Habitat loss, not fragmentation, drives Canada lynx occurrence at the southern range periphery

Working at the southern edge of the Canada lynx range, this study disentangled whether the amount of suitable habitat or its spatial fragmentation better explains where lynx persist. Using occurrence data and landscape metrics, the authors found that total habitat loss, rather than fragmentation per se, was the dominant driver of lynx absence near the range margin. The result has direct climate relevance because warming is expected to erode the boreal forest and deep-snow conditions lynx require, reducing habitat area faster than it fragments it. The paper informs conservation by clarifying which landscape change matters most, steering management toward protecting habitat quantity in climate-exposed peripheral populations.