A HABITAT SUITABILITY ANALYSIS OF THE KIT FOX IN COLORADO

Abstract

As human population continues to increase, cities will keep growing and more critical wildlife areas will be transformed for urban development. As this progresses and more wildlife species become endangered, conservationists will play a vital component in the future development expansions and help to maintain ecosystems. One of those already endangered species is the Kit Fox (Vulpes macrotis), which plays an important role in keeping Colorado’s ecosystem in balance. Due to urban development as well as other human factors such as roads/driving, the Kit Fox’s population continues to dwindle, placing them on the Colorado Threatened and Endangered List. This project conducts a suitability analysis within the state of Colorado to determine suitable locations for Kit Fox populations to be moved to for conservation efforts. Using a variety of different factors that pertain to the Kit Fox’s survival needs as inputs, both a binary and a weighted suitability method were conducted to find alternative suitable locations for the Kit Fox to thrive in within Colorado. Future conservationists and scientists can use the results from this study to assist with recommendations to move Kit Fox populations to restore their population numbers, remove them from the Colorado Threatened and Endangered List, and keep the Kit Fox from vanishing in Colorado.