Connectivity of priority areas for the conservation of large carnivores in northern Mexico

• Published in: Journal for nature conservation Vol. 65; p. 126116
• Main Authors: Balbuena-Serrano, Ángel, Zarco-González, Martha Mariela, Carreón-Arroyo, Gerardo, Carrera-Treviño, Rogelio, Amador-Alcalá, Saúl, Monroy-Vilchis, Octavio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier GmbH 01.02.2022
• Subjects: Corridors; Distribution; GLM; Linkage Mapper; MaxEnt; Top predators; Linkage Mapper; Corridors; GLM; MaxEnt; Top predators; Distribution
• ISSN: 1617-1381; 1618-1093
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2021.126116

•Puma, jaguar, and American black bear are the largest carnivores in northern Mexico.•We identified priority areas and corridors for the conservation of these carnivores.•We identified areas where habitat could be lost, threatening connectivity between them.•We made specific proposals to maintain or restore the corridors identified. The loss and fragmentation of habitat has negative effects on populations of large carnivores, but ecological corridors that allow dispersal of individuals among habitat remnants mitigate these effects. Our objectives were to identify 1) priority areas for the conservation of three species of large carnivores in northern Mexico, 2) the corridors that can maintain connectivity between them, and 3) pinch points signifying habitat loss that threatens connectivity. We generated species distribution models using MaxEnt and GLM to obtain a consensus model for each species. We applied an inverse function to the probability gradient of the consensus models to calculate the resistance and identify the corridors between priority areas. With Linkage Mapper software, we generated the corridors, calculated their centrality and that of the priority areas, and identified the areas where the corridors are narrower (i.e., pinch points). Finally, we identified the main anthropic fragmentation elements in the most important corridors. We identified 6 priority areas for jaguar, 20 for puma and 21 for black bear, with 5 corridors for jaguar, 22 for puma and 29 for black bear. The pinch points were produced by agricultural fields, human settlements, roads, or combinations of these factors. Depending on the element of fragmentation in each corridor, we propose specific strategies at the pinch points, e.g., applying restoration programs, including wildlife crossings to mitigate road killed cases, promoting payment programs for environmental services or compensation in cases of conflict, to increase the support of local inhabitants for conservation.