Impacts of Anthropogenic Land Cover Changes on Wildlife Bioenergetics and Landscape Connectivity
In order to maintain viable populations, wildlife require not only contiguous habitat but also the bodily ability to move through the landscape. The spatial expansion of human development can block or slow the movement of wildlife.
In recent history, this has included not just the conversion of habitat to urban spaces but also non-renewable and renewable energy projects, barriers on national borders, and the building of road networks to connect these infrastructures. Although connectivity models have allowed for land managers to help conserve habitat, little has been done to measure to what degree such developments either allow for or impede the energy efficient movement of particular species. Our use of GPS-tracking, remote sensing, and physiological models makes it possible to geographically map wildlife energy expenditure, allowing land managers to compare conservation scenarios, particularly those proposed to account for human-built barriers due to land cover changes. Our work has already created a better understanding of how the density and arrangement of energy infrastructure (i.e., oil and gas pads, wind farms) impacts mule deer and pronghorn energy budgets and the impediments border walls can create on water and prey access for jaguar and other species on the southern border.
Ongoing Projects:
Southern border habitat connectivity
We are developing geospatial models which estimate cumulative energy expenditure within existing corridors and habitat restoration scenarios in numerous locations, including National Wildlife Refuges near the US-Mexico border in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV), adjacent properties, and in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Our models provide land managers the maps and data for comparative analysis, allowing them to choose options best suited to minimize energy expenditure and improve the likelihood of survival and reproduction for ocelot, bobcat, and Texas tortoise. Of particular concern in our analysis is how obstructions to movement may increase the energy required of an animal to reach water sources.
Models are being generated from (i) a mix of existing telemetry data, knowledge of species physiology and behavior reported in the literature and (ii) custom remote sensing of vegetation, seasonal water availability, terrain, and anthropogenic barriers: all generated from a mix of satellite and UAS data collection. For each species, we are conducting analyses of the four following scenarios: (i) current conditions, (ii) the landscape without border barriers, (iii) the landscape with a complete border barrier, and (iv) promoted conservation.
We have also explored how different border scenarios impact jaguar habitat in southern Arizona. We identified that border fencing significantly increases the cost of jaguars to reach springs, a vital location for hydration and prey, and that some remediation scenarios were more beneficial than others.
In our study of mule deer, we show that oil and gas development can increase the energy requirements of a deer by 7%, regardless of terrain, and that the arrangement of gas pads and access roads has a significant impact on how costly a landscape is to deer. Similarly, our pronghorn study aims to project the total energy expenditure required of the animals to traverse through and around wind farms. In addition to the use of tracking and elevation data, these projects require the identification and mapping of major disturbances in the study area and a statistical comparison of proposed BLM remediation and development scenarios.
In order to maintain viable populations, wildlife require not only contiguous habitat but also the bodily ability to move through the landscape. The spatial expansion of human development can block or slow the movement of wildlife.
In recent history, this has included not just the conversion of habitat to urban spaces but also non-renewable and renewable energy projects, barriers on national borders, and the building of road networks to connect these infrastructures. Although connectivity models have allowed for land managers to help conserve habitat, little has been done to measure to what degree such developments either allow for or impede the energy efficient movement of particular species. Our use of GPS-tracking, remote sensing, and physiological models makes it possible to geographically map wildlife energy expenditure, allowing land managers to compare conservation scenarios, particularly those proposed to account for human-built barriers due to land cover changes. Our work has already created a better understanding of how the density and arrangement of energy infrastructure (i.e., oil and gas pads, wind farms) impacts mule deer and pronghorn energy budgets and the impediments border walls can create on water and prey access for jaguar and other species on the southern border.
Ongoing Projects:
Southern border habitat connectivity
We are developing geospatial models which estimate cumulative energy expenditure within existing corridors and habitat restoration scenarios in numerous locations, including National Wildlife Refuges near the US-Mexico border in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV), adjacent properties, and in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Our models provide land managers the maps and data for comparative analysis, allowing them to choose options best suited to minimize energy expenditure and improve the likelihood of survival and reproduction for ocelot, bobcat, and Texas tortoise. Of particular concern in our analysis is how obstructions to movement may increase the energy required of an animal to reach water sources.
Models are being generated from (i) a mix of existing telemetry data, knowledge of species physiology and behavior reported in the literature and (ii) custom remote sensing of vegetation, seasonal water availability, terrain, and anthropogenic barriers: all generated from a mix of satellite and UAS data collection. For each species, we are conducting analyses of the four following scenarios: (i) current conditions, (ii) the landscape without border barriers, (iii) the landscape with a complete border barrier, and (iv) promoted conservation.
We have also explored how different border scenarios impact jaguar habitat in southern Arizona. We identified that border fencing significantly increases the cost of jaguars to reach springs, a vital location for hydration and prey, and that some remediation scenarios were more beneficial than others.
In our study of mule deer, we show that oil and gas development can increase the energy requirements of a deer by 7%, regardless of terrain, and that the arrangement of gas pads and access roads has a significant impact on how costly a landscape is to deer. Similarly, our pronghorn study aims to project the total energy expenditure required of the animals to traverse through and around wind farms. In addition to the use of tracking and elevation data, these projects require the identification and mapping of major disturbances in the study area and a statistical comparison of proposed BLM remediation and development scenarios.