Habitat suitability modelling to improve conservation status of two critically endangered endemic Afromontane forest bird species in Taita Hills, Kenya

Obunga, Gilbay; Siljander, Mika; Maghenda, Marianne; Pellikka, Petri

doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2021.126111

Cited by 16 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…After choosing the final models, we imported them into ArcGIS and divided habitat suitability into four levels according to the AUC values: unsuitable habitat (0–0.05), poorly suitable habitat (0.05–0.33), moderately suitable habitat (0.33–0.67), and highly suitable habitat (0.67–1). Various studies have different approaches in determining “highly suitable habitat” classification, where some are too strict (0.8–1) [ 82 ] and others are more accepting (0.6–1) [ 83 , 84 , 85 ]. Therefore, we decided to use a classification that would meet the requirements in the middle.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Niche Modelling Predicts a Contraction in the Potential Distribution of Two Boreal Owl Species under Different Climate Scenarios

Floigl

Rajković²,

Topić³

et al. 2022

Animals

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Studying current and future geographic distribution is essential for conserving endangered species such as the Boreal Owl and Eurasian Pygmy Owl. The main aim of this study was to determine the potential distribution of both species in the Balkan Peninsula by using spatial distribution models (SDMs) in MaxEnt. We used data from field surveys, the scientific and grey literature, and an online database. We considered the current time and two future periods, 2041–2060 and 2061–2080. For future periods, we included different climate scenarios (SSP 126, 245, 370, and 585) in studying the potential geographic distribution of both species. We identified two types of potential future refugia for species: in situ and ex situ. Our study shows the highly suitable area for the Boreal Owl increased during the 2041–2060 period compared with the current area in all scenarios, except in SSP 585. However, during the 2061–2080 period, the highly suitable areas contracted. For the Eurasian Pygmy Owl, highly suitable areas decreased during 2041–2060, but during the 2061–2080 period, it was larger than the current area. Our study is of importance for conservation and preserving areas of potential distribution and refugia for Boreal and Eurasian Pygmy Owls in the face of climate change.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Niche Modelling Predicts a Contraction in the Potential Distribution of Two Boreal Owl Species under Different Climate Scenarios

Floigl

Rajković²,

Topić³

et al. 2022

Animals

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“…Land cover type, topographic (e.g., elevation, slope), and vegetation productivity covariates all played distinct roles in determining habitat suitability, but land cover type contributed more than the variables describing topography and vegetation productivity. However, we point out that because the topographic factors can alter microclimatic conditions, they may influence the distribution of land cover types (Obunga et al, 2022) and may thereby also indirectly affect mountain nyala distribution.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Modeling habitat suitability for the lesser‐known populations of endangered mountain nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni) in the Arsi and Ahmar Mountains, Ethiopia

Worku,

Evangelista,

Atickem

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Habitat suitability models have become a valuable tool for wildlife conservation and management, and are frequently used to better understand the range and habitat requirements of rare and endangered species. In this study, we employed two habitat suitability modeling techniques, namely Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) and Maximum Entropy (Maxent) models, to identify potential suitable habitats for the endangered mountain nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni) and environmental factors affecting its distribution in the Arsi and Ahmar Mountains of Ethiopia. Presence points, used to develop our habitat suitability models, were recorded from fecal pellet counts (n = 130) encountered along 196 randomly established transects in 2015 and 2016. Predictor variables used in our models included major landcover types, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), greenness and wetness tasseled cap vegetation indices, elevation, and slope. Area Under the Curve model evaluations for BRT and Maxent were 0.96 and 0.95, respectively, demonstrating high performance. Both models were then ensembled into a single binary output highlighting an area of agreement. Our results suggest that 1864 km2 (9.1%) of the 20,567 km2 study area is suitable habitat for the mountain nyala with land cover types, elevation, NDVI, and slope of the terrain being the most important variables for both models. Our results highlight the extent to which habitat loss and fragmentation have disconnected mountain nyala subpopulations. Our models demonstrate the importance of further protecting suitable habitats for mountain nyala to ensure the species' conservation.

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“…As a result, habitat suitability analysis has been frequently used in certain ornithological research. In the Taita Hills, Kenya, Obunga et al (2022) have modeled the most suitable habitat to improve the conservation status of two critically endangered endemic Afromontane forest birds and confirmed that reforesting open and degraded sites next to areas predicted as highly suitable for the species proved to be a solution to support bird conservation. In Indonesia, Purify et al (2019) have used this analysis to identify important areas of waterbird habitats for conservation in the mangrove ecotourism area of Lantebung, Tamalanrea District, Makassar City.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…The survey was conducted during various time periods of the day using direct observations and supported with binoculars. During survey, a point count method was used to measure the Sunda Teal density using a 100 m x 100 m plot replicated 3 times in each study area (Ralph et al, 1998;Obunga et al, 2022). The density of species was calculated based on the number of species individuals divided by the area of the plot.…”

Section: Sunda Teal Surveymentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat Suitability Spatial Model of Near Threatened Sunda Teal Anas Gibberifrons (Muller, 1842) (Anseriformes: Anatidae) in Muara Angke Wetlands, Jakarta, Indonesia

Wibowo¹,

Basukriadi²,

Nurdin³

et al. 2022

TREUBIA

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Wetland ecosystems are important habitats for many waterbird species, including the IUCN nearthreatened Sunda Teal Anas gibberifrons, a species that inhabit wetlands in Indonesia. Muara Angke is one of few remaining wetlands located in Jakarta and has potential as an important habitat for Sunda Teal. This study aims to assess and model suitable habitat for near-threatened Sunda Teal in remaining wetlands in Muara Angke in Jakarta, Indonesia. The study areas include an ecotourism park, the western and eastern parts of the Angke protected forest, and the wildlife reserve. Remote sensing data and geographic information system (GIS) analysis were employed to assess Sunda Teal’s habitat suitability. Some environmental variables negatively influencing habitat suitability for the species include the presence of fishponds and settlements, and represent anthropogenic disturbance. In contrast, variables that may positively influence the species include the occurrence of gastropod and crustacea, both groups being known as food resources, and mangrove cover. The highly and moderately suitable habitats were estimated to form 32.36% and 23.48% of the total wetlands, respectively. In contrast, 12.17% was considered unsuitable for Sunda Teal. The ecotourism park had the most unsuitable habitats. In contrast to the ecotourism park, the protected forest, followed by the wildlife reserve, had more moderately and highly suitable habitats.

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Habitat suitability modelling to improve conservation status of two critically endangered endemic Afromontane forest bird species in Taita Hills, Kenya

Cited by 16 publications

References 64 publications

Environmental Niche Modelling Predicts a Contraction in the Potential Distribution of Two Boreal Owl Species under Different Climate Scenarios

Environmental Niche Modelling Predicts a Contraction in the Potential Distribution of Two Boreal Owl Species under Different Climate Scenarios

Modeling habitat suitability for the lesser‐known populations of endangered mountain nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni) in the Arsi and Ahmar Mountains, Ethiopia

Habitat Suitability Spatial Model of Near Threatened Sunda Teal Anas Gibberifrons (Muller, 1842) (Anseriformes: Anatidae) in Muara Angke Wetlands, Jakarta, Indonesia

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