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 2024-10, Vol.27 (5), p.639-647
Main Authors: Carter, N. H., Berti, E., Zuckerwise, A., Pradhan, N. M. B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural land
altitude
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
Russia
Wildlife conservation
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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 
ISSN:1367-9430
1469-1795
DOI:10.1111/acv.12937