Modeling the Invasion: Habitat Suitability and Landscape Connectivity of Wild Boar ( Sus scrofa ) on Jeju Island, South Korea

ABSTRACT

Invasive species pose significant ecological and economic threats to island ecosystems, and identification of suitable habitats and understanding the spread dynamics of invasive species are crucial for effective management. On Jeju Island, South Korea, the invasive wild boar ( Sus scrofa ) has rapidly expanded its range, raising ecological and agricultural concerns. This study assessed fine‐scale habitat suitability and landscape connectivity using an optimized Maximum Entropy (maxEnt) model and Linkage Mapper, respectively. After multicollinearity testing, 94 occurrence points and 10 environmental variables were retained for the final model projection. The model demonstrated excellent performance as indicated by high value of the Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC), True Skill Statistics (TSS), and Continuous Boyce Index (CBI). Distance to agriculture, distance to built‐up area, elevation, and distance to water were the most influential predictors of wild boar distribution. The model identified 14.49% of Jeju Island as a highly suitable habitat and 21.64% as suitable, indicating potential expansion and increased human‐wild boar conflict. Connectivity analysis revealed six core habitats linked by eight corridors. Hallasan area and Geumakseo‐gil area were the most important habitats for maintaining overall landscape connectivity. In conclusion, our findings identified potential risk areas, prioritized targeted monitoring, early detection, and proactive management to limit future expansion and reduce the ecological and agricultural impacts of wild boar on Jeju Island.