Habitat suitability assessment for the Great Bustard Otis tarda tarda in Tacheng Basin, western China

Global Ecology and Conservation

Weikang Yang¹  Muyang Wang²  Mimi Kessler³  Wenxuan Xu⁴  Feng Xu⁵  Yingying Zhuo⁶ 

[1] IUCN SSC Bustard Specialist Group, Morocco;Mori Wildlife Monitoring and Experimentation Station, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mori 831900, China;The Specimen Museum of Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 830011 Urumqi, China;University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;Eurasian Bustard Alliance, Jackson, WY 830001, USA;State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 830011 Urumqi, China;

关键词: Species distribution model;    Great Bustard;    Climate change;    Land use;    Ensemble model;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The Great Bustard is afforded the highest category of protection in China. This species has disappeared from much of its former range, and identification of factors influencing habitat suitability can play a key role in development of conservation plans. We used distance sampling and interviews to census Great Bustards in the Tacheng Basin of western China in October from 2014 to 2016, and obtained 210 occurrence points. We then used high-resolution species distribution models to explore the role of 16 environmental variables, including a novel high-resolution contemporary climate dataset, in habitat suitability. Our ensemble model classifies approximately 3,885 km2, or 9.9% of our study area in the most suitable and moderately suitable categories. These suitable areas are distributed primarily in the north of our study area, in farmlands along the southern slope of Talbahetai Mountain, and to a lesser degree along the eastern slope of Balluk Mountain. The variables which contributed most significantly to habitat suitability include distance to county highway, elevation, distance to field edge, and mean summer temperature. We propose reducing disturbance associated with roads by conducting awareness campaigns among local residents and creating campaigns and policies to promote responsible bird photography. Given the important role of farmlands to Great Bustards, we recommend planting compatible crops and establishing a Great Bustard protection demonstration area to implement and inform others about measures to improve farmland habitat for Great Bustards.

【 授权许可】

Unknown