Wildlife Connections 101: Confronting the Challenge of Habitat Fragmentation

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1 Wildlife Connections 101: Confronting the Challenge of Habitat Fragmentation Dr. Raymond M. Sauvajot U.S. National Park Service Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

2 Habitat Fragmentation and Roads Habitat Fragmentation and Roads: a Global Conservation Challenge Understanding the Challenge: Wildlife Conservation Science Confronting the Challenge: Applying Science to Mitigate Threats

3 Ecological Effects of Habitat Fragmentation Loss of habitat

4 Edge effects Ecological Effects of Habitat Fragmentation

5 Ecological Effects of Habitat Fragmentation Subdivision of remaining habitat

6 Critical Need for Movement Demographic stability Genetic diversity Response to environmental change, including global climate change

7 Fragmentation by Roads Barrier effects Sources of mortality

8 Understanding the Challenge: Wildlife Conservation Science

9 Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

10 Ecologically fragmented & jurisdictionally fragmented

11 Including fragmentation by roads

12 Wildlife Conservation Science Telemetry studies of bobcats and coyotes. Genetic consequences of roads. Monitoring highway underpasses. Mountain lion research.

13 Radio telemetry studies of bobcats and coyotes

14 Female bobcats (blue) use urban areas much less than male bobcats (red and orange)

15 Roads as sources of mortality

17 Genetic consequences of roads for bobcats and coyotes Cell Nucleus Mitochondria

Bobcat Structure Results 100% Northern California Population Caught Northwest of Freeway Caught Northeast of Freeway Caught South of Freeway 80% 60% 40% ** ****** ***** 20% 0% G16 G8 G2 G3 G15 G19 G9

18 Bobcat Structure Results 100% Northern California Population Caught Northwest of Freeway Caught Northeast of Freeway Caught South of Freeway 80% 60% 40% ** ****** ***** 20% 0% G16 G8 G2 G3 G15 G19 G9 G22 G18 G5 G17 G6 G7 G23 G4 G13 G12 G25 G20 G24 G11 G14 G10 G21 G1 S52 S69 S54 S105 S101 S115 S79 S78 S57 S100 S112 S70 S51 S97 S113 S59 S76 S58 S64 S111 S68 S118 S80 S81 S95 S102 S116 S109 S110 S74 S108 S63 S99 S55 S92 S94 S53 S75 S117 S103 S104 S60 S114 S91 S106 S96 S61 S98 S71 S107 S66 S67 S87 S93 S73 S18 S77 S6 S88 S42 S30 S3 S72 S33 S34 S31 S23 S1 S86 S5 S7 S82 S11 S32 S35 S2 S85 S4 S16 S89 S20 S19 S83 S15 S9 S25 S21 S29 S41 S49 S10 S17 S84 S14 S50 S46 S90 S13 S43 S8 S45 S40 S47 S48 S12 Individuals "Northern California" Cluster "Northeast of 101" Cluster "Northwest of 101" Cluster "South of 101" Cluster * - Suspected Migrants Genetic effects of freeway isolation for bobcats % Assigned to Cluster

C59 C20 C44 C51 C66 Coyote Structure Results 100% Captured North of Freeway Captured South of Freeway 90% 80% Blue - "North" Cluster Red - "South" Cluster 70% 60% 50% 40% ******************** ** %

19 C59 C20 C44 C51 C66 Coyote Structure Results 100% Captured North of Freeway Captured South of Freeway 90% 80% Blue - "North" Cluster Red - "South" Cluster 70% 60% 50% 40% ******************** ** % Assigned to Cluster 30% 20% 10% 0% C80 C111 C84 C109 C100 C107 C55 C108 C99 C124 C64 C56 C110 C126 C104 C5 C41 C11 C30 C102 C79 C49 C53 C113 C72 C112 C70 C24 C47 C16 C23 C127 C122 C105 C130 C42 C125 C81 C129 C46 C85 C58 C106 C128 C130 C123 C121 C90 C54 C22 C62 C52 C61 C73 C67 C31 C65 C32 C12 C60 C48 C21 C63 Individual Genetic effects of freeway isolation for coyotes

20 Territory pile-up :: animals may move across the freeway, but they don t t reproduce. Freeway is a physical and social barrier. Migration rates may be poor indicators of gene flow

21 Monitoring highway underpasses

22 Existing underpasses are utilized

23 Opportunities exist to improve available options

24 Mountain lion movement

25 Mountain lion home ranges are enormous and straddle transportation infrastructure

26 Mountain lions readily cross secondary roads not always successfully

27 Cross-highway movements

28 Mountain lion crossing Highway 118 eighteen times!

29 Mountain lion survival will depend on regional connectivity and ability to cross highways

30 Confronting the Challenge: Applying Science to Mitigate Threats

31 Reducing Threats through Planning, Design & Partnerships Regional connectivity analyses: South Coast Missing Linkages Project. Wildlife corridor working groups. Collaborative mitigation design and monitoring. Constructing crossing structures.

32 Regional Connectivity Analyses Interagency effort to identify critical missing linkages

33 Wildlife Corridor Working Groups Highway 118 Working Group with Caltrans Timely delivery of safe transportation improvements while preserving and enhancing wildlife corridor integrity in the vicinity of State Route

34 Collaborative Mitigation Design and Effectiveness Monitoring State Route 23

35 Interstate 405

36 Constructing Movement Corridors

37 Tools, Techniques, and Guidance are Widely Available European experiences

38 Western Governors Association Wildlife Corridors Initiative

39 Conclusions Wildlife viability depends on maintaining connectivity. Restoring connectivity is possible with collaborative science, planning, and on-the the- ground implementation. We have the tools...now we must act!

Large Landscape Restoration and the National Park System

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Large Landscape Restoration and the National Park System April 21, 2016 National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration Raymond M. Sauvajot, Ph.D. Associate