Identifying connectivity for two sympatric carnivores in human-dominated landscapes in central Iran.

ABSTRACT: Central Iran supports a diversity of carnivores, most of which are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. Carnivore conservation requires the identification and preservation of core habitats and ensuring connectivity between them. In the present study, we used species distribution modeling to predict habitat suitability and connectivity modeling to predict linkage (resistant kernel and factorial least-cost path analyses) for grey wolf and golden jackal in central Iran. For grey wolf, elevation, topographic ruggedness, and distance to Conservation Areas (CAs) were the strongest predictors; for golden jackal, distance to human settlements, dump sites and topographic ruggedness were the most influential variables in predicting the occurrence of this species. Our results also indicated

SUBMITTER: Rezaei S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9202930 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature