Modeling the desirability of Iranian squirrel habitat (Sciurus anomalus) Using by Ecological Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA) method in Dena protected area

The threats and human conflicts in the Dena protected area, the existence of many villages, the destruction of oak forests and the expansion of agricultural lands have limited the habitat of Iraniansquirrel species in this area. Habitat assessment models predict the distribution of species and their habitats, and therefore can be used as a suitable tool for conservation and management purposes.With the aim of modeling Iranian squirrel habitat in the spring and summer of the year, the ecological Nich factor analysis (ENFA) method has been used in the Biomapper software environment. In this study, the presence of species as dependent variable and eight environmental variables were used as independent variables. These layers were prepared and analyzed. The desirability map of thehabitat for Iranian squirrel species indicates that the desirable habitat in the west and southwest of the Dena Mountain and in areas with oak forest cover with a low density with a slope of less than 14% in the spring and 11% in summer Is. Based on the amount of specialization, the most important factor affecting the ecological niches of the species studied in the spring and summer is the environmental checkpoint, gradient, vegetation index and distance from the road.Oak seed plays a major role in the range of domestic squirrels in Iran, In the spring, due to ashortage of food, especially oak seed, it is higher than in summer.