Large carnivores need large areas of relatively wild habitat, which makes their conservation challenging. These species play important ecological roles and in some cases may qualify as keystone species. Although the ability of carnivores to control prey numbers varies according to many factors and often is effective only in the short term, the indirect effects of carnivores on community structure and diversity can be great. Perhaps just as important is the role of carnivores as umbrella species (i.e., species whose habitat area requirements encompass the habitats of many other species). Conservation areas large enough to support populations of large carnivores are likely to include many other species and natural communities, especially in regions such as the Rocky Mountains of Canada and the United States that have relatively low endemism. For example, a plan for recovery of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) proposed by Shaffer (1992) covers, in part, 34% of the state of Idaho (compared to 8% covered by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal) and would capture 10% or more of the statewide ranges of 71% of the mammal species, 67% of the birds, 61% of the amphibians but only 27% of the reptiles native to Idaho. Two‐thirds (67%) of the vegetation types in Idaho would have 10% or more of their statewide area included in the Shaffer plan. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recovery zones provide a much poorer umbrella. The umbrella functions of large carnivores are expected to be poorer in regions with high endemism. The application of metapopulation concepts to large carnivore conservation has led to proposals for regional reserve networks composed of wilderness core areas, multiple‐use buffer zones, and some form of connectivity. The exceptional vagility of most large carnivores makes such networks feasible in a region with low human population density, such as the Rocky Mountains, but mortality risks still need to be addressed. Roads are a major threat to carnivore recovery because of barrier effects, vehicle collisions, and increased accessibility of wild areas to poachers. Development, especially for tourism, is also becoming a threat in many parts ofthe region.

We examined cougar (  Puma concolor) dispersal, emigration, and immigration in the San Andres Mountains, New Mexico, from 1985 to 1995 to quantify the effects of dispersal on the local population and surrounding subpopulations. We captured, tagged, and radio‐collared animals to detect the arrival of new immigrants and dispersal characteristics of progeny. We found that cougars in southern New Mexico exhibited a metapopulation structure in which cougar subpopulations were separated by expanses of noncougar habitat and linked by dispersers. Of 43 progeny (n = 20 males, 23 females) studied after independence, only 13 females exhibited philopatric behavior. Males dispersed significantly farther than females, were more likely to traverse large expanses of noncougar habitat, and were probably most responsible for nuclear gene flow between habitat patches. We estimated that an average of 8.5 progeny (i.e., cougars born in the study area) successfully emigrated from and 4.3 cougars successfully immigrated to the San Andres Mountains each year. Concurrently, an average of 4.1 progeny were recruited into the San Andres cougar population. Protected cougar subpopulations can contribute to metapopulation persistence by supplying immigrants to surrounding subpopulations that are affected by fragmentation or offtake by humans. Cougar population dynamics and dispersal behavior dictate that cougar management and conservation should be considered on a regional scale.

Understanding the effects of human disturbance on endangered wildlife populations is critical to their conservation. We examined the effects of roads and human disturbance on the survivorship and foraging efficiency of Amur tigers ( Panthera tigris altaica ) on and near Sikhote-Alin State Biosphere Zapovednik, Primorye Krai (province), Russia. To evaluate the effects of roads, we estimated survivorship of radiocollared tigers and their cubs living in three types of areas: (1) areas with primary roads, (2) areas containing secondary roads, and (3) areas with minimal or no road access. We classified a tiger into one of these three treatments based on which types of roads bisected their 50% minimum convex polygon home ranges. Over a 9-year period (1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000), adult female survival was greatest ( 2 ϭ 12.2, df ϭ 2, p ϭ 0.002) for radiocollared tigers in roadless areas. All adult female tigers in roadless areas survived their tenure in those locations ( n ϭ 2), whereas all died or disappeared prematurely from areas with primary roads ( n ϭ 6). Cub survival was lower in areas with primary and secondary roads than in roadless areas ( 2 ϭ 10.9, df ϭ 1, p Ͻ 0.009). We evaluated the effects of human disturbance at kill sites by examining 86 kills made by 15 tigers determining whether human disturbance had occurred at the kill site, and examining prey carcasses after tigers left, to estimate the percent meat eaten and whether the tiger abandoned the kill following human disturbance. Tigers undisturbed at kills consumed more meat ( Z ϭ 3.71, p ϭ 0.0002) from each kill than disturbed tigers did. Undisturbed tigers also spent more time at each kill site than disturbed tigers did ( Z ϭ 2.3; p ϭ 0.02). Abandonment of kills occurred in 63% of 24 instances when tigers were disturbed by people. Because roads decrease the survivorship and reproductive success of tigers, we recommend that in habitats managed for tigers, construction of new roads should be prohibited wherever possible and access to secondary roads (e.g., logging roads) should be reduced or prevented wherever possible. Protected areas seem to cease functioning as source populations where road access exists, and unprotected areas-the majority of Amur tiger rangecannot sustain stable populations with the increasing threat of human access to tiger habitat. Efectos de Caminos y Perturbación Humana sobre Tigres AmurResumen: Entender los efectos de la perturbación humana sobre poblaciones de vida silvestre en peligro es crítico para su conservación. Examinamos los efectos de caminos y perturbación humana sobre la supervivencia y eficiencia de forrajeo de tigres Amur ( Panthera tigris altaica ) en y cerca de Biosfera Estatal Zapovednik Sikhote-Alin, Primorye Krai ( provincia), Rusia. Para evaluar los efectos de los caminos, estimamos la supervivencia de tigres con radio-collares y sus crías en áreas de tres tipos: 1) áreas con caminos primarios, 2) áreas con caminos secundarios y 3) áreas con mínimo o sin acceso de caminos. Cla...

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