Conflict between humans and wildlife is nothing new. Measures intended to mitigate that conflict, such as wildlife fencing, have mixed results, and often negatively impact connectivity in the landscape. Being able to predict where human-wildlife conflict might occur can go a long way toward preventing it. Framing human behavior as “anthropogenic resistance” is one way to explicitly include it in landscape connectivity modeling, and several new studies suggest other methods for reducing human-wildlife conflict.
One way to predict where human-wildlife conflict might occur is through a focus on habitat suitability and landscape connectivity. A study of almost 100 black bears in Missouri used GPS data and conflict report surveys to predict where and how often conflicts might occur between humans and black bears as bears re-establish themselves throughout the state. The presence and rate of conflicts increased with several quantifiable landscape characteristics, including an increase in suitable habitat, an increase in landscape connectivity, and an increased in community size. Over 10% of communities in Missouri had a higher risk of conflict based on these characteristics, allowing managers to identify and prioritize communities for education and conflict mitigation actions.
Boudreau, M.R., Gantchoff, M.G., Ramirez‐Reyes, C., Conlee, L., Belant, J.L. and Iglay, R.B. 2022. Using habitat suitability and landscape connectivity in the spatial prioritization of public outreach and management during carnivore recolonization. Journal of Applied Ecology 59(3): 757-767.
At times it can be more helpful to focus on human attitudes toward wildlife to promote connectivity and prevent conflicts. A survey of over 500 ranchers in Idaho and Montana about their attitudes toward grizzly bears led to a spatially-explicit, predictive map of where bears are most likely to be accepted in key movement corridors. There was a relatively strong relationship between acceptance and experience with bears and support for conservation, such as participation in conservation easements. Incorporating social factors into corridor planning can help managers better predict where corridors will effectively support movement, particularly for grizzly bears, which struggle to adapt to human modified landscapes.
Sage, A.H., Hillis, V., Graves, R.A., Burnham, M. and Carter, N.H. 2022. Paths of coexistence: Spatially predicting acceptance of grizzly bears along key movement corridors. Biological Conservation 266: 109468.
How animals change their behavior around people can also be informative for understanding conflict potential. Data from 20 years of tracking grizzly bears and gray wolves around Banff National Park reveals the extent to which animals change behavior in an altered landscape. Human development and habitat degradation reduced the amount of high-quality habitat in the region by over 35%, and constrained movement routes for both species. Development in the form of towns, roads, and trails reduced connectivity on average by 85%. Both bears and wolves increased their speed of travel and had a higher rate of transition from slow to fast movements for most seasons when near developments. This approach for simulating animal movements could be used to protect and restore high quality habitat and connectivity for wildlife that moves long distances.
Whittington, J., Hebblewhite, M., Baron, R.W., Ford, A.T. and Paczkowski, J. 2022. Towns and trails drive carnivore movement behaviour, resource selection, and connectivity. Movement Ecology 10(1). DOI: 10.1186/s40462-022-00318-5.
These tools and methods can be useful for managers to better predict how animals will behave around people, and where human-wildlife conflict in likely to occur. New legislation, such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will help wildlife better navigate around human developments, for example with more underpasses and overpasses around linear infrastructure. This allows for a better balance between anthropogenic development and keeping animals connected across the landscape.
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