Conservation of Bobcats in Vermont

In my project titled "Conservation of Wildlife in Vermont: Threatened By Habitat Fragmentation," I developed a comprehensive GIS-based tool to identify and conserve suitable habitats for wildlife in Vermont, particularly focusing on the bobcat as an indicator species. The challenge arose from increasing habitat fragmentation due to human activities, such as road construction and timber harvesting, which threaten biodiversity and disrupt ecological balances.

To tackle this issue, I utilized spatial analysis techniques and geographic data layers, including land cover, elevation, streams, and road networks obtained from Vermont's open data portals and other academic resources. My solution integrated these varied data types to accurately map potential habitats for bobcats, taking into consideration the ecological preferences and behaviors specific to the species. These preferences include forested areas and steep terrains, which are less disturbed by human activities and thus ideal for conservation.

The methodology I applied involved several detailed spatial operations. I reclassified land cover data to highlight the most suitable habitats, weighted these based on ecological significance, and combined them to form a composite suitability index. This allowed me to filter and prioritize large contiguous regions that provide optimal conditions for bobcats and are minimally impacted by human development.