Habitat Assessment of The Goitered Gazelle (Gazella Subgutturosa) By Maximum Entropy in Kalmand Bahadran Protected Area, Yazd, Iran

Habitat destruction is one of the main threats to biodiversity and species. Decomposition of the habitat and decrease of local populations to small habitats cause an increase in inbreeding, a decrease in genetic diversity, an increase in demographic events, and as a consequence, an increase in the risk of extinction. The Goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) with a vulnerable protection status is one of the key species of Iran's plain habitats, which is distributed in most regions of the country. But due to reasons such as indiscriminate hunting and habitat land use change, its population has decreased drastically and it needs stronger protection in the network of protected areas of Iran. Gazella subgutturosa is in the mammals' class, the order of Artiodactyla, the family of the Bovidae. In this study, the distribution of this species in the Kalmand Bahadran protected area of yazd has been investigated using the MaxEnt.

Data presence points of the species were collected through field studies and direct observations, footprints and resting places for the species in the Kalmand Bahadran protected area during the four seasons of 2022 recorded and using GPS was registered. In this study, the variables of slope, aspect, dem, distance from the water sources, distance from the road, distance from the village, distance from the watering place and vegetation were used to model the habitat suitability. Modeling was done using MaxEnt model in MaxEnt software and finally, the species distribution map was obtained. To investigate the spatial distribution of the study species in the region, a total of 41 presence points were used.

The results of the maximum entropy model showed that the greatest distribution potential in the central and northwestern regions of study area. Also, the results showed that the model has a high ability to predict the presence of Gazella subgutturosa in the study area and has a significant difference with the random model at all thresholds (AUC=0.812; P<0.0001). The results of the sensitivity analysis using the jackknife method showed that the variables of dem, distance from the water sources, and aspect. are of higher priority for the species in this area.

Due to successive droughts, the number of deer breeding in Kalmand Bahadran protected area has decreased. Another factor in the decrease of its population is the road accidents, which are caused by the passing of Tehran-Bandar Abbas transit road and rural roads in the region. The presence of free-ranging dogs on the outskirts of villages, illegal hunters, being preyed upon by carnivorous and Felidae and birds of prey such as wolves, caracal and eagles are other factors that decrease the population in the study area. But since the Kalmand area of Bahadran is relatively a good habitat for this species and support a relatively high number of species population. In general, by considering the areas used by Goitered gazelle and the areas identified in the suitable model, it can be concluded that the extent of the optimal habitat for the species in the Kalmand Bahadran protected area is more than what is currently used. Correct management and planning of the suitable habitats in this area can protect more than the maximum number of Goitered gazelles that existed in this area until today and improve the level of necessary habitat in the area. The results of this study can be used in the implementation of protection and management procedures to increase appropriate habitats in Yazd province.