Habitat Suitability and Conflict Zone Mapping for the Blue Bull (<i>Boselaphus tragocamelus</i>) across Nepal
Rapidly changing environmental conditions (bioclimatic, anthropogenic, topographic, and vegetation-related variables) are likely to alter the spatial distribution of flora and fauna. To understand the influence of environmental variables on the Blue bull’s distribution and to identify potential conf...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/5/937 |
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| author | Bijaya Dhami Arjun Bhusal Binaya Adhikari Mahamad Sayab Miya Surya Kumar Maharjan Dinesh Neupane Hari Adhikari |
| author_facet | Bijaya Dhami Arjun Bhusal Binaya Adhikari Mahamad Sayab Miya Surya Kumar Maharjan Dinesh Neupane Hari Adhikari |
| author_sort | Bijaya Dhami |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Rapidly changing environmental conditions (bioclimatic, anthropogenic, topographic, and vegetation-related variables) are likely to alter the spatial distribution of flora and fauna. To understand the influence of environmental variables on the Blue bull’s distribution and to identify potential conflict zones, the habitat suitability analysis of the Blue bull was performed using ensemble modeling. We modelled the distribution of the Blue bull using an extensive database on the current distribution of the Blue bull and selected 15 ecologically significant environmental variables. We used ten species distribution modeling algorithms available in the BIOMOD2 R package. Among the ten algorithms, the Random Forest, Maxent, and Generalized linear model had the highest mean true skill statistics scores, ensuring better model performance, and were considered for further analysis. We found that 22,462.57 km<sup>2</sup> (15.26%) of Nepal is suitable for the Blue bull. Slope, precipitation seasonality, and distance to the road are the environmental variables contributing the most to the distribution of Blue bull. Of the total predicted suitable habitats, 86% lies outside protected areas and 55% overlaps with agricultural land. Thus, we recommend that the future conservation initiatives including appropriate conflict mitigation measures should be prioritized equally in both protected areas and outside protected areas to ensure the species’ survival in the region. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:31:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5aea14a5e854432fb89846235d7117ff |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:31:47Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-5aea14a5e854432fb89846235d7117ff2023-11-17T07:14:21ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-03-0113593710.3390/ani13050937Habitat Suitability and Conflict Zone Mapping for the Blue Bull (<i>Boselaphus tragocamelus</i>) across NepalBijaya Dhami0Arjun Bhusal1Binaya Adhikari2Mahamad Sayab Miya3Surya Kumar Maharjan4Dinesh Neupane5Hari Adhikari6Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, 116 St & 85 Ave, Edmonton, AB T6G 1H9, CanadaSchool of Forestry and Natural Resource Management, Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 44600, NepalPokhara Zoological Park and Wildlife Rescue Center, Kaski 33700, NepalInstitute of Forestry Pokhara Campus, Tribhuvan University, Pokhara 33700, NepalInstitute of Forestry Hetauda Campus, Tribhuvan University, Hetauda 44107, NepalSoutheast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Kunming 666303, ChinaDepartment of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 68, 00014 Helsinki, FinlandRapidly changing environmental conditions (bioclimatic, anthropogenic, topographic, and vegetation-related variables) are likely to alter the spatial distribution of flora and fauna. To understand the influence of environmental variables on the Blue bull’s distribution and to identify potential conflict zones, the habitat suitability analysis of the Blue bull was performed using ensemble modeling. We modelled the distribution of the Blue bull using an extensive database on the current distribution of the Blue bull and selected 15 ecologically significant environmental variables. We used ten species distribution modeling algorithms available in the BIOMOD2 R package. Among the ten algorithms, the Random Forest, Maxent, and Generalized linear model had the highest mean true skill statistics scores, ensuring better model performance, and were considered for further analysis. We found that 22,462.57 km<sup>2</sup> (15.26%) of Nepal is suitable for the Blue bull. Slope, precipitation seasonality, and distance to the road are the environmental variables contributing the most to the distribution of Blue bull. Of the total predicted suitable habitats, 86% lies outside protected areas and 55% overlaps with agricultural land. Thus, we recommend that the future conservation initiatives including appropriate conflict mitigation measures should be prioritized equally in both protected areas and outside protected areas to ensure the species’ survival in the region.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/5/937ensemble modellinghuman–Blue bull conflictspecies distribution modellingenvironmental changescrop raidingretaliatory killing |
| spellingShingle | Bijaya Dhami Arjun Bhusal Binaya Adhikari Mahamad Sayab Miya Surya Kumar Maharjan Dinesh Neupane Hari Adhikari Habitat Suitability and Conflict Zone Mapping for the Blue Bull (<i>Boselaphus tragocamelus</i>) across Nepal Animals ensemble modelling human–Blue bull conflict species distribution modelling environmental changes crop raiding retaliatory killing |
| title | Habitat Suitability and Conflict Zone Mapping for the Blue Bull (<i>Boselaphus tragocamelus</i>) across Nepal |
| title_full | Habitat Suitability and Conflict Zone Mapping for the Blue Bull (<i>Boselaphus tragocamelus</i>) across Nepal |
| title_fullStr | Habitat Suitability and Conflict Zone Mapping for the Blue Bull (<i>Boselaphus tragocamelus</i>) across Nepal |
| title_full_unstemmed | Habitat Suitability and Conflict Zone Mapping for the Blue Bull (<i>Boselaphus tragocamelus</i>) across Nepal |
| title_short | Habitat Suitability and Conflict Zone Mapping for the Blue Bull (<i>Boselaphus tragocamelus</i>) across Nepal |
| title_sort | habitat suitability and conflict zone mapping for the blue bull i boselaphus tragocamelus i across nepal |
| topic | ensemble modelling human–Blue bull conflict species distribution modelling environmental changes crop raiding retaliatory killing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/5/937 |
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