Climate‐driven decline in the habitat of the endemic spiny babbler (Turdoides nipalensis)

Abstract

Climate change could amplify the extinction risk of endemic species, and the risk is even greater for species occupying high elevations and mountain ranges.In this study, we assessed the climatically suitable habitat of the only endemic Nepalese bird species, the spiny babbler (Turdoides nipalensis), and predicted the extent of the future (2050 and 2070) habitat of this species under two climate change scenarios (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5). We used georeferenced occurrence points alongside ecologically meaningful climatic and topographic variables to develop an ensemble suitable habitat model using different species distribution modeling algorithms in BIOMOD2. We identified 22,488.83 km 2 (15%) of Nepal's total land area as suitable habitat for this endemic species, where the nonprotected regions incorporated the largest extent of suitable habitat (88%), with a majority of this suitable area within the central Mid-Hill region. Under the SSP2-4.5 scenario, 21.58% and 34.08% of the current suitable habitat range are projected to be lost by 2050 and 2070, respectively. Whereas under the SSP5-8.5 scenario, our projections suggest that 40.45% and 52.18% of habitat will be lost by 2050 and 2070, respectively. Habitat suitability increased with a rise in warmest quarter precipitation (above 1000 mm), coldest quarter precipitation between 50 and 100 mm, and warmest quarter temperature between 20 and 30 C. Given our results, it is crucial to review the conservation policy of nonprotected areas and formulate a spiny babbler-specific conservation action plan with a special focus on protecting their primary habitat in human-dominated landscapes and nonprotected areas.

Prey selection by leopards (Panthera pardus fusca) in the mid‐hill region of Nepal

“…The dominant species is Acacia catechu, which is threatened in the area. Other common plant species include Bombax ceiba , Dalbergia sissoo , Sapium insigne , Schima wallichii , Lagerstroemia parviflora , Bauhinia vahlii , Desmodiumo ojeinense , and Murraya koenigii (Adhikari et al., 2023; Sharma et al., 2021; Uprety et al., 2011). The study site is home to 20 mammalian species, including large carnivores such as leopard (DFO, 2019).…”

Defining the extent of suitable habitat for the endangered Maple-Leaf oak (Quercus acerifolia)

“…As recent SDM studies have successfully achieved improved predictive accuracy by combining models generated from several algorithms (Hao et al 2020, Adhikari et al 2023, rather than a single algorithm in SDM (e.g., MAXENT), we used an ensemble modeling approach to develop the habitat suitability models. Biogeography 2023, 15.3, e58763 © the authors, CC-BY 4.0 license 4…”

Climate-change habitat shifts for the vulnerable endemic oak species (Quercus arkansana Sarg.)

“…As recent SDM studies have successfully improved predictive accuracy by combining models generated from several algorithms (Hao et al 2020;Adhikari et al 2022Adhikari et al , 2023Subedi et al 2023), rather than a single algorithm in SDM, an ensemble modeling approach was used to develop habitat suitability models, combining multiple SDM algorithms. First, sampling bias and spatially autocorrelated occurrence data were addressed through spatial rarefaction or filtering (Kramer-Schadt et al 2013;Boria et al 2014;Aiello-Lammens et al 2015).…”