| Abstrakt: |
The Chinkara gazelle (Gazella bennettii), an endangered species, faces a serious threat from anthropogenic activities and climate change. In Balochistan, climate change and drought have created extremely challenging circumstances for its survival. The population status of many species cannot be determined due to a lack of data. If the current situation persists, there is a high risk of extinction for this species in its natural habitat. The purpose of this study was to examine the population dynamics and distribution patterns of Chinkara gazelle in the Khuzdar and Lasbela districts of Balochistan, Pakistan. The study covered an area of approximately 45,123.97 km² and involved a double-observer survey at six sites from 2019 to 2022, using the BBRecapture package in the R programming language. The study detected a decreasing population trend in the Chinkara population over a four-year period. A population of 700, 683, 613 and 583 individuals were observed in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. Rocky shrub land consistently recorded the highest number of chinkara sightings among various habitats. This study provides valuable information about the Chinkara gazelle population, including population trends, gender ratios, habitat preferences, and density. The findings contribute significantly to our understanding of the species and will be used to develop local-level conservation initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
