Integrating multispecies habitat suitability and landscape connectivity to design biodiversity corridors for mountains

Abstract

In the Himalayan region, habitat loss from infrastructure development and land use changes threatens biodiversity by degrading biological corridors. Despite increased protected areas (PAs), maintaining connectivity between them remains challenging. A pilot study in Himachal Pradesh, India, aimed to map biodiversity corridors (landscape linkages between isolated protected areas) to support wildlife habitats and guide development planning. A total effort of 120 camera traps over 3605 trap nights and 94 trails covering 918 km recorded 20 species, with 8 species listed as threatened. Using transect surveys and camera‐trapping data along with ensemble species‐distribution models, we generated multispecies habitat‐suitability maps. Additionally, connectivity tools such as Circuitscape, Core Mapper, and Linkage Mapper were utilized to map potential biodiversity corridors and connectivity between protected areas. High species richness areas were located between Inderkilla National Park (NP) and Kias Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS); Kanawar WLS and Khirgana NP; and Dhauladhar WLS and Nargu WLS. We identified 1722.16 km ² of multispecies suitable habitat across the landscape and it is influenced by temperature and elevation. A total of four high connectivity blocks were identified, where the strongest connectivity was found between Inderkilla and Kais national parks, suggesting these areas should be regarded valuable for gene flow. Least‐cost path and cost‐weighted distance analyses mapped valuable wildlife movement routes and quantified resistance to movement across linkages. Several pinch points were identified, especially between Inderkilla NP and Kais WLS, and within Dhauladhar WLS, indicating zones of movement constriction critical for maintaining landscape connectivity. This modeling technique offers a robust and scalable approach for designing ecological networks in mountain regions, enabling policymakers and land use planners to integrate connectivity into landscape‐level conservation strategies for effective conservation under ongoing developmental pressures.