Research overview: least-cost paths and circuit theory for felid connectivity

Two dominant modeling frameworks translate landscape resistance into predicted movement corridors, and this overview compares them. Least-cost path analysis finds the single cheapest route between habitat patches across a resistance surface, while circuit theory, borrowing from electrical networks, models movement as current flowing through all possible paths, identifying pinch points and redundant routes. The overview explains how each is parameterized, often from telemetry-derived or genetic resistance surfaces, and how they yield complementary insights: least-cost paths suggest optimal corridors, circuit theory reveals where connectivity is most vulnerable. For wide-ranging cats, these tools guide the placement of crossing structures and protected linkages. The overview also notes validation against observed movement and the sensitivity of results to how resistance is estimated.