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Using Gis-Based, Regional Extent Habitat Suitability Modeling To Identify Conservation Priority Areas: A Case Study Of The Louisiana Black Bear In East Texas, Christopher E. Comer, I-Kuai Hung, Gary Calkins, Dan J. Kaminski, Nathan Garner
Using Gis-Based, Regional Extent Habitat Suitability Modeling To Identify Conservation Priority Areas: A Case Study Of The Louisiana Black Bear In East Texas, Christopher E. Comer, I-Kuai Hung, Gary Calkins, Dan J. Kaminski, Nathan Garner
Faculty Publications
State and federal recovery plans mandate that priority areas for future population expansion be identified within the historical range of the Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus). Despite the presence of potentially suitable habitat in east Texas and expanding populations in adjacent states, quantitative estimates of regional habitat suitability do not exist. We developed a regional extent habitat suitability index (HSI) model in a geographic information system (GIS) to evaluate year-round habitat requirements for black bears in the 43,530-km2 south black bear recovery zone in southeastern Texas. We measured hard and soft mast production, understory vegetation density, and tree den …