Modeling spatially explicit human-wildlife conflict: GIS and moose-vehicle collisions in Maine
Document Type Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
In this study, I use moose as a case study to develop a GIS methodology to incorporate information about past experiences of human-wildlife conflict to predict future human-wildlife conflict. Moose are naturally appropriate for a case study because spatially explicit data are available, and no study has been published that has attempted to use advanced GIS and statistics to predict MVC hotspots in Maine. Spatial statistics are increasingly being used in the context of extrapolation, and they have great potential to improve the accuracy of predictive models (Miller 2004). Creating a GIS methodology to create a spatial model may improve predictions regarding interactions between animals and people, future patterns of human-wildlife conflict, and other spatial interactions that may affect the survival and management of a species of interest.