Habitat issues
Mapping Occupied Habitat for Forest Carnivores in the
American West and Estimating their Conservation Status
David L. Gaillard
Predator Conservation Alliance, P.O. Box 6733, Bozeman, MT 59771; (406) 587-3389;
gaillard@predatorconservation.org;
www.predatorconservation.org
Abstract
Conservation concerns are escalating due to the small numbers, reduced range,
and increasingly
fragmented distribution of wide-ranging forest carnivores in the American
Westspecifically the
lynx (Lynx canadensis), wolverine (Gulo gulo), and fisher (Martes pennanti).
Observation data
from the U.S. Forest Service and state natural heritage programs were compiled
and mapped.
Occupied habitats and population centers for the three species were identified
and population
sizes estimated based upon recorded densities and distribution. The results
indicate small,
isolated populations well below what may be necessary for long-term viability.