Habitat suitability and connectivity implications for the conservation of the Persian leopard along the Iran–Iraq border

Kaboodvandpour, Shahram; Almasieh, Kamran; Zamani, Navid

doi:10.1002/ece3.8069

Cited by 38 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Large core habitats could help the striped hyaena meet its ecological requirements 11 . Increasing the amount of CAs is necessary for the conservation of the large carnivores 4 , and in particularly for the striped hyaena as demonstrated in this study. In addition, maintaining landscape connectivity is necessary for carnivores 68 , consequently, population gene diversity is conserved 16 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…Four regression-based models, five machine-learning models and one profile model were implemented for the primary habitat modeling in Biomod2 (Table 2 ), and four models with AUC > 0.9 and True Statistic Skill (TSS) > 0.75 thresholds were chosen as the best fit 51 . According to method used by Kaboodvandpour et al 4 , six hundred pseudo-absence points were randomly created across the study area (separated by > 4 km from each other) and outside of the 4 km radius circle around each occurrence point. Totally, 658 points (600 pseudo-absence points + 58 occurrence points) and eight environmental variables were used for habitat modeling of the striped hyaena in the study area by using four models of GLM, MaxEnt, GBM and RF (Table 2 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Human activities have threatened large carnivores through habitat loss, fragmentation and isolation at multiple scales 1 – 3 . With increasing loss and fragmentation of habitats, there is a crucial need to identify the most important areas for conservation actions 4 . The conservation areas (CAs) network should protect both core habitats and corridors 5 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Identifying core habitats and corridors of a near threatened carnivore, striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena) in southwestern Iran

Almasieh¹,

Mohammadi

Alvandi

2022

Sci Rep

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Conservation of large carnivores requires preservation of extensive core habitats and linkages among them. The goal of this study was to identify core habitats and corridors by predicting habitat suitability (an ensemble approach), and calculating resistant kernel and factorial least-cost path modeling for a relatively unknown carnivore, the striped hyaena in Khuzestan area in southwestern Iran. We used the procedure of spatial randomization test to evaluate the coincidence of striped hyaena road crossing with the predicted corridors. The results revealed that elevation, distance to conservation areas, categorical climate and grasslands density were the most influential variables for predicting the occurrence of the striped hyaena in the study area. In the estimated dispersal distance of 70 km, four core habitats were identified. The largest core habitat was located in the northeast of the study area with the highest connectivity contribution. Only about 12% and 1.5% of core habitats and corridors were protected by conservation areas, respectively. Predicted corridors, crossed by roads represented a high risk for striped hyaenas. Adaptive management plan throughout the landscape (conservation of core habitats and corridors, and reducing species mortality on the roads) must be considered by wildlife managers in Iran.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Identifying core habitats and corridors of a near threatened carnivore, striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena) in southwestern Iran

Almasieh¹,

Mohammadi

Alvandi

2022

Sci Rep

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“…Effective management of large carnivores requires identifying core habitats and corridor networks between them [ 2 , 9 , 12 , 88 ]. According to our connectivity analysis the southern parts of the study area were predicted to contain the largest extent of potentially suitable habitats for both target species ( Fig 5 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying connectivity for two sympatric carnivores in human-dominated landscapes in central Iran

et al. 2022

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Central Iran supports a diversity of carnivores, most of which are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. Carnivore conservation requires the identification and preservation of core habitats and ensuring connectivity between them. In the present study, we used species distribution modeling to predict habitat suitability and connectivity modeling to predict linkage (resistant kernel and factorial least-cost path analyses) for grey wolf and golden jackal in central Iran. For grey wolf, elevation, topographic ruggedness, and distance to Conservation Areas (CAs) were the strongest predictors; for golden jackal, distance to human settlements, dump sites and topographic ruggedness were the most influential variables in predicting the occurrence of this species. Our results also indicated a high potential for large parts of the landscape to support the occurrence of these two canid species. The largest and the most crucial core habitats and corridor paths for the conservation of both species are located in the southern part of the study landscape. We found a small overlap between golden jackal corridor paths and core habitats with CAs, which has important implications for conservation and future viability of the golden jackal populations. Some sections of core areas are bisected by roads, where most vehicle collisions with grey wolf and golden jackal occurred. To minimize mortality risk, we propose that successful conservation of both species will necessitate integrated landscape-level management, as well as conservation of core areas and corridors and development of mitigation strategies to reduce vehicle collisions.

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“…Hence, habitat selection is extremely important to the reproduction and survival of species (Johnson, 1980;Shang, 1998). Now, fragmentation and the loss of habitat are major threats to biodiversity and may lead to species extinction (Hanski, 2011;Wei et al, 2015;Almasieh et al, 2019;Kaboodvandpour et al, 2021;Mohammadi et al, 2022). Microhabitats-small patches within habitat-have a smaller range and are of significant research interest.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Space use and microhabitat selection of wild giant pandas in Meigu Dafengding National Nature Reserve, China

Chen

Wang²,

Zheng³

et al. 2022

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a special rare and endangered species in China and is the flagship species for global biodiversity conservation. This study used different methods including Kernel density, statistical analysis, and logistic regression analysis to investigated the spatial distribution, migration in different seasons and different distribution areas, as well as the foraging patch selection strategies of wild giant pandas in Meigu Dafengding National Nature Reserve in the Liangshan Mountains. The results demonstrated that, in the study area, giant pandas were mainly distributed in the Wahei-Yizi Yakou Habitat Corridor with an activity area of 144.93 km2, which accounted for 28.59% of the whole reserve. The core distribution area of the species was 92.07 km2 and the population density was 0.24 pcs km–2. There were two significant seasonal domains for the activities of giant pandas: the low-altitude winter habitat of Yushania maculata Yi and Yushania ailuropodina Yi bamboo species, as well as the high-altitude summer habitat of Bashania fangiana species. With seasonal changes, giant pandas migrated among different bamboo distribution regions. Giant pandas were mainly distributed in high-altitude areas that had secondary forest, tall trees with a large diameter at breast height (DBH) and bamboo forest. The spatial distribution pattern and microhabitat selection of giant pandas in Meigu Dafengding National Nature Reserve were determined. The findings of this study provide scientific implications for the local conservation and management of the habitat of wild giant pandas.

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Habitat suitability and connectivity implications for the conservation of the Persian leopard along the Iran–Iraq border

Cited by 38 publications

References 66 publications

Identifying core habitats and corridors of a near threatened carnivore, striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena) in southwestern Iran

Identifying core habitats and corridors of a near threatened carnivore, striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena) in southwestern Iran

Identifying connectivity for two sympatric carnivores in human-dominated landscapes in central Iran

Space use and microhabitat selection of wild giant pandas in Meigu Dafengding National Nature Reserve, China

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