Influence of In-Situ Oil Sands Development on Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) Movement.

ABSTRACT: In-situ oil sands development (ISD) involves a network of facilities, wells, roads and pipelines to extract and transport subsurface bitumen. This technology is rapidly expanding and there is uncertainty whether ISDs restrict animal movement, leading to increased extinction probabilities for some wide-ranging species. Here we test for effects of simulated future (i.e., 50 years from now) and current ISDs on simulated movements of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus), a threatened species across North America. In simulations of future scenarios, we varied the spacing and permeability of ISDs and the presence/absence of protected areas. Permeability was measured as the number of times simulated caribou crossed ISDs with different levels of modelled permeability. We estimated the effects of t

SUBMITTER: Muhly T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4562618 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature