Tae-wook Kim, National Park Institute for Wildlife Conservation, Korea National Park Service

In terms conservation of large mammals, maintaining functional connectivity among core habitats is essential for sustaining population viability and mitigating human–wildlife conflict. This study aimed to identify priority core habitat and corridors of the reintroduced Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus ussuricus) in South Korea and to delineate conservation-relevant habitat units at a landscape scale. We analyzed 65,318 location records collected between 2004 and 2022 using Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) and circuit theory–based connectivity modeling. MSPA results indicated that core habitats comprised approximately 23% of the study area and were largely concentrated within national parks. Additional landscape elements associated with ecological connectivity were identified as islets (0.68%), loops (0.16%), and branches (0.01%), highlighting structurally important but spatially limited habitat features. Circuit theory analysis revealed key linkage zones among major habitat patches, with the top 10% of normalized current flow forming a primary linear corridor connecting Jirisan National Park, Dukyusan National Park, Gayasan National Park, and Songnisan National Park. These findings demonstrate that protected areas function as central nodes of the reintroduced bear population and that mountain ranges surrounding national parks represent the principal axis of landscape connectivity in South Korea. Our results provide a scientific basis for designing connectivity-focused conservation strategies and informing policy frameworks aimed at long-term population persistence and conflict mitigation.