PS 1-12 - Evaluating the effects of outdoor recreation on mountain lion habitat selection and movement behavior

Abstract: 1. Human activity is a major driver of carnivore movement, known to affect both the spatial and temporal patterns of movement behavior. While traditional measures of human activity have focused on structural forms of disturbance, such as housing densities, recent evidence suggests that more dynamic forms of human disturbance, such as human mobility, play an important role in shaping carnivore behavior.

< . 2. Outdoor recreational activity is an increasingly popular and widespread form of human activity, which if perceived by carnivores as a source of risk, might have significant consequences on carnivore movement behavior. However, the effects of outdoor recreation on carnivore movement behavior remain largely unknown.

3. Using crowd-sourced human activity data derived from Strava, a cell phone-based fitness application, we quantified outdoor recreational activity across multiple spatial and temporal scales in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains to evaluate the effects of recreation on mountain lion (Puma concolor) space use. Using integrated Step Selection Analysis (iSSA) we modeled mountain lion habitat selection and movement behavior in response outdoor recreation. We identified the spatial and temporal scales at which mountain lions respond to recreational activity and compared the effects of outdoor recreation to other measures of human disturbance. We then evaluated evidence of a function response and identified human activity thresholds that shape mountain lion habitat selection.

4. We found that outdoor recreation has a significant effect on both mountain lion habitat selection and movement behavior, with mountain lions avoiding areas with high trail densities and high levels of outdoor recreational activity. Models that included dynamic measures of outdoor recreation outperformed models with only static or structural measures of human disturbance. Recreation intensity also proved to mediate carnivore response to linear features, such that as human activity increased, preference for trails decreased.

< 5. As participation in outdoor recreational activity continues to grow, our research highlights the need to understand how such activities might affect wildlife. We demonstrate how high levels of outdoor recreation can reduce habitat quality and change carnivore movement behavior. Consideration of the effects of recreation ought to be included in the design and management of multi-use landscapes that aim to simultaneously provide human recreation opportunities and contribute to wildlife conservation goals.