A spatial analysis workflow to derive landscape- scale conservation management information from GPS- monitored grazing livestock.

Abstract

The use of domestic livestock in naturalistic grazing is increasingly common in habitat conservation management, restoration, and rewilding initiatives. The goal is to enable natural herd behaviours so that livestock support landscape-scale ecological processes and fulfil ecosystem functions such as increasing connectivity and habitat diversity. However, despite the increasing availability of satellite telemetry equipment to monitor livestock locations, users are often limited in their ability to analyse the resulting data to better understand herd movements and thereby inform management decisions. Here, we provide a spatial analysis workflow for researchers and land managers seeking to use satellite telemetry data (e.g. GPS) to answer the following key questions about the behaviour of their grazing animals: How far do they move, and does this vary with season? Which habitats do they prefer when grazing, and does either patch size or isolation influence selection? We demonstrate this workflow by presenting a case study using Digitanimal GPS collars on a herd of cattle on the Purbeck Heaths National Nature Reserve in Dorset, UK. Our workflow shows how we addressed each of these questions using a combination of movement models, step-selection functions, and resource-selection functions. For each stage in the workflow, we provide guidance and resources for users to analyse their own data. We illustrate how, in our case study, the analyses showed that cattle range more widely in late summer than in early summer. Further, their habitat preferences shift between the early summer and the drier late summer. Cattle sought out even small patches of suitable habitat but were less likely to use very isolated patches. Practical implications: Our case study demonstrates how spatial data collected with telemetry devices can enable users to gain and share key insights into the landscape-scale seasonal habitat preferences and movement behaviours of livestock. The suite of analytical approaches presented in our workflow is broadly applicable to any type of GPS-tracked livestock and offers researchers and land managers a practical tool for understanding herd behaviour and informing conservation grazing management decisions.