Energetics‐based connectivity mapping reveals new conservation opportunities for the endangered tiger in Nepal

Enhancing habitat connectivity is a key strategy for conserving endangered species in anthropogenic landscapes. However, connectivity planning often overlooks the crucial energetic costs to animals of traversing complex terrains. We applied a novel approach for estimating energy costs of movement fo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Animal conservation Vol. 27; no. 5; pp. 639 - 647
Main Authors:	Carter, N. H., Berti, E., Zuckerwise, A., Pradhan, N. M. B.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	London Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-10-2024
Subjects:	Agricultural land Animals Anthropogenic factors community‐based management connectivity Conservation Endangered & extinct species Endangered species energetics Energy Energy costs Energy efficiency Estimates First principles Forest management Habitat connectivity Habitats Human motion Landscape preservation Lowlands Mountains Nepal OECM Panthera tigris Protected areas Range extension Rare species Wildlife conservation Nepal Russia
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Summary:	Enhancing habitat connectivity is a key strategy for conserving endangered species in anthropogenic landscapes. However, connectivity planning often overlooks the crucial energetic costs to animals of traversing complex terrains. We applied a novel approach for estimating energy costs of movement for tigers – a globally endangered species. We used those estimates to calculate landscape connectivity for these animals across the extreme altitudinal gradient of Nepal, where recent sightings of tigers at higher elevations (~3200 m) suggest an upward range expansion from the tiger‐rich lowlands. To evaluate our estimates, we simulated tiger routes to higher‐elevation locations and compared modeled energy costs of those ascents to those derived from a previous model calibrated with data from GPS‐collared tigers in Russia. In areas below 3200 m, we found about 7.5 times greater land areas with high connectivity outside protected areas (~51 000 km2) than inside (~6800 km2). However, most of the highly connected areas below 3200 m consist of croplands (56%). Importantly, community‐managed forests, which spanned the altitudinal gradient, tended to include areas with moderate levels of connectivity. Our estimates of energy costs and those from Russia showed a strong consensus (ρ = 0.70, P < 0.05), with ours better capturing the higher energy costs of traversing mountains and of very large total ascents. Our results show that while barriers to tiger movement across Nepal are ubiquitous, other effective area‐based conservation measures (OECMs), like community‐managed forests, can play prominent roles in promoting tiger habitat connectivity while minimizing human–tiger conflict across anthropogenic landscapes. Our results also underscore the utility of integrating first principles of energy efficiency into connectivity analyses and planning. We applied novel methodology for mapping landscape connectivity for endangered tigers across the complex topography of Nepal. We found extensive potential habitats at higher elevations than the tiger's current range, suggesting opportunities for their range expansion. We underscore the crucial role that community‐based management can have in facilitating that range expansion.
Bibliography:	Associate Editor: Abi Vanak Editor: Vincenzo Penteriani
ISSN:	1367-9430 1469-1795
DOI:	10.1111/acv.12937