Assessment approach for conservation effectiveness and gaps for endangered species based on habitat suitability: A case study of alpine musk deer in western China
With the rapid socio-economic development, intensified land use and population growth have severely threatened global biodiversity, particularly on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, a global biodiversity hotspot where many endangered species face significant habitat loss and fragmentation. The alpine musk...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25000093 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832576499488653312 |
|---|---|
| author | Feng Jiang Pengfei Song Jingjie Zhang Dongwu Wang Renhong Li Chengbo Liang Tongzuo Zhang |
| author_facet | Feng Jiang Pengfei Song Jingjie Zhang Dongwu Wang Renhong Li Chengbo Liang Tongzuo Zhang |
| author_sort | Feng Jiang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | With the rapid socio-economic development, intensified land use and population growth have severely threatened global biodiversity, particularly on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, a global biodiversity hotspot where many endangered species face significant habitat loss and fragmentation. The alpine musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster), a species endemic to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and one of the most endangered species globally, requires critical habitat assessment and conservation efforts for regional and global biodiversity protection. This study integrated data from 274 alpine musk deer occurrence points, obtained through infrared camera monitoring, field surveys, and literature reviews, with environmental variables, employing the MaxEnt model to analyze the current spatial distribution of suitable habitats and priority conservation areas in Western China. We calculated conservation effectiveness and identified gaps within four western provinces using ArcGIS. Results indicated that altitude, annual mean temperature, and temperature annual range were the primary environmental factors influencing the distribution of suitable habitats, which were concentrated in areas with altitudes of 3,000–5,000 m, annual mean temperatures of 0–5 °C, and temperature annual ranges of 30–40 °C. The suitable habitats were mainly distributed in central and southern Gansu, northeastern and scattered southern regions of Qinghai, central and western Sichuan, and central and eastern Xizang, with Xizang having the largest area of highly suitable habitat, Qinghai having the largest area of moderately suitable habitat, and Sichuan having the highest proportion of highly suitable habitat, while overall, Qinghai had the highest proportion of priority conservation areas. The suitability of habitats within national nature reserves in Western China varied significantly, with Sichuan’s reserves showing the highest efficiency in protecting highly suitable habitats, and all four provinces exhibited significant conservation gaps. The study recommends maintaining suitable habitats, optimizing nature reserve layouts, establishing conservation gaps, and restoring ecosystems to protect alpine musk deer habitats and promote biodiversity health. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ae14fbd6a64b410ebd17ad586d7d697e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj-art-ae14fbd6a64b410ebd17ad586d7d697e2025-01-31T05:10:48ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2025-01-01170113080Assessment approach for conservation effectiveness and gaps for endangered species based on habitat suitability: A case study of alpine musk deer in western ChinaFeng Jiang0Pengfei Song1Jingjie Zhang2Dongwu Wang3Renhong Li4Chengbo Liang5Tongzuo Zhang6Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810001, Qinghai, China; Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining 810001, Qinghai, ChinaKey Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810001, Qinghai, China; Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining 810001, Qinghai, ChinaQinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining 810001, Qinghai, China; State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, Qinghai, ChinaManagement Bureau of Qilian Mountains Nature Reserve in Gansu, Zhangye 734000, Gansu, ChinaAdminstration of Baishuijiang National Nature Reserve on Gansu, Longnan 746400, Gansu, ChinaKey Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810001, Qinghai, China; Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining 810001, Qinghai, ChinaKey Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810001, Qinghai, China; Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining 810001, Qinghai, China; Corresponding author at: Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 23 Xinning Rd, Chengxi District, Xining 810001, Qinghai Province, China.With the rapid socio-economic development, intensified land use and population growth have severely threatened global biodiversity, particularly on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, a global biodiversity