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Outdoor recreation has experienced a boom in recent years and continues to grow. While outdoor recreation provides wide-ranging benefits to human well-being, there are growing concerns about the sustainability of recreation with the increased pressures placed on ecological systems and visitor experiences. These concerns emphasize the need for managers to access accurate and timely recreation data at scales that match the growing extent of the recreation footprint. Here, we compare spatial and temporal patterns of winter and summer recreation using traditional (trail cameras, infrared counters, aerial surveys, participatory mapping) and application-based tools (Strava Metro, Strava Global Heatmap, Wikiloc) across the Columbia and Canadian Rocky Mountains of western Canada. We demonstrate how recreation use can be estimated using traditional and application-based tools, although their accuracy and utility varies across space, season and activity type. We found that trail cameras and infrared counters captured similar broad-scale patterns in count estimates of pedestrians and all recreation activities. Aerial surveys captured areas with low recreation intensity and participatory mapping captured coarser information on the intensity and extent of recreation across large spatial and temporal scales. Application-based data provided detailed spatiotemporal information on recreation use, but datasets were biased towards specific activities. Strava Metro data was more suited for capturing broad-scale spatial patterns in biking than pedestrian recreation. Application-based data should be supplemented with data from traditional tools to identify biases in data and fill in data gaps. We provide a comparison of each tool for measuring recreation use, highlight each tools’ strengths and limitations and applications to address real-world monitoring and management scenarios. Our research contributes towards a better understanding of which tool, or combinations of tools, to use that can expand the rigor and scope of recreation research. These findings support decision-making to mitigate pressures on wildlife and their habitats while allowing for high-quality recreation experiences.

The wolverine is a wide-ranging and frequently at-risk or data-deficient species with dramatic range contractions across the northern hemisphere. Recent reports of low population densities inside and outside protected areas in western North America highlight the need for better conservation practice, policy, and planning across large landscapes. To assess broad habitat needs, we synthesized available wolverine habitat models in the Columbia and Rocky Mountains (63,000 km2), Canada. We used coefficients from four existing models to create spatial predictions over environmental datasets including snow, landcover, and roads. We averaged predictions using the distance-weighted mean of equal-area percentile habitat values and validated the output by comparison to independent data. Because persistent spring snow is tightly correlated with high-quality habitat, we assessed 2080 spring snow cover forecasts (under Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 high emissions scenario) to identify potential habitat refugia in British Columbia. Our synthesized habitat model identified high-quality habitat along mountain ranges, notably in the Purcell Mountains and the Columbia Icefield in the Rocky Mountains. Mean habitat value was 0.70 (SD: 0.19) inside protected areas and 0.55 (SD: 0.28) outside protected areas. The British Columbia side of the study area is forecasted to lose 44% of persistent spring snow cover by 2080, with declines identified inside many protected areas. By synthesizing existing habitat research and climate forecasts, we provided new insights at the broad spatial scale needed to conserve wide-ranging species like wolverine and to inform land-use planning for recreational access and the establishment and management of protected and conserved areas.

The first draft of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) includes an unprecedented call for states that have ratified the treaty (Parties) to implement measures to maintain and enhance ecological connectivity as urgent actions to abate further biodiversity loss and ecosystem decline. Considering the challenges that lie ahead for Parties to the CBD, we highlight the ways in which effective and equitable connectivity conservation can be achieved through four transformative changes, including: (1) mainstreaming connectivity retention and restoration within biodiversity conservation sector and influencing sectors (e.g., transportation, energy, agriculture, forestry); (2) mainstreaming financial resources and incentives to support effective implementation; (3) fostering collaboration with a focus on cross-sector collective action; and (4) investing in diverse forms of knowledge (co-)production and management in support of adaptive governance. We detail 15 key actions that can be used to support the implementation of these transformative changes. While ambitious, the transformative changes and associated key actions recommended in this perspective will need to be put in place with unprecedented urgency, coherency, and coordination if Parties to the CBD truly aspire to achieve the goals and targets of the forthcoming Post-2020 GBF in this new decade of biodiversity.

Wolverines are vulnerable to multiple, widespread, increasing forms of human activity so have become an indicator of conservation success or failure for northern ecosystems. Logistically difficult to research, the last two decades have seen marked changes in technology yielding new insights. We reviewed and synthesized this recent research and asked: what are the known drivers of wolverine populations and distribution, is there consensus on mechanisms for populations dynamics, and how can this knowledge inform wolverine conservation? From 156 peer-reviewed papers we observed wolverine research varies geographically in volume, and especially in focus. Most papers arose from Canada and the USA, whereas Scandinavia led Palearctic efforts; large gaps exist outside that region. DNA and telemetry are the most common modes of inquiry, with camera traps increasing recently. In Scandinavia coordinated long-term monitoring programs have yielded substantial information; the Nearctic relied on stand-alone research until the recent USA multi-state monitoring project, and Canada lacks such coordination. Globally, protected areas are important for wolverine conservation, but effective landscape and population management in the working land base is vital. The dual drivers of climate and landscape change manifest across wolverines’ range, but past and current correlation between them remains a confound. Coordinated continental-scale analyses across gradients of development and climate change are needed to parse apart drivers of declines at macroecological scales, to inform effective conservation decisions.