Limitations

Sources of Potential Error

While measures were taken to reduce the error and limitations within the scope of the project, certain shortcomings were inevitable. These included:

• Exclusion of shoulder and pre-denning data from kernel density analysis as the fix rate was less than 80% for these seasons following standardization
• The use of kernel density in locating high activity areas, rather than more rigorous methods of determining home range; therefore, the areas showing high density of bears should not be seen as representing home range or distinct metapopulations within the study region
• Corridors being drawn as lines from point to point, which does not account for or represent movement that may have occurred as bears moved between points
• The equal weighting given to all environmental variables within the MCE, as no regression analysis was carried out to back up this assumption.
• The lack of representation of waterways, as they do appear to have a significant influence on bear movement through the landscape

Suggestions for Future Research

The Multiple-Criteria Evaluation reveals the importance of slope, elevation and land cover on the way bears move through the landscape, and indicates that further research should be done in looking at additional factors of stream order, soil moisture, and human activity. A regression analysis should also be carried out to determine the relative influence of each environmental variable on bear movement. To improve understandings of population distributions, a home range analysis should be conducted usign the GPS-tracking points.