Seasonal Assessment of Habitat Suitability of the Wild Goat (Capra aegagrus) in Mountainous Areas of Kolah-Qazi National Park using Maximum Entropy Approach

Abstract

Knowledge of species’ habitat needs is considered as one of the requirements of wildlife management. We studied seasonal habitat suitability and habitat associations of wild goat (Capra aegagrus) in Kolah-Qazi National Park, one of its typical habitats in central Asia, using Maximum Entropy approach. The study area was confined to mountainous areas as the potential habitat of the wild goat. Elevation, distance to water sources, distance to human settlements, and distance to guard patrol roads were recognised as the most important variables determining habitat suitability of the species. The extent of suitable habitats was maximum in spring (3882.25 ha) and the least in summer (1362.5 ha). The AUC values of MaxEnt revealed acceptable to good efficiency (AUC ≥0.7). The obtained results may have implications for conservation of the wild goat in similar habitats across its distribution range.

Keywords

• Habitat Suitability Model
• Maxent
• Kolah-Qazi National Park
• Wild Goat
• Capra aegagrus.