Rule-based habitat suitability modelling for the reintroduction of the grey wolf (Canis lupus) in Scotland.

ABSTRACT: Though native to Scotland, the grey wolf (Canis lupus) was extirpated c.250 years ago as part of a global eradication drive. The global population has recently expanded, now occupying 67% of its former range. Evidence is growing that apex predators provide a range of ecological benefits, most stemming from the reduction of overgrazing by deer-something from which Scotland suffers. In this study, we build a rule-based habitat suitability model for wolves on the Scottish mainland. From existing literature, we identify the most important variables as land cover, prey density, road density and human density, and establish thresholds of suitability for each. Fuzzy membership functions are used to assign suitability values to each variable, followed by fuzzy overlay to combine all four: a novel

SUBMITTER: Gwynn V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9586354 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature