Modeling the Invasion: Habitat Suitability and Landscape Connectivity of Wild Boar ( Sus scrofa ) on Jeju Island, South Korea
- 1Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Advanced Convergence Technology and Science Jeju National University Jeju Republic of Korea
- 2Herpetology Section Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Museum Koenig Bonn Bonn Germany
- 3Faculty of Science Education Jeju National University Jeju Republic of Korea
Abstract
Invasive species pose significant ecological and economic threats to island ecosystems, and identification of suitable habitats and understanding the spread dynamics of invasive species are crucial for effective management. On Jeju Island, South Korea, the invasive wild boar ( Sus scrofa ) has rapidly expanded its range, raising ecological and agricultural concerns. This study assessed fine‐scale habitat suitability and landscape connectivity using an optimized Maximum Entropy (maxEnt) model and Linkage Mapper, respectively. After multicollinearity testing, 94 occurrence points and 10 environmental variables were retained for the final model projection. The model demonstrated excellent performance as indicated by high value of the Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC), True Skill Statistics (TSS), and Continuous Boyce Index (CBI). Distance to agriculture, distance to built‐up area, elevation, and distance to water were the most influential predictors of wild boar distribution. The model identified 14.49% of Jeju Island as a highly suitable habitat and 21.64% as suitable, indicating potential expansion and increased human‐wild boar conflict. Connectivity analysis revealed six core habitats linked by eight corridors. Hallasan area and Geumakseo‐gil area were the most important habitats for maintaining overall landscape connectivity. In conclusion, our findings identified potential risk areas, prioritized targeted monitoring, early detection, and proactive management to limit future expansion and reduce the ecological and agricultural impacts of wild boar on Jeju Island.
Related
- Scenario-dependent functional connectivity in a crowded seascape: habitat suitability, shipping pressure and marine infrastructure in the North Sea
- Predicting Habitat Suitability of Nine Major Grassland Insect Pests in Yunnan, China, Under Climate Change Scenarios
- From forest to farmland: seasonal habitat suitability and risk areas of human–elephant conflict in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) of Thailand
- High-resolution prediction and risk mapping of Haemaphysalis longicornis habitat suitability in the Jiaodong Peninsula, China
- From microstructures to macroclimates: SEM-based differentiation and MaxEnt habitat suitability of Hypocassida subferruginea and Cassida palaestina in Türkiye
BibTeX
@article{kunwar2026modeling,
title = {{Modeling the Invasion: Habitat Suitability and Landscape Connectivity of Wild Boar ( Sus scrofa ) on Jeju Island, South Korea}},
author = {Binod Kunwar and Suraj Baral and Young‐Hun Jeong and Hong‐Shik Oh},
journal = {Ecology and Evolution},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1002/ece3.74398},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.74398},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Modeling the Invasion: Habitat Suitability and Landscape Connectivity of Wild Boar ( Sus scrofa ) on Jeju Island, South Korea
AU - Binod Kunwar
AU - Suraj Baral
AU - Young‐Hun Jeong
AU - Hong‐Shik Oh
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Ecology and Evolution
DO - 10.1002/ece3.74398
UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.74398
AB - Invasive species pose significant ecological and economic threats to island ecosystems, and identification of suitable habitats and understanding the spread dynamics of invasive species are crucial for effective management. On Jeju Island, South Korea, the invasive wild boar ( Sus scrofa ) has rapidly expanded its range, raising ecological and agricultural concerns. This study assessed fine‐scale habitat suitability and landscape connectivity using an optimized Maximum Entropy (maxEnt) model and Linkage Mapper, respectively. After multicollinearity testing, 94 occurrence points and 10 environmental variables were retained for the final model projection. The model demonstrated excellent performance as indicated by high value of the Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC), True Skill Statistics (TSS), and Continuous Boyce Index (CBI). Distance to agriculture, distance to built‐up area, elevation, and distance to water were the most influential predictors of wild boar distribution. The model identified 14.49% of Jeju Island as a highly suitable habitat and 21.64% as suitable, indicating potential expansion and increased human‐wild boar conflict. Connectivity analysis revealed six core habitats linked by eight corridors. Hallasan area and Geumakseo‐gil area were the most important habitats for maintaining overall landscape connectivity. In conclusion, our findings identified potential risk areas, prioritized targeted monitoring, early detection, and proactive management to limit future expansion and reduce the ecological and agricultural impacts of wild boar on Jeju Island.
SN - 2045-7758
SN - 2045-7758
ER -