Road infrastructure drives habitat fragmentation and connectivity loss for large mammals in central iranian protected area

Abstract

Abstract While Protected Areas shield wildlife from many external threats, existing road infrastructure within their boundaries often remains a persistent source of disturbance. These road networks fragment habitats and reduce connectivity, ultimately compromising population viability and survival. This study investigates the effects of road networks on the habitat suitability and connectivity of the goitered gazelle ( Gazella subgutturosa ), wild goat ( Capra aegagrus ), and grey wolf ( Canis lupus ) in Kolah Ghazi National Park, Iran. These species occupy different ecological niches as key herbivores and a top predator, making them valuable indicators of how road infrastructure affects wildlife across trophic levels. We identified core habitats using MaxEnt, and assessed landscape connectivity and critical corridors using resistance kernels. For goitered gazelle, distance to agriculture, roads, and rangelands were most influential. For grey wolf, distance to roads, agriculture, and rangelands dominated. Core habitats for all three species occur largely within the park, yet roads sever key patches: about 12 km for wild goat, 11 km for goitered gazelle, and nearly 10 km for grey wolf. Corridor coverage within conservation areas was high (goitered gazelle 91%, wild goat 94%, grey wolf 98.9%), but gazelle corridors intersect roads repeatedly and wild goat corridors intersect 5.5 km of roads. The findings suggest substantial habitat fragmentation and connectivity loss due to roads. We recommend conservation actions that prioritize the identified core areas and corridors, enforce slower traffic in crossing zones, and provide species-appropriate crossing structures to preserve connectivity and minimize wildlife-vehicle collisions.