Navigating fragmentation: movement ecology and habitat selection of a large, long-lived skink in an agricultural landscape

As global agricultural expansion continues, there is little choice but to incorporate modified landscapes into biodiversity conservation efforts. Increasingly available animal movement data can be leveraged to identify important habitat features and assess population connectivity in fragmented landscapes. We use the shingleback lizard (Tiliqua rugosa) as a case study to demonstrate the utility of GPS-telemetry data to inform conservation decisions. We investigated habitat selection at the fine scale (movement step selection), broad scale (home range selection) and simulated movement trajectories to assess landscape-scale movement. We show that patches of remnant vegetation are focal points for fine-scale movement, as well as for potential population connectivity in the broader landscape. However, shingleback lizards also used edge habitats like paddock edges and roadsides, perhaps utilising altered thermoregulatory opportunities, foraging conditions, or resource subsidies. These results underscore the importance of remnant vegetation patches for sustaining movement and gene flow in modified landscapes. Our study demonstrates how movement ecology, including simulated movement trajectories, can inform conservation strategies to mitigate the impacts of habitat destruction and fragmentation on wildlife populations.