Low vulnerability of Arctic fox dens to climate change-related geohazards on Bylot Island, Nunavut, Canada

Abstract

Climate change increases the risk of severe alterations to essential wildlife habitats. The Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus (Linnaeus, 1758)) uses dens as shelters against cold temperatures and predators. These dens, needed for successful reproduction, are generally dug into the active layer on top of permafrost and reused across multiple generations. We assessed the vulnerability of Arctic fox dens to the increasing frequency of geohazards (thaw settlement, mass movements, and thermal erosion) that is arising from climate change. On Bylot Island (Nunavut, Canada) we developed, and calculated from field observations, a qualitative vulnerability index to geohazards for Arctic fox dens. Of the 106 dens studied, 14% were classified as highly vulnerable, whereas 17% and 69% had a moderate and low vulnerability, respectively. Vulnerability was not related to the probability of use for reproduction. Although climate change will likely impact Arctic fox reproductive dens, such impact is not a major threat to foxes of Bylot Island. Our research provides the first insights into the climate-related geohazards potentially affecting Arctic fox ecology in the next decades. The developed method is flexible and could be applied to other locations or other species that complete their life cycle in permafrost regions.