Estimating Bobcat and Canada Lynx Distributions in British Columbia

Understanding the distribution of a species is useful before undertaking management and conservation actions. Distribution estimates provide ecological insights about a species, and help frame the scope and scale of research questions. However, compiling reliable distribution information is a challenge for elusive mesocarnivores such as bobcats (Lynx rufus) and Canada lynx (L. canadensis). In British Columbia, Canada, bobcats and lynx are key mesocarnivores ecologically and are important furbearers, but their distributions are poorly understood. We compiled and compared 5 independent sources of bobcat and lynx records in British Columbia to gain a better understanding of their provincial distributions: trapping records, hunting records, vehicle-kill records, trapper surveys, and images solicited from the public. Our objectives were to compare bobcat and lynx distributions derived from each of these data sources, and provide reliable estimates for the distribution of each species in British Columbia between 2008 and 2017. Although each method has unique advantages and limitations, all data sources indicated similar distributions, and each data source provided unique locations for the final distribution maps that we derived. Bobcats were restricted to the southern half of British Columbia, whereas lynx occurred across most of the interior of the province. Bobcat and lynx distributions broadly overlapped in southern British Columbia, but image detections generally occurred at higher elevations for lynx than bobcats. We demonstrate the utility of combining multiple data sources when estimating species distributions, and highlight the usefulness of citizen science in such studies.