Systematic design of habitat services network (HSsN) for updating conservation areas in iran's arid and Semi-Arid ecosystems
Threats caused by human activities have reduced the quantity and quality of wildlife habitats connectivity. This research seeks to protect habitat biodiversity by creating a network of high quality habitats that remained. Therefore, it is very necessary to know about the dynamic effects of changes i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X24004187 |
| _version_ | 1797203044355538944 |
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| author | Neda Mohammadpour Fatemeh Jahanishakib Zahra Asadolahi |
| author_facet | Neda Mohammadpour Fatemeh Jahanishakib Zahra Asadolahi |
| author_sort | Neda Mohammadpour |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Threats caused by human activities have reduced the quantity and quality of wildlife habitats connectivity. This research seeks to protect habitat biodiversity by creating a network of high quality habitats that remained. Therefore, it is very necessary to know about the dynamic effects of changes in the landscape pattern on the quality of the habitat, because it helps to preserve biodiversity, guarantee ecological security, and environmental sustainability. In the present study, a systematic process was used to design a network of habitat services comprising hotspots and corridors in arid and semi-arid ecosystems of eastern Iran, South Khorasan Province. In this process, habitat quality was first modeled using the InVEST software, then data mining methods were used to identify habitat hotspots and their spatial distribution. In the next step, habitat corridors were extracted based on the circuit theory and using the Circuitscape software. In the ultimate step, using graph theory based on the concept of ecological security, the connectivity of the habitat network was evaluated. The results of habitat network construction showed that 8% and 6% of the total area of the study area included key habitat patches and corridors, respectively. On the other hand, the overlapping of habitat network components with the conserved areas of the study area showed that free or non-conservation areas make up a significant amount of network components (49.18% of the habitat patch and 80.02% of the habitat corridor). These results reveal the existence of habitat protection potential and can help in updating the new boundaries of conservation areas. Also, the composite indices of dPC and dIIC could determine the importance of each of the network's components in evaluating the connectivity of the habitat network, so that the application of the results can show the priority options to the land managers for protecting the habitat network. In general, the systematic process proposed in this research can be used in planning the sustainable conservation of habitat networks, identifying patterns of ecological security, evaluating and constructing habitat networks in lands with similar climates, and changing and wisely reviewing the conservation area boundaries. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T08:13:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-98861290580345f2a5fe1b94006a73fa |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T08:13:04Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj.art-98861290580345f2a5fe1b94006a73fa2024-04-17T04:48:49ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2024-04-01161111961Systematic design of habitat services network (HSsN) for updating conservation areas in iran's arid and Semi-Arid ecosystemsNeda Mohammadpour0Fatemeh Jahanishakib1Zahra Asadolahi2Environmental science department, Faculty of natural resources and environmental studies, University of Birjand, South Khorasan province, Birjand, IranEnvironmental science department, Faculty of natural resources and environmental studies, University of Birjand, South Khorasan province, Birjand, Iran; Corresponding author.Department of environment and fisheries, Faculty of natural resources, Lorestan University, Lorestan Province, Khoramabad, IranThreats caused by human activities have reduced the quantity and quality of wildlife habitats connectivity. This research seeks to protect habitat biodiversity by creating a network of high quality habitats that remained. Therefore, it is very necessary to know about the dynamic effects of changes in the landscape pattern on the quality of the habitat, because it helps to preserve biodiversity, guarantee ecological security, and environmental sustainability. In the present study, a systematic process was used to design a network of habitat services comprising hotspots and corridors in arid and semi-arid ecosystems of eastern Iran, South Khorasan Province. In this process, habitat quality was first modeled using the InVEST software, then data mining methods were used to identify habitat hotspots and their spatial distribution. In the next step, habitat corridors were extracted based on the circuit theory and using the Circuitscape software. In the ultimate step, using graph theory based on the concept of ecological security, the connectivity of the habitat network was evaluated. The results of habitat network construction showed that 8% and 6% of the total area of the study area included key habitat patches and corridors, respectively. On the other hand, the overlapping of habitat network components with the conserved areas of the study area showed that free or non-conservation areas make up a significant amount of network components (49.18% of the habitat patch and 80.02% of the habitat corridor). These results reveal the existence of habitat protection potential and can help in updating the new boundaries of conservation areas. Also, the composite indices of dPC and dIIC could determine the importance of each of the network's components in evaluating the connectivity of the habitat network, so that the application of the results can show the priority options to the land managers for protecting the habitat network. In general, the systematic process proposed in this research can be used in planning the sustainable conservation of habitat networks, identifying patterns of ecological security, evaluating and constructing habitat networks in lands with similar climates, and changing and wisely reviewing the conservation area boundaries.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X24004187ConnectivityHotspotsCorridorEcological SecurityInVESTGraph Theory |
| spellingShingle | Neda Mohammadpour Fatemeh Jahanishakib Zahra Asadolahi Systematic design of habitat services network (HSsN) for updating conservation areas in iran's arid and Semi-Arid ecosystems Ecological Indicators Connectivity Hotspots Corridor Ecological Security InVEST Graph Theory |
| title | Systematic design of habitat services network (HSsN) for updating conservation areas in iran's arid and Semi-Arid ecosystems |
| title_full | Systematic design of habitat services network (HSsN) for updating conservation areas in iran's arid and Semi-Arid ecosystems |
| title_fullStr | Systematic design of habitat services network (HSsN) for updating conservation areas in iran's arid and Semi-Arid ecosystems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Systematic design of habitat services network (HSsN) for updating conservation areas in iran's arid and Semi-Arid ecosystems |
| title_short | Systematic design of habitat services network (HSsN) for updating conservation areas in iran's arid and Semi-Arid ecosystems |
| title_sort | systematic design of habitat services network hssn for updating conservation areas in iran s arid and semi arid ecosystems |
| topic | Connectivity Hotspots Corridor Ecological Security InVEST Graph Theory |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X24004187 |
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