Habitat suitability modeling and conservation implications for Dice snake (Natrix tessellata, Colubridae) in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province, Iran

The aim of this study was to model suitable habitats and suggest conservation implications for Dice snake (Natrix tessellata) in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province. In this research, the maximum entropy algorithm was used to predict distribution of suitable habitats of the species across the province. The AUC value for modeling of distribution of suitable habitats obtained 0.90. Based on the results, less than three percent of the province (about 400 km2) was estimated as the highly suitable habitat (<0.6). While it seems that most of the distribution range of the species was located in the central regions of the province, but its desirable habitats can be seen in all of the counties of province. Also, about 7.60% (30.33 km2) of highly suitable habitats (<0.6) of this species is covered by the conservation network (including protected areas and no-hunting areas). The variables of distance to river (38.8%), altitude (17.1%), distance to agricultural lands (14.2%), and distance to forest areas (8.9%) had the highest contribution (79%) in the modeling of distribution of suitable habitats of Dice snake. Finally, conservation implications for management and conservation of Dice snake was presented.