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Space use analyses suggest avoidance of a ski area by mountain goats
Author(s) -
Richard Julien H.,
Côté Steeve D.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the journal of wildlife management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1937-2817
pISSN - 0022-541X
DOI - 10.1002/jwmg.1028
Subject(s) - wildlife , wilderness area , wilderness , habitat , recreation , geography , nature reserve , national park , ecology , environmental protection , biology , archaeology
The development of recreational activities imposes growing anthropogenic pressure on wilderness areas worldwide. Because anthropogenic disturbances may modify wildlife use of habitat, space use studies may be useful to identify wildlife response to recreational activities. Mountain goats ( Oreamnos americanus ) are highly sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances and are thus likely to modify their space use in response to recreational activities. From 2011 to 2013, we studied space use of mountain goats in Jasper National Park, Canada, one of the most popular wilderness areas in North America, and assessed how it was influenced by an alpine ski area. Comparison of predicted use from habitat selection models and observed use defined by global positioning system collar data revealed ski area avoidance. The immediate surroundings of the ski area were, however, not avoided by mountain goats, but the presence of a natural salt lick <1 km from the ski area may have contributed to the observed mountain goat use of these areas. Ski activities have the potential to exclude mountain goats from habitat with otherwise high probability of use. Thus, we recommend that future ski area developments generally consider the behavior of species sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances and that construction should not occur in habitat essential for sensitive species like mountain goats. © 2015 The Wildlife Society.