Using environmental niche modeling to find suitable habitats for the Hard-ground Barasingha in Madhya Pradesh, India

Autor: C. P. Singh, J. S. Chauhan, J. S. Parihar, R. P. Singh, R. Shukla
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2015
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Threatened Taxa, Vol 7, Iss 11, Pp 7761-7769 (2015)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 0974-7893
0974-7907
DOI: 10.11609/jott.2319.7761-7769
Popis: The subspecies of Swamp Deer, the Hard-ground Barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelii branderi Pocock), is presently found only in Kanha Tiger Reserve (KTR) in Madhya Pradesh, India. This subspecies is highly vulnerable to extinction, and reintroduction in suitable sites is the need of the hour. Environmental niche models (GARP, SVM, ED, CSM) aimed at providing a detailed prediction of species distribution by relating presence of species to 19 bioclimatic indices were developed, using swamp deer occurrence records in KTR. The predictions were appropriately weighted with the prevailing LU/LC classes to identify suitable habitats in Madhya Pradesh, India. The result shows that the southern region of Madhya Pradesh is suitable for the sustenance of Barasingha with varying degrees of habitability. Vicarious validation shows that most of these forest areas were the same as that of historical records dating back to 50 years. However, land use maps can help identify areas where this subspecies can be reintroduced.
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