Models of habitat quality and connectivity for mountain lion (Puma concolor), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni), black bear (Ursus americanus), and pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) on the Navajo Nation

This data publication contains estimates of habitat quality and connectivity for mountain lion, mule deer, desert bighorn sheep, and black bear, and combined estimates of high habitat and connectivity areas for all species. The analysis area was a 236,000 square kilometers that encompassed the Navajo Nation, which includes portions of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. The estimates of habitat quality were created with spatially explicit habitat variables and either an expert-based linear combination process (for mountain lion and mule deer) or a generalized linear mixed model-based estimation that used radio-collar telemetry data (for desert bighorn sheep, black bear, and pronghorn; collected between 2005-2011). Habitat variables varied among species but included vegetation type, terrain ruggedness, topographic position index (TPI), road density, distance to water, population density, and major barriers to movement.
The purpose of this study was to estimate habitat quality and landscape permeability for mountain lion, mule deer, desert bighorn sheep, black bear and pronghorn on the Navajo Nation.
Original metadata date was 05/21/2015. Minor metadata updates on 12/15/2016 and 10/31/2019.