Quantifying landscape connectivity for wild Asian elephant populations among fragmented habitats in Thailand

Abstract

The information on landscape connectivity among wildlife populations is crucial for conservation of endangered species. In this study, connectivity between core habitat areas was mapped and prioritized for the potential corridors among elephant populations in two separated regions in Thailand. The step selection function modeling approach was employed to estimate resistance surfaces based on elephant occurrence data. Connectivity maps were created based on the estimated resistance surfaces by employing the least-cost path and circuit theory through a proposed analytical method. As the results of resistance modeling, the averaged model showed that four of fifteen covariates were positively associated with the selection of the steps. The predictors consist of landcover, elevation, terrain ruggedness, and distance to the nearest cell of specific landcover. The connectivity maps indicated multiple potential connectivity pathways, bottlenecks, and varied important linkages between core areas in both regions. This gave an alternative opportunity in acquiring information of landscape connectivity for providing aid in conservation planning at landscape-level. Keywords: Corridor, Protected area, Circuit theory, Resistance surfaces