Conservation Opportunity and Risk Mapping for Carnivores Using Landowner Survey Data from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Large landscape planningfor wildlife corridorsoften requires inclusion of private lands and willing landowners to establish successful pathways to and from protected core habitats. Using mail survey data, we spatially assessed carnivoreoccurrences, perceptions of carnivores, and landowner preferences toward conservation planningtools from three communities to quantify conservation opportunity and risk related to carnivoremovement on the landscape. The mapping of social data illustrates the importance of understanding individuals for conservation planning. The approach has the potential to identify areas that pose risks or present opportunities for the implementation of on-the-ground conservation actions to facilitate long-term wildlifemovement across private lands.