Using Corine Land Cover to predict habitats occupied by moose Alces alces

Using Corine Land Cover to predict habitats occupied by moose Alces alces. The aim of the study is to assess the possibility of predicting the habitats occupied by moose on the basis of Corine Land Cover. The second aim was to assess whether the impact of the structure of land cover on the population density of moose can change over time with an increase in population numbers. The data for analysis was the number of moose in 293 hunting districts assessed each year in spring in Podlaskie Voivodship. The data covered ten years from 2010 to 2019. The boundaries of each hunting district were compared to the Corine Land Cover layer, and the share of each type of coverage was calculated. The impact of cover types on moose numbers was analyzed in generalized linear models. The moose population showed a distinct increase of population numbers over the last 10 years in the Podlaskie Voivodship. In all the analyzed years, four cover types explained the distribution of moose. The numbers of moose decreased along with the increasing share of arable lands, but was positively related to the presence of inland marshes and share of deciduous forest. In 2010 and 2011, additionally two cover types explained the distribution of moose in the models, similarly in 2019. Obtained results show that the current range of moose in the Podlasie Voivodeship allows the reliable prediction of its numbers on the basis of Corine Land Cover. Impact of some cover types has changed with time.