We used GPS data from caribou and wolves, field data on human and wildlife use of seismic lines and pipelines, vegetation heights extracted from LiDAR, non-invasive fecal DNA collections, and a suite of GIS variables associated with landscape, habitat, and anthropogenic features to 1) determine how caribou, their predators, and humans
respond to seismic lines at different stages of regeneration, 2) evaluate whether the zone of influence of linear features changes in relation to the level of regeneration, 3) assess how human activity on linear features is affected by landscape attributes and regeneration, 4) assess the size and health of caribou populations, and 5) produce spatially explicit models to aid in the prioritization of areas for restoration.
Overall, our detailed analyses of animal and human response to regenerating seismic lines and well site status contributes new knowledge towards understanding the effect of anthropogenic disturbances on animal behavior, and towards understanding areas of overlap between caribou and their predators. The covariates identified here, along with seismic lines identified as high priority for restoration, can be used by land planners and industrial partners to identify areas where restoration of previously disturbed areas will have the greatest benefit to caribou in the Chinchaga range. Ultimately, these results may be used to expedite restoration of caribou habitat to reach the disturbance targets
outlined in the federal recovery strategies.