Suitable habitat of wild Asian elephant in Western Terai of Nepal.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There is currently very little available research on the habitat suitability, the influence of infrastructure on distribution, and the extent and connectivity of habitat available to the wild Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). Information related to the habitat is crucial for conservation of this species.

Methods

In this study, we identified suitable habitat for wild Asian elephants in the Western Terai region of Nepal using Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) software.

Results

Of 9,207 km², we identified 3194.82 km² as suitable habitat for wild Asian elephants in the study area. Approximately 40% of identified habitat occurs in existing protected areas. Most of these habitat patches are smaller than previous estimations of the species home

SUBMITTER: Sharma P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7319151 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature