Understanding drivers of space use and habitat selection is essential for management and conservation, especially under rapid environmental change. Here, we develop summer and winter
habitat suitability models for the endemic wild Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus). The High Arctic Svalbard tundra is currently subject to the fastest temperature increases on
Earth, and reindeer spatial responses to associated environmental change are strongly restricted
due to landscape barriers (including 60% glacial coverage) and lack of sea ice as movement
corridors. We used an extensive dataset of GPS-collared adult females (2009–2018; N = 268
individual-years) to model seasonal habitat selection as a function of remotely sensed environmental variables , and subsequently built habitat suitability models using an ensemble modelling
framework. As expected, we found that reindeer preferred productive habitats, described by the
normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and plant biomass (derived from a vegetation
map), in both seasons. This was further supported by selection for bird cliff areas, rich in forage,
improving habitat suitability especially in winter. Contrary to our expectations, the terrain variables had similar, impact on habitat suitability in the two seasons, except for use of higher elevations in winter, likely related to improved forage access due to less snow. Suitable habitat
patches covered only a small proportion of the landscape and were highly clustered in both
seasons. About 13.0% of the total land area was suitable in both seasons, while summer-only and
winter-only areas contributed a marginal addition of around 4.7% and 1.5%, respectively. This
suggests, that unlike many continental and migratory Rangifer populations, even small geographic
areas may encompass suffiscient suitable habitat. These first archipelago-wide habitat suitability
models provide seasonal baseline maps relevant for the management and conservation of Svalbard reindeer, particularly under rapid environmental alterations from climate change.
Biomod2
ENFA
NDVI
Plant biomass
Predictive habitat model
Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus
SDM
Svalbard
