Data from: Influence of in-situ oil sands development on caribou (Rangifer tarandus) movement

In-situ oil sands development (ISD) involves a network of facilities,
wells, roads and pipelines to extract and transport subsurface bitumen.
This technology is rapidly expanding and there is uncertainty whether ISDs
restrict animal movement, leading to increased extinction probabilities
for some wide-ranging species. Here we test for effects of simulated
future (i.e., 50 years from now) and current ISDs on simulated movements
of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus), a threatened species across North
America. In simulations of future scenarios, we varied the spacing and
permeability of ISDs and the presence/absence of protected areas.
Permeability was measured as the number of times simulated caribou crossed
ISDs with different levels of modelled permeability. We estimated the
effects of these factors on caribou step length and annual home range
size, key metrics of small and large spatiotemporal scales of movement,
respectively. Current caribou crossings of above-ground pipeline features
of ISDs were measured using camera traps and compared to expected caribou
crossing rates based on present-day caribou movement simulations. Current
crossing rates were evaluated within the context of predicted future
crossing success rates necessary to maintain caribou step lengths and home
ranges. With few exceptions, permeability across ISDs was the main factor
affecting caribou movement, more so than spacing between developments or
the presence of protected areas. However, minimal permeability (crossing
rates of c. 15% to 60%, relative to an undisturbed site was needed to
maintain existing home range size and step lengths. The effect of
permeability on home range size and step length was non-linear, suggesting
that small increases in permeability would provide a disproportionately
greater benefit to caribou movement. Our predictions demonstrate that
maintaining permeability across ISDs is more important than spacing
between leases or including protected areas, and thus provides clear
direction for mitigation efforts for features that will exist on the
landscape for decades to come.