hotspot where many endangered species face significant habitat loss and fragmentation. The alpine musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster), a species endemic to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and one of the most endangered species globally, requires critical habitat assessment and conservation efforts for regional and global biodiversity protection. This study integrated data from 274 alpine musk deer occurrence points, obtained through infrared camera monitoring, field surveys, and literature reviews, with environmental variables, employing the MaxEnt model to analyze the current spatial distribution of suitable habitats and priority conservation areas in Western China. We calculated conservation effectiveness and identified gaps within four western provinces using ArcGIS. Results indicated that altitude, annual mean temperature, and temperature annual range were the primary environmental factors influencing the distribution of suitable habitats, which were concentrated in areas with altitudes of 3,000–5,000 m, annual mean temperatures of 0–5 °C, and temperature annual ranges of 30–40 °C. The suitable habitats were mainly distributed in central and southern Gansu, northeastern and scattered southern regions of Qinghai, central and western Sichuan, and central and eastern Xizang, with Xizang having the largest area of highly suitable habitat, Qinghai having the largest area of moderately suitable habitat, and Sichuan having the highest proportion of highly suitable habitat, while overall, Qinghai had the highest proportion of priority conservation areas. The suitability of habitats within national nature reserves in Western China varied significantly, with Sichuan’s reserves showing the highest efficiency in protecting highly suitable habitats, and all four provinces exhibited significant conservation gaps. The study recommends maintaining suitable habitats, optimizing nature reserve layouts, establishing conservation gaps, and restoring ecosystems to protect alpine musk deer habitats and promote biodiversity health.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25000093Alpine musk deerHabitat suitabilityConservation effectivenessConservation gapsEnvironmental couplingMaxEnt model |
| spellingShingle | Feng Jiang Pengfei Song Jingjie Zhang Dongwu Wang Renhong Li Chengbo Liang Tongzuo Zhang Assessment approach for conservation effectiveness and gaps for endangered species based on habitat suitability: A case study of alpine musk deer in western China Ecological Indicators Alpine musk deer Habitat suitability Conservation effectiveness Conservation gaps Environmental coupling MaxEnt model |
| title | Assessment approach for conservation effectiveness and gaps for endangered species based on habitat suitability: A case study of alpine musk deer in western China |
| title_full | Assessment approach for conservation effectiveness and gaps for endangered species based on habitat suitability: A case study of alpine musk deer in western China |
| title_fullStr | Assessment approach for conservation effectiveness and gaps for endangered species based on habitat suitability: A case study of alpine musk deer in western China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment approach for conservation effectiveness and gaps for endangered species based on habitat suitability: A case study of alpine musk deer in western China |
| title_short | Assessment approach for conservation effectiveness and gaps for endangered species based on habitat suitability: A case study of alpine musk deer in western China |
| title_sort | assessment approach for conservation effectiveness and gaps for endangered species based on habitat suitability a case study of alpine musk deer in western china |
| topic | Alpine musk deer Habitat suitability Conservation effectiveness Conservation gaps Environmental coupling MaxEnt model |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25000093 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT fengjiang assessmentapproachforconservationeffectivenessandgapsforendangeredspeciesbasedonhabitatsuitabilityacasestudyofalpinemuskdeerinwesternchina AT pengfeisong assessmentapproachforconservationeffectivenessandgapsforendangeredspeciesbasedonhabitatsuitabilityacasestudyofalpinemuskdeerinwesternchina AT jingjiezhang assessmentapproachforconservationeffectivenessandgapsforendangeredspeciesbasedonhabitatsuitabilityacasestudyofalpinemuskdeerinwesternchina AT dongwuwang assessmentapproachforconservationeffectivenessandgapsforendangeredspeciesbasedonhabitatsuitabilityacasestudyofalpinemuskdeerinwesternchina AT renhongli assessmentapproachforconservationeffectivenessandgapsforendangeredspeciesbasedonhabitatsuitabilityacasestudyofalpinemuskdeerinwesternchina AT chengboliang assessmentapproachforconservationeffectivenessandgapsforendangeredspeciesbasedonhabitatsuitabilityacasestudyofalpinemuskdeerinwesternchina AT tongzuozhang assessmentapproachforconservationeffectivenessandgapsforendangeredspeciesbasedonhabitatsuitabilityacasestudyofalpinemuskdeerinwesternchina |