Department of Nature Engineering, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, Mollasani, Iran.
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Jiroft, Jiroft, Iran.
Sci Rep. 2022 Mar 2;12(1):3425. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-07386-y.
Conservation of large carnivores requires preservation of extensive core habitats and linkages among them. The goal of this study was to identify core habitats and corridors by predicting habitat suitability (an ensemble approach), and calculating resistant kernel and factorial least-cost path modeling for a relatively unknown carnivore, the striped hyaena in Khuzestan area in southwestern Iran. We used the procedure of spatial randomization test to evaluate the coincidence of striped hyaena road crossing with the predicted corridors. The results revealed that elevation, distance to conservation areas, categorical climate and grasslands density were the most influential variables for predicting the occurrence of the striped hyaena in the study area. In the estimated dispersal distance of 70 km, four core habitats were identified. The largest core habitat was located in the northeast of the study area with the highest connectivity contribution. Only about 12% and 1.5% of core habitats and corridors were protected by conservation areas, respectively. Predicted corridors, crossed by roads represented a high risk for striped hyaenas. Adaptive management plan throughout the landscape (conservation of core habitats and corridors, and reducing species mortality on the roads) must be considered by wildlife managers in Iran.
保护大型食肉动物需要保护广泛的核心栖息地和它们之间的联系。本研究的目的是通过预测栖息地适宜性（集成方法）来确定核心栖息地和廊道，并计算抗性核和因子最小成本路径模型，以确定伊朗西南部胡齐斯坦地区一种相对未知的食肉动物——条纹鬣狗的核心栖息地和廊道。我们使用空间随机化测试程序来评估条纹鬣狗道路穿越与预测廊道的吻合程度。结果表明，海拔、保护区距离、气候分类和草原密度是预测研究区域条纹鬣狗出现的最具影响力的变量。在估计的 70 公里扩散距离内，确定了四个核心栖息地。最大的核心栖息地位于研究区的东北部，具有最高的连通性贡献。只有约 12%和 1.5%的核心栖息地和廊道分别受到保护区的保护。预测的廊道与道路相交，对条纹鬣狗构成了高风险。伊朗的野生动物管理者必须考虑在整个景观中进行适应性管理计划（保护核心栖息地和廊道，减少道路上物种的死亡率）。
