforced to prevent roads from reducing further the remaining habitats of conservation value and the connectivity between such habitats.Key words: roads, wildlife, fragmentation, corridor, barrier, environmental impact.
26
Needham, Jessica L., Karen F. Beazley, and Victoria P. Papuga. "Accessing Local Tacit Knowledge as a Means of Knowledge Co-Production for Effective Wildlife Corridor Planning in the Chignecto Isthmus, Canada." Land 9, no. 9 (2020): 332. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land9090332.
Full textAbstract:
Inclusive knowledge systems that engage local perspectives and social and natural sciences are difficult to generate and infuse into decision-making processes but are critical for conservation planning. This paper explores local tacit knowledge application to identify wildlife locations, movement patterns and heightened opportunities and barriers for connectivity conservation planning in a critical linkage area known as the Chignecto Isthmus in the eastern Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Thirty-four local hunters, loggers, farmers and others with strong tacit knowledge of wildlife and the land participated in individual interviews and group workshops, both of which engaged participatory mapping. Individuals’ data were digitised, analysed and compiled into thematic series of maps, which were refined through participatory, consensus-based workshops. Locations of key populations and movement patterns for several species were delineated, predominantly for terrestrial mammals and migratory birds. When comparing local tacit-knowledge-based maps with those derived from formal-natural-science models, key differences and strong overlap were apparent. Local participants provided rich explanatory and complementary data. Their engagement in the process fostered knowledge transfer within the group and increased confidence in their experiential knowledge and its value for decision making. Benefits derived from our study for conservation planning in the region include enhanced spatial data on key locations of wildlife populations and movement pathways and local insights into wildlife changes over time. Identified contributing factors primarily relate to habitat degradation and fragmentation from human activities (i.e., land use and cover changes caused by roads and forestry practices), thereby supporting the need for conservation measures. The generated knowledge is important for consideration in local planning initiatives; it addresses gaps in existing formal-science data and validates or ground truths the outputs of existing computer-based models of wildlife habitat and movement pathways within the context of the complex social-ecological systems of the place and local people. Critically, awareness of the need for conservation and the value of the participants’ shared knowledge has been enhanced, with potential influence in fostering local engagement in wildlife conservation and other planning initiatives. Consistent with other studies, engagement of local people and their tacit knowledge was found to (i) provide important insights, knowledge translation, and dissemination to complement formal, natural science, (ii) help build a more inclusive knowledge system grounded in the people and place, and (iii) lend support to conservation action for connectivity planning and human-wildlife co-existence. More broadly, our methods demonstrate an effective approach for representing differences and consensus among participants’ spatial indications of wildlife and habitat as a means of co-producing knowledge in participatory mapping for conservation planning.
27
Perkins, Jeremy Simon. "Take me to the River along the African drought corridor: Adapting to climate change." Botswana Journal of Agriculture and Applied Sciences 14, no. 1 (2020): 60–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.37106/bojaas.2020.77.
Full textAbstract:
This paper brings together a wide range of concepts from climate change predictions, palaeoecology, wildlife ecology and sustainable livelihoods in order to prioritise adaptive management measures that are necessary for the conservation of the African megafauna. Climate change predictions emphasise the severe aridity that will surge into southern Africa later this century and must be contrasted with the relatively wetter conditions in eastern Africa. The evolution of African mammals and their adaptive responses to past episodes of climate change is explained by reference to range shifts and movements along Balinsky’s (1962) ‘drought corridor’ that extends from SW Africa northeastwards to Somalia and then westwards across the Saharan-Sahelian zone. The drought corridor today could potentially extend from Kenya southwestward through to Botswana/South Africa and Namibia, via connectivity corridors linking existing wildlife areas, forming the Kalahari-Rift Valley Transfrontier Conservation Landscape (KALARIVA TFCL). The most promising route along the drought corridor links the Chobe – Linyanti – Kwando river systems of Botswana/Namibia with Luangwa Valley in Northern Zambia, along the Zambezi River via Lake Kariba (Matsudonna and Mana Pools) in Zimbabwe. Malawi poses an absolute barrier to such connectivity and by the turn of this Century runs the risk of confining the area to the south almost entirely to the SW arid adapted fauna and that to the north to water dependent ungulates such as elephants, buffalo and zebra. The key movement corridors are identified in a bid to extend the spatial and temporal scale of conservation planning in order to adapt effectively to climate change. The importance of ‘co-existence’ between wildlife and people is emphasised together with the need for local communities to benefit from sharing the KALARIVA TFCL with African wildlife, via new models of conservation financing and management that reward rural African communities for being the true custodians of the African megafauna.
28
Pitman, Ross T., Julien Fattebert, Samual T. Williams, et al. "Cats, connectivity and conservation: incorporating data sets and integrating scales for wildlife management." Journal of Applied Ecology 54, no. 6 (2017): 1687–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12851.
Full text
29
SAWAYA, MICHAEL A., ANTHONY P. CLEVENGER, and STEVEN T. KALINOWSKI. "Demographic Connectivity for Ursid Populations at Wildlife Crossing Structures in Banff National Park." Conservation Biology 27, no. 4 (2013): 721–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12075.
Full text
30
Hof, John, and Curtis H. Flather. "Accounting for connectivity and spatial correlation in the optimal placement of wildlife habitat." Ecological Modelling 88, no. 1-3 (1996): 143–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0304-3800(95)00082-8.
Full text
31
Thatte, Prachi, Abhinav Tyagi, Amrita Neelakantan, Meghana Natesh, Mihika Sen, and Tarsh Thekaekara. "Trends in Wildlife Connectivity Science from the Biodiverse and Human-Dominated South Asia." Journal of the Indian Institute of Science 101, no. 2 (2021): 177–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41745-021-00240-6.
Full text
32
Espinosa, Mara I., Nicolas Gouin, Francisco A. Squeo, David López, and Angéline Bertin. "Landscape connectivity among remnant populations of guanaco (Lama guanicoe Müller, 1776) in an arid region of Chile impacted by global change." PeerJ 6 (March 2, 2018): e4429. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4429.
Full textAbstract:
Connectivity between populations plays a key role in the long-term persistence of species in fragmented habitats. This is of particular concern for biodiversity preservation in drylands, since water limited landscapes are typically characterized by little suitable habitat cover, high habitat fragmentation, harsh matrices, and are being rapidly degraded at a global scale. In this study, we modelled landscape connectivity between 11 guanaco Lama guanicoe populations in Chile’s arid Norte Chico, a region that supports the last remnant coastal populations of this emblematic herbivore indigenous to South America. We produced a habitat suitability model to derive a regional surface resistance map, and used circuit theory to map functional connectivity, investigate the relative isolation between populations, and identify those that contribute most to the patch connectivity network. Predicted suitable habitat for L. guanicoe represented about 25% of the study region (i.e., 29,173 km2) and was heterogeneously distributed along a continuous stretch along the Andes, and discontinuous patches along the coast. As a result, we found that high connectivity current flows in the mid and high Andes formed a wide, continuous connectivity corridor, enabling connectivity between all high Andean populations. Coastal populations, in contrast, were more isolated. These groups demonstrate no inter-population connectivity between themselves, only with higher altitude populations, and for two of them, animal movement was linked to the effectiveness of wildlife crossings along the Pan-American highway. Our results indicate that functional connectivity is an issue of concern for L. guanicoe in Chile’s Norte Chico, implying that future conservation and management plans should emphasize strategies aimed at conserving functional connectivity between coastal and Andean populations, as well as the protection of habitat patches likely to act as stepping stones within the connectivity network.
33
Clarke, Donna J., Kate A. Pearce, and John G. White. "Powerline corridors: degraded ecosystems or wildlife havens?" Wildlife Research 33, no. 8 (2006): 615. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr05085.
Full textAbstract:
Management of powerline corridors in Australia has traditionally focused on the complete removal of vegetation using short rotation times owing to the perceived hazard of fire associated with corridor vegetation. Because of the intense management associated with fire hazards, little thought has been given to use of powerline corridors by wildlife. This has resulted in corridors traditionally being viewed as a source of fragmentation and habitat loss within forested ecosystems. We investigated the responses of small mammal communities living in a powerline corridor to management-induced vegetation changes at different successional stages, to determine whether a compromise could be reached between managing corridors for fire and biodiversity. Habitat modelling in the corridor and adjacent forest for three native and one introduced small mammal species demonstrated that species responded to changes in vegetation structural complexity, rather than time-since-management per se. Early seral stages of vegetation recovery after corridor management encouraged the introduced house mouse (Mus domesticus) into corridors and contributed little to biodiversity. Mid-seral-stage vegetation, however, provided habitat for native species that were rare in adjacent forest habitats. As the structural complexity of the vegetation increased, the small mammal community became similar to that of the forest so that corridor vegetation contributed fewer biodiversity benefits while posing an unacceptable fire risk. If ecologically sensitive management regimes are implemented to encourage mid-seral vegetation and avoid complete vegetation removal, powerline corridors have the potential to improve biodiversity. This would maintain landscape connectivity and provide habitat for native species uncommon in the forest while still limiting fuel loads in the corridor.
34
Trisurat, Yongyut, Anak Pattanavibool, George A. Gale, and David H. Reed. "Improving the viability of large-mammal populations by using habitat and landscape models to focus conservation planning." Wildlife Research 37, no. 5 (2010): 401. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr09110.
Full textAbstract:
Context. Assessing the viability of animal populations in the wild is difficult or impossible, primarily because of limited data. However, there is an urgent need to develop methods for estimating population sizes and improving the viability of target species. Aims. To define suitable habitat for sambar (Cervus unicolor), banteng (Bos javanicus), gaur (Bos gaurus), Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and tiger (Panthera tigris) in the Western Forest Complex, Thailand, and to assess their current status as well as estimate how the landscape needs to be managed to maintain viable populations. Methods. The present paper demonstrates a method for combining a rapid ecological assessment, landscape indices, GIS-based wildlife-habitat models, and knowledge of minimum viable population sizes to guide landscape-management decisions and improve conservation outcomes through habitat restoration. Key results. The current viabilities for gaur and elephant are fair, whereas they are poor for tiger and banteng. However, landscape quality outside the current distributions was relatively intact for all species, ranging from moderate to high levels of connectivity. In addition, the population viability for sambar is very good under the current and desired conditions. Conclusions. If managers in this complex wish to upgrade the viabilities of gaur, elephant, tiger and banteng within the next 10 years, park rangers and stakeholders should aim to increase the amount of usable habitat by ~2170 km2 or 17% of existing suitable habitats. The key strategies are to reduce human pressures, enhance ungulate habitats and increase connectivity of suitable habitats outside the current distributions. Implications. The present paper provides a particularly useful method for managers and forest-policy planners for assessing and managing habitat suitability for target wildlife and their population viability in protected-area networks where knowledge of the demographic attributes (e.g. birth and death rates) of wildlife populations are too limited to perform population viability analysis.
35
RISSMAN, ADENA R. "Rethinking property rights: comparative analysis of conservation easements for wildlife conservation." Environmental Conservation 40, no. 3 (2013): 222–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0376892913000015.
Full textAbstract:
SUMMARYConservation easements (or conservation covenants) are commonly conceptualized as acquisitions of sticks in a ‘bundle of rights’ and are increasingly implemented for wildlife conservation on private lands. This research asks: (1) What are the possibilities and limitations of the conservation easement approach to wildlife conservation in contrasting rural and periurban regions? and (2) How does analysis of conservation easements differ when examining property as a bundle of rights or alternative metaphors? These questions were addressed through document analysis, interviews and GIS mapping in two regions where The Nature Conservancy deployed conservation easements for wildlife habitat: rural Lassen Foothills and periurban Tenaja Corridor, USA. Splitting the bundle allowed for site and region-specific easements with differences in permitted housing densities, land management and hunting. Easements focused on restricted rights rather than affirmative duties. The challenges of habitat connectivity in the fragmented Tenaja Corridor revealed the limits of parcel-based acquisition. Analysts and conservation practitioners should rethink the bundle of rights concept of property, considering a bundle of duties, powers and owners within a broader web of social and ecological interests, to understand the role of conservation acquisitions in contrasting landscape contexts.
36
Morrison, Thomas A., and Douglas T. Bolger. "Connectivity and bottlenecks in a migratory wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus population." Oryx 48, no. 4 (2014): 613–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0030605313000537.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractSurprisingly little is known about the spatial dimensions of most tropical ungulate migrations, including that of wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus, a species famous for long-distance movements. Using non-invasive photographic identification of 834 adult wildebeest from 8,530 images collected over 4 years we characterize patterns of migratory connectivity throughout the northern Tarangire–Manyara Ecosystem, Tanzania. We document movements between Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks and northwards to the shore of Lake Natron, a straight-line distance of > 130 km. Fifty-six percent of observed movements occur outside the ecosystem's three main protected areas. We supplement photographic data with fine-scale movement data from two individuals with global positioning system collars, and identify three narrow bottlenecks, each vulnerable to human development. We discuss the possible consequences for the wildebeest population if these bottlenecks become impeded. Persistence of this migration alongside a growing human population and proposed road improvement will require additional measures to ensure that pathways remain open to wildlife movement and protected from illegal hunting.
37
Kaim, Dominik, Elżbieta Ziółkowska, Marcin Szwagrzyk, Bronwyn Price, and Jacek Kozak. "Impact of Future Land Use Change on Large Carnivores Connectivity in the Polish Carpathians." Land 8, no. 1 (2019): 8. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land8010008.
Full textAbstract:
The Polish Carpathians, like many mountain areas in Europe, are currently facing dynamic land use changes that will shape their future landscapes. As there are many different possible scenarios of potential change, we compared three different land use scenarios up until the year 2060 and assessed their impact on the potential habitat connectivity of two large carnivores—wolf (Canis lupus) and lynx (Lynx lynx). We first analysed the main directions of change within and outside the pan-European wildlife corridor located in the western part of the Polish Carpathians. Then we calculated and compared least-cost paths among randomly selected points for each land use scenario separately. Our results showed that the main direction of change—forest cover increase—may positively influence habitat connectivity for both wolf and lynx. However, due to the future spread of settlements, this positive impact might be locally limited. Therefore, to realise the potential conservation opportunities resulting from on-going land use changes, adequate orientation of spatial planning towards habitat connectivity is crucial.
38
Choquette, Jonathan D., Matthew R. Macpherson, and Robert C. Corry. "Identifying Potential Connectivity for an Urban Population of Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus catenatus) in a Canadian Park System." Land 9, no. 9 (2020): 313. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land9090313.
Full textAbstract:
In the face of ongoing habitat loss and fragmentation, maintaining an adequate level of landscape connectivity is needed to both encourage dispersal between habitat patches and to reduce the extinction risk of fragmented wildlife populations. In a developing region of southwestern Ontario, Canada, a declining population of Eastern Massasauga rattlesnakes (Sistrurus catenatus) persists in fragmented remnants of tallgrass prairie in an urban park system. The goal of this study was to identify potential connectivity pathways between habitat patches for this species by using a GIS least-cost permeability swath model, and to evaluate the outputs with snake road mortality data. Results identified seven pathways between five core habitat blocks, a subset of which were validated with aerial imagery and mortality data. Four high-ranking pathways intersected roads through or near road mortality hotspots. This research will guide conservation interventions aimed at recovering endangered reptiles in a globally rare ecosystem, and will inform the use of permeability swaths for the identification of locations most suitable for connectivity interventions in dynamic, urbanizing landscapes.
39
Mukeka, Joseph M., Joseph O. Ogutu, Erustus Kanga, and Eivin Roskaft. "Characteristics of Human-Wildlife Conflicts in Kenya: Examples of Tsavo and Maasai Mara Regions." Environment and Natural Resources Research 8, no. 3 (2018): 148. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/enrr.v8n3p148.
Full textAbstract:
Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is a widespread and persistent challenge to conservation. However, relatively few studies have thus far examined long-term monitoring data to quantify how the type, and severity of HWC varies across species, seasons, years and ecosystems. Here, we examine human-wildlife conflicts in Tsavo and Maasai Mara, two premier wildlife conservation areas in Kenya. Using Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) data (2001-2016), we show that both the type and severity of conflicts vary among species such that the African elephant (Loxodonta africana), is the leading conflict species in both the Tsavo (64.3%, n= 30664) and Mara (47.0%, n=12487) ecosystems. The next four most notorious conflict animals, in decreasing order, are nonhuman primates (Tsavo 11.4%, n=3502; Mara 11.8%, n=1473), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer, Tsavo 5.5%, n=1676; Mara 11.3%, n=1410), lion (Panthera leo,Tsavo 3.6%, n=1107; Mara 3.3%, n=416) and spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta, Tsavo 2.4%, n=744; Mara 5.8%, n=729). We group the observed conflict incidences (n= 43,151) into four major conflict types, including crop raiding, the most common conflict type, followed by human and livestock attacks and property damage. The severity of conflicts also varies markedly seasonally and inter-annually. Crop raiding peaks in May-July, during and at the end of the wet season when crops are maturing but is lowest in November during the late dry season and beginning of the early rains. Attacks on humans and livestock increased more than other conflict types in both Tsavo (from 2001) and Mara (from 2013). Relatively fewer people in Mara (7.2%, n=901) than in Tsavo (38.2%, n = 11714) felt threatened by wildlife, suggesting that the Maasai people are more tolerant of wildlife. Minimizing HWC is tightly linked to successfully resolving the broader conservation challenges, including enhancing ecosystem connectivity, community engagement and conservation benefits to communities.
40
Downs, Joni A., and Mark W. Horner. "Enhancing Habitat Connectivity in Fragmented Landscapes: Spatial Modeling of Wildlife Crossing Structures in Transportation Networks." Annals of the Association of American Geographers 102, no. 1 (2012): 17–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00045608.2011.600190.
Full text
41
Tobgay, Sonam, and Nattapon Mahavik. "Potential habitat distribution of Himalayan red panda and their connectivity in Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhutan." Ecology and Evolution 10, no. 23 (2020): 12929–39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6874.
Full text
42
Gupta, Saurabh Kumar, and Arvind Chandra Pandey. "Change detection of landscape connectivity arisen by forest transformation in Hazaribagh wildlife sanctuary, Jharkhand (India)." Spatial Information Research 28, no. 4 (2019): 391–404. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41324-019-00301-0.
Full text
43
Berkman, Leah K., Clayton K. Nielsen, Charlotte L. Roy, and Edward J. Heist. "A landscape genetic analysis of swamp rabbits (Sylvilagus aquaticus) suggests forest canopy cover enhances gene flow in an agricultural matrix." Canadian Journal of Zoology 96, no. 6 (2018): 622–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2017-0116.
Full textAbstract:
Habitat loss and fragmentation pose a continued and immediate threat to wildlife and create a persistent need for ecological information at the landscape scale to guide conservation efforts. Landscape features influence population connectivity for many species and genetic analyses can be employed to determine which of these features are most important. Because population connectivity through dispersal is important to the persistence of swamp rabbits (Sylvilagus aquaticus (Bachman, 1837)) at the northern edge of their range, we used a landscape genetic approach to relate gene flow to landscape features that may impact dispersal success. We tested resistance values for attributes of land cover, watercourse corridors, canopy cover, and roads and used causal modeling and redundancy analysis to relate these representations of landscapes to genetic distance for swamp rabbits in southern Illinois, USA. Models that included canopy cover had the strongest correlations with genetic distance and were supported by our methods whereas other models were not. We concluded that high tree canopy cover enhances gene flow and landscape connectivity for swamp rabbits in southern Illinois. Our study provides important empirical evidence that landscape variables may impact the habitat connectivity of swamp rabbits. Preserving dispersal routes for swamp rabbits should focus on improving canopy cover, in both bottomland and upland, to connect suitable habitat.
44
Gutiérrez, Javier, Javier Velázquez, Jacobo Rodríguez, et al. "Livestock Trails as Keystone Structural Connectors for Pastureland Analysis Based on Remote Sensing and Structural Connectivity Assessment." Sustainability 13, no. 11 (2021): 5971. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13115971.
Full textAbstract:
This paper presents a methodology to study the connectivity that livestock trails can offer to guarantee the transit of organisms and access to pasturelands. In this regard, a connectivity analysis was carried out in two scenarios: Basic Scenario (Scenario 1: pasture) and Extended Scenario (Scenario 2: pasture + livestock trails) by using the Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA). The result of structural connectivity analysis, MSPA, showed that livestock trails reduce the fragmentation of the optimal terrain (pasturelands) for livestock activity, since the effective corridors are more numerous, and the edge effect is also reduced. Therefore, MSPA analysis allows the classification of any landscape typology at the pixel level and mapping of corridor structures (connecting elements) and other categories of spatial patterns on a continental scale. The results of the study show the importance of carrying out this type of analysis in different times of the year, detecting the evolution of connectivity throughout the year. Spring months and larger areas of pastureland offer the best conditions for the movements of organisms. This study aims to provide useful information for landscape or territorial planning, and it could be used to improve the management of wildlife dependent on high quality pastures, as well as to promote the management of semi-extensive livestock.
45
Huang, Cheng, Xueyou Li, Laxman Khanal, and Xuelong Jiang. "Habitat suitability and connectivity inform a co-management policy of protected area network for Asian elephants in China." PeerJ 7 (April 19, 2019): e6791. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6791.
Full textAbstract:
Enlarging protected area networks (PANs) is critical to ensure the long-term population viability of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), which are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. Strict policies of PAN enlargement that focus on wildlife conservation have failed largely due to difficulties in encouraging stakeholder participation and meeting the elephant habitat requirement. A co-management policy that promotes sustainable resource use, wildlife conservation, and stakeholder participation may have greater feasibility than the strict policies in a developing world. Here, we identified the suitable habitat of elephants using maximum entropy models and examined whether habitat suitability is indirectly associated with local economic development in human-dominated landscapes. We found that (1) the suitable habitat was mainly in areas of forest matrix (50% natural forest cover) with multiple land-use practices rather than relatively intact forest and near communities (mean distance two km) and (2) habitat suitability was negatively associated with local economic development (rP = −0.37, P = 0.04). From the standpoint of elephant habitat and its socio-economic background, our results indicate that co-management will be more effective than the currently strict approaches of enlarging PAN. Additionally, our results provide on-ground information for elephant corridor design in southern China.
46
Bateman, Laura, Dale Yi, Oscar J. Cacho, and Randy Stringer. "Payments for environmental services to strengthen ecosystem connectivity in an agricultural landscape." Environment and Development Economics 23, no. 6 (2018): 635–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1355770x1800030x.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractThis article investigates the use of payments for environmental services to support a wildlife corridor between two Priority Tiger Conservation Landscapes in central Sumatra, Indonesia. Several hundred smallholders operate within a Protection Forest linking the Tiger Conservation Landscapes. This study explores the willingness of these smallholders to accept a payment requiring them to forgo access to their land for five years. In addition to asking households directly what they would be willing to accept (WTA), we also ask them to infer what their neighbour would accept. The study finds evidence of hypothetical bias in the conventional WTA values, with a statistically significant difference between what people say they would be willing to accept when surveyed, compared to what they say would actually be willing to accept in a ‘real life’ situation. We show how inferred valuation techniques can mitigate against this.
47
Rushmore, Julie, Damien Caillaud, Richard J. Hall, Rebecca M. Stumpf, Lauren Ancel Meyers, and Sonia Altizer. "Network-based vaccination improves prospects for disease control in wild chimpanzees." Journal of The Royal Society Interface 11, no. 97 (2014): 20140349. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2014.0349.
Full textAbstract:
Many endangered wildlife populations are vulnerable to infectious diseases for which vaccines exist; yet, pragmatic considerations often preclude large-scale vaccination efforts. These barriers could be reduced by focusing on individuals with the highest contact rates. However, the question then becomes whether targeted vaccination is sufficient to prevent large outbreaks. To evaluate the efficacy of targeted wildlife vaccinations, we simulate pathogen transmission and control on monthly association networks informed by behavioural data from a wild chimpanzee community (Kanyawara N = 37, Kibale National Park, Uganda). Despite considerable variation across monthly networks, our simulations indicate that targeting the most connected individuals can prevent large outbreaks with up to 35% fewer vaccines than random vaccination. Transmission heterogeneities might be attributed to biological differences among individuals (e.g. sex, age, dominance and family size). Thus, we also evaluate the effectiveness of a trait-based vaccination strategy, as trait data are often easier to collect than interaction data. Our simulations indicate that a trait-based strategy can prevent large outbreaks with up to 18% fewer vaccines than random vaccination, demonstrating that individual traits can serve as effective estimates of connectivity. Overall, these results suggest that fine-scale behavioural data can help optimize pathogen control efforts for endangered wildlife.
48
CASTRO, Rodrigo Baia, Jorge Luis Gavina PEREIRA, Regiane SATURNINO, Paula Sueli Duarte MONTEIRO, and Ana Luisa Kerti Mangabeira ALBERNAZ. "Identification of priority areas for landscape connectivity maintenance in the Xingu Area of Endemism in Brazilian Amazonia." Acta Amazonica 50, no. 1 (2020): 68–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1809-4392201903080.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT Forest fragmentation has been intense in the eastern Amazon region, which has negatively affected wildlife populations. The speed of deforestation in this region underscores the urgent need to understand the effects of such changes on populations of endemic species, and to implement measures for ecosystem conservation. We analyzed the extent to which fragmented forests are still connected in the Xingu Area of Endemism, in the eastern Brazilian Amazon, and assigned conservation priority to fragments most important for connectivity maintenance. We structurally classified the Xingu landscape using the Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis and ranked each fragment according to its importance using an Index of Connectivity. Our data revealed important differences in conservation potential across the region. Although most of the study area already receives some degree of protection, future conservation actions should prioritize the connection of habitat fragments to maximize dispersal potential and minimize genetic isolation of biodiversity components. We produced a map of prioritary areas for connectivity maximization. These areas include fragments with large core areas and high-quality fragments that provide connection among habitats which, together, should maintain crucial corridors for gene flow in a biologically-rich region of the Amazon.
49
Nguyen, Thuy Thi, Colin Meurk, Rubianca Benavidez, Bethanna Jackson, and Markus Pahlow. "The Effect of Blue-Green Infrastructure on Habitat Connectivity and Biodiversity: A Case Study in the Ōtākaro/Avon River Catchment in Christchurch, New Zealand." Sustainability 13, no. 12 (2021): 6732. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13126732.
Full textAbstract:
The natural capital components in cities (“blue-green infrastructure” BGI) are designed to address long-term sustainability and create multi-benefits for society, culture, business, and ecology. We investigated the added value of BGI through the research question “Can the implementation of blue-green infrastructure lead to an improvement of habitat connectivity and biodiversity in urban environments?” To answer this, the Biological and Environmental Evaluation Tools for Landscape Ecology (BEETLE) within the Land Utilisation and Capability Indicator (LUCI) framework was adopted and applied in Christchurch, New Zealand, for the first time. Three ecologically representative species were selected. The parameterisation was based on ecological theory and expert judgment. By implementation of BGI, the percentages of habitats of interest for kereru and paradise shelduck increased by 3.3% and 2.5%, respectively. This leads to improved habitat connectivity. We suggest several opportunities for regenerating more native patches around the catchment to achieve the recommended minimum 10% target of indigenous cover. However, BGI alone cannot return a full suite of threatened wildlife to the city without predator-fenced breeding sanctuaries and wider pest control across the matrix. The socio-eco-spatial connectivity analysed in this study was formalised in terms of four interacting dimensions.
50
Mosebo Fernandes, Ana Cristina, Rebeca Quintero Gonzalez, Marie Ann Lenihan-Clarke, Ezra Francis Leslie Trotter, and Jamal Jokar Arsanjani. "Machine Learning for Conservation Planning in a Changing Climate." Sustainability 12, no. 18 (2020): 7657. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12187657.
Full textAbstract:
Wildlife species’ habitats throughout North America are subject to direct and indirect consequences of climate change. Vulnerability assessments for the Intermountain West regard wildlife and vegetation and their disturbance as two key resource areas in terms of ecosystems when considering climate change issues. Despite the adaptability potential of certain wildlife, increased temperature estimates of 1.67–2 °C by 2050 increase the likelihood and severity of droughts, floods, heatwaves and wildfires in Utah. As a consequence, resilient flora and fauna could be displaced. The aim of this study was to locate areas of habitat for an exemplary species, i.e., sage-grouse, based on current climate conditions and pinpoint areas of future habitat based on climate projections. The locations of wildlife were collected from Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) observations in addition to normal temperature and precipitation, vegetation cover and other ecosystem-related data. Four machine learning algorithms were then used to locate the current sites of wildlife habitats and predict suitable future sites where wildlife would likely relocate to, dependent on the effects of climate change and based on a timeframe of scientifically backed temperature-increase estimates. Our findings show that Random Forest outperforms other competing models, with an accuracy of 0.897, and a sensitivity and specificity of 0.917 and 0.885, respectively, and has great potential in Species Distribution Modeling (SDM), which can provide useful insights into habitat predictions. Based on this model, our predictions show that sage-grouse habitats in Utah will continue to decrease over the coming years due to climate change, producing a highly fragmented habitat and causing a loss of close to 70% of their current habitat. Priority Areas of Conservation (PACs) and protected areas might be deemed insufficient to halt this habitat loss, and more effort should be put into maintaining connectivity between patches to ensure the movement and genetic diversity within the sage-grouse population. The underlying data-driven methodical approach of this study could be useful for environmentalists, researchers, decision-makers, and policymakers, among others.