A multi-scale, multi-species approach for assessing effectiveness of habitat and connectivity conservation for endangered felids

被引:93
作者
Ashrafzadeh, Mohammad Reza [1 ]
Khosravi, Rasoul [2 ]
Adibi, Mohammad Ali [3 ]
Taktehrani, Atie [4 ]
Wan, Ho Yi [5 ]
Cushman, Samuel A. [6 ]
机构
[1] Shahrekord Univ, Fac Nat Resources & Earth Sci, Dept Fisheries & Environm Sci, Shahrekord 8818634141, Iran
[2] Shiraz Univ, Sch Agr, Dept Nat Resources & Environm Engn, Shiraz 7144165186, Iran
[3] Dept Environm, Semnan Prov Off, Semnan, Iran
[4] ICS, Tehran 141558549, Iran
[5] Univ Montana, Sch Publ & Community Hlth Sci, 32 Campus Dr, Missoula, MT 59812 USA
[6] US Forest Serv, USDA, Rocky Mt Res Stn, 2500 S Pine Knoll, Flagstaff, AZ USA
关键词
Corridor; Ecological niche model; Iran; Machine learning; Protected area; Random forest; ASIATIC CHEETAH; EURASIAN LYNX; URSUS-ARCTOS; PALLASS CAT; SUITABILITY; SELECTION; MODEL; SCALE; POPULATION; PREY;
D O I
10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108523
中图分类号
X176 [生物多样性保护];
学科分类号
090705 ;
摘要
Habitat loss and fragmentation are major threats to global biodiversity. Felids, among the many taxa experiencing population declines and range contraction around the world, are known as ecologically and politically powerful levers in conservation programs. Many felids are wide-ranging, and therefore, identifying and conserving their core habitat patches and corridors is essential for developing an umbrella strategy for protecting co-existing species. We employed a multi-scale, multi-species approach to model habitat suitability and connectivity for six felids across Iran. We identified potential core habitats and corridors of movement. We also quantified the spatial niche overlap to estimate the most important variables of habitat selection within the guild. We evaluated the effectiveness of conservation areas in conserving habitats and connectivity. Our findings revealed that each species' habitat use was influenced in a scale-dependent manner by different sets of environmental variables. Core habitats of felids were mostly located in conservation areas. We identified a number of small core habitats for most felids outside conservation areas. Maintaining corridors and stepping stone habitat patches along corridors may be needed to facilitate movement of individuals, especially between habitat remnants in unprotected areas. Our study highlights the importance of considering multiple spatial scales in management and conservation of carnivores. Our analysis shows that habitat selection and connectivity predictions are both very sensitive to scale, and incorrect scale of analysis can result in incorrect inferences that may lead to dramatically inefficient or ineffective conservation actions.
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页数:10
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