Identifying biodiversity hotspots for threatened mammal species in Iran

Farashi, Azita; Shariati, Mitra; Hosseini, Mahshid

doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2017.06.002

Cited by 36 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Only about 12% of core habitats were protected by CAs, which was less than the amount set for near threatened and threatened mammals in Iran 66 (i.e., 20%). In addition, Farashi et al 67 reported 66% coverage of CAs with suitable areas of the striped hyaena in Iran, which is remarkably higher compared to the obtain value in this study (11.4%). That is why in their study, occurrence points (centroid of the area of occupancy) of the Atlas of Mammals of Iran 39 were used for habitat modeling of the striped hyaena with insufficient occurrence points (just one point) in Khuzestan area (our study area).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 77%

Identifying core habitats and corridors of a near threatened carnivore, striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena) in southwestern Iran

Almasieh¹,

Mohammadi

Alvandi

2022

Sci Rep

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Conservation of large carnivores requires preservation of extensive core habitats and linkages among them. The goal of this study was to identify core habitats and corridors by predicting habitat suitability (an ensemble approach), and calculating resistant kernel and factorial least-cost path modeling for a relatively unknown carnivore, the striped hyaena in Khuzestan area in southwestern Iran. We used the procedure of spatial randomization test to evaluate the coincidence of striped hyaena road crossing with the predicted corridors. The results revealed that elevation, distance to conservation areas, categorical climate and grasslands density were the most influential variables for predicting the occurrence of the striped hyaena in the study area. In the estimated dispersal distance of 70 km, four core habitats were identified. The largest core habitat was located in the northeast of the study area with the highest connectivity contribution. Only about 12% and 1.5% of core habitats and corridors were protected by conservation areas, respectively. Predicted corridors, crossed by roads represented a high risk for striped hyaenas. Adaptive management plan throughout the landscape (conservation of core habitats and corridors, and reducing species mortality on the roads) must be considered by wildlife managers in Iran.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 77%

Identifying core habitats and corridors of a near threatened carnivore, striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena) in southwestern Iran

Almasieh¹,

Mohammadi

Alvandi

2022

Sci Rep

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“…We also quantified the combined effects of topographic features and law enforcement to delineate functional niches for these mammals. The species' response to environmental predictors supports habitat associations known from past literature for leopards (Ashrafzadeh, Naghipour, Haidarian, & Khorozyan, 2018;Ebrahimi, Farashi, & Rashki, 2017;Farhadinia et al, 2015;Khosravi, Hemami, & Cushman, 2018), urial sheep and bezoar goat (Bashari & Hemami, 2013;Makki, Fakheran, Moradi, Iravani, & Senn, 2013), and goitered gazelle (Farashi et al, 2017;Khosravi, Hemami, Malekian, et al, 2018). Accordingly, mountains provide a refugia for all species, expect goitered gazelles which unsurprisingly are confined to lowlands.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

“…In Turkmenistan, although multiple reserves has been established, however they generally suffer from limited conservation resources (Kaczensky & Linnell, 2015). On the Iranian side, the expanded network of reserves hosts populations of the mammalian megafauna (Farashi, Shariati, & Hosseini, 2017;Farhadinia, Moll, et al, 2018;Ghoddousi et al, 2016). As a transboundary biodiversity-rich landscape, the Kopet Dag Ecoregion can benefit from inter-governmental conservation initiatives.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape connectivity for mammalian megafauna along the Iran-Turkmenistan-Afghanistan borderland

Hosseini

Farashi

Khani

et al. 2019

Journal for Nature Conservation

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Habitat fragmentation threatens biodiversity, causes population isolation and reduces the availability of resources. When species ranges span geopolitical borders, management of transboundary populations and securing their connectivity can be compromised by different juridical efforts and priorities. Using a combination of species distribution modelling and circuit theory, we modelled suitable habitats for four conservation-dependent mammalian megafauna in northeastern Iran, bordering Turkmenistan and Afghanistan which is part of the larger Kopet Dag Ecoregion in central Asia. Our multispecies approach was aimed to identify key habitats and potential national and international corridors for Persian leopard (Panthera pardus), bezoar goat (Capra aegagrus), urial sheep (Ovis orientalis) and goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa). Between 18 to 34% of the region was identified as suitable habitat for each species with a moderate variability in coverage by conservation network (14 to 43%). Importantly, we identified three key landscapes which can enhance the connectivity between main populations of the species in northeastern Iran as well as neighboring countries. Most of the suitable landscapes along the Iran-Turkmenistan borderlands are protected on the Iranian side, providing a source for species movement across the border. In contrast, the main suitable landscapes for megafauna in northeastern Iran are located far from the Afghan border. Our multispecies approach provided an empirical framework for spatial conservation planning for the mammalian megafauