Abstract
Identifying Effective Lynx Habitat Connectivity in Northern Utah Track: Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management Author(s): Wendy Bates Large carnivores are increasingly impacted by human developments and activities, hampering both daily and seasonal movements to meet habitat, forage and reproductive needs. Responding in part to increasing habitat fragmentation and isolation, we utilized GIS weighted distance and least cost path methods to map regional landscape permeability and linkages for lynx moving between northern Utah, northwestern Colorado, southeastern Idaho, and western Wyoming. We modeled habitat effectiveness based on variables, such as vegetation types and road density, resulting in high-quality habitat "core" areas. Landscape permeability was then derived based on land cover, population density, road density and slope. Finally, we performed a least-cost path analysis to locate potential linkage zones connecting cores. The results of the analysis are being used to determine areas of focus for protection as important connectivity linkages for this forest carnivore. Wendy Bates Wild Utah Project GIS 68 S. Main Street Suite 400 Salt Lake City , UT 84101 US Phone: 801-328-3550 E-mail: wup2@xmission.com |
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