Conservation strategies for the goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) in Khorasan Razavi protecting areas

Goitered gazelle is one of the mammals of Iran that its population has declined as a result of several threats such as habitat destruction. The reduction of gazelle populations has happened around the country including, Khorasan Razavi province, in which gazelle populations significantly reduced and the species has been extinct in some regions. In this study, a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches including SWOT, AHP and QSPM were used to investigate the most important internal (strengths and weaknesses) and external (threats and opportunities) factors and to present the best management strategies to improve the status of the species. Results showed that high biodiversity, presence of key species and people`s respect to gazelles were the most important strengths, and drought and water shortages, and the lack of appropriate management and conservation programs were the most important weaknesses. The most important opportunities were zoning of protected areas and using their potentials, livestock management on rangelands and creating hunting areas for locals and economic profitability. Illegal hunting, illegal grazing and habitat destruction were the major threats. Overall SWOT in these protected areas revealed a mini-mini strategy (WT) with a final value of 0.438. According to the definition of this pattern, conservation strategies should be adopted in which minimize weaknesses and threats. Thus, short and long term plans should be prepared to reduce the threats for this species in Khorasan Razavi Province. Developing management plans in cooperation with relevant agencies and the department of environment to deal with prolonged drought and water shortages in protected areas and providing equipments and facilities for wildlife protection was identified as the best conservation strategy.