Steve Rochetta, Clayton Apps, Adam Ford

As demand for renewable energy increases, run-of-river (RoR) hydroelectric projects are expanding throughout mountainous regions as lower-emission alternatives to large dams. Although the permanent footprint of these developments is relatively small, construction requires access roads, transmission corridors, and prolonged human activity that may influence wildlife behaviour. Understanding these effects is particularly important for grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) populations that are recovering and re-establishing connectivity across historically fragmented landscapes.
We used an integrated Before–After Control–Impact (BACI) Hidden Markov Model (HMM) to evaluate how RoR construction affected grizzly bear movement behaviour in southwestern British Columbia. Behaviour-specific resource selection functions were then used to estimate Relative Selection Strength and map habitat suitability under pre- and post-development conditions. Despite a small permanent disturbance footprint (~500 ha), bears reduced use of the development area during construction. Individuals that continued to enter the Impact zone shifted from slower, localized movements associated with foraging to faster, more directed travel, indicating reduced localized habitat use. Habitat suitability changed only modestly, with little loss of high-quality foraging habitat, suggesting that behavioural responses were driven primarily by human disturbance rather than habitat alteration.
These results show that multi-year construction can displace bears from otherwise suitable habitat by altering movement behaviour. For recovering populations occupying historical fracture zones, such displacement may reduce access to foraging areas, slow recolonization, and weaken functional connectivity even where habitat quality remains intact. The findings highlight the importance of incorporating behavioural responses to disturbance when evaluating cumulative effects and planning development in multi-use mountain landscape