A spatial analysis of Mountain Lion
habitat and corridor suitability
The mountain lion (Puma concolor), also known as the cougar, is a large cat native to the Americas.
Once abundant in Southern California, their numbers have been reduced to just a few thousand animals in the increasingly developed wild lands north and west of Los Angeles. Besides having less total habitat overall, the remaining groups of cats are finding themselves ever more isolated from one another, leading to genetically dangerous inbreeding.
A growing awareness about the need for wildlife corridors is leading to efforts among land management agencies, Caltrans, and wildlife advocates to identify the best corridors that can connect the habitats of these (and other animal) populations. The problem is complex and spatial analysis of the problem with GIS software is proving to be an important tool in the effort.
This story map presents an overview of the spatial analytic method developed by CorridorDesign.org that identified three potentially important mountain lion corridors.
(Right) This adult male cat (known as "P-22"), seen in the Santa Monica Mountains above Hollywood, is from the smallest of the local groups, thought to number under 100 strong.
(Photo by Steve Winter/National Geographic).