A framework for collaborative wolverine connectivity conservation

Kathleen A Carroll; Robert M Inman; Andrew J Hansen; Rick L Lawrence; Kevin Barnett

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2021.102840

A framework for collaborative wolverine connectivity conservation

iScience. 2021 Jul 10;24(8):102840. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102840. eCollection 2021 Aug 20.

Authors

Kathleen A Carroll^{1

2}, Robert M Inman³, Andrew J Hansen¹, Rick L Lawrence⁴, Kevin Barnett⁵

Affiliations

¹ Montana State University, Ecology Department, Montana State University, PO Box 173460, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA.
² University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, 1630 Linden Dr, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
³ Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, 1420 E 6th Avenue, Helena, MT 59620, USA.
⁴ Montana State University, Land Resources and Environmental Sciences Department, 334 Leon Johnson Hall, P.O. Box 173120, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA.
⁵ The Wilderness Society, 503 W Mendenhall St, Bozeman, MT 59715, USA.

Abstract

Maintaining connectivity between high-elevation public lands is important for wolverines and other species of conservation concern. This work represents the first effort to prioritize wolverine connectivity under future climate conditions using a systematic conservation planning framework. We optimized 10, 15, 20, and 50% of habitat features for wolverines using integer linear programming. We identified 369 privately owned areas in the 10% solution, 572 in the 15% solution, 822 in the 20% solution, and 3,996 in the 50% solution where voluntary landowner easements would improve the long-term landscape functionality for wolverine connectivity. The median estimated easements ranged from $8,762 to $12,220 across the four solutions (total costs $14,874,371 to $196,346,714). Overall, this effort demonstrates the utility of optimization problems for conserving connectivity, provides a proactive tool to engage potential collaborators, identifies easements that will likely protect various subalpine species, and offers a framework for the conservation of additional species.

Keywords: Earth sciences; Ecology; Environmental science; Nature conservation.