Abstract
On-the-Ground Wildlife Habitat Protection Using GIS and Least-Cost Path Analysis Track: Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management Author(s): Elizabeth Roberts A regional GIS least-cost path model was developed to identify key corridors important to wildlife protection in the U.S. Northern Rockies (MT, ID, and WY). The model continues to be an effective and transparent solution for identifying wildlife habitat connectivity between ecosystems and drives wildlife conservation efforts in the region. On-the-ground solutions to habitat protection are not possible, however, without a fine-scale understanding of probable movement across the matrix of public and private lands and road systems. We will present a landscape-level, least-cost path GIS model and explain how it works in conjunction with the regional analysis to identify specific problem areas for wildlife movement and as a decision support tool for conservation organizations and federal, state and county agencies. The landscape model has been applied repeatedly throughout the U.S. Northern Rockies and provides a framework for creating conservation-based solutions to wildlife issues throughout the western United States. Elizabeth Roberts American Wildlands GIS Lab 40 East Main St. Suite ##2 Bozeman , MT 59715 US Phone: 406-586-8175 E-mail: eroberts@wildlands.org |
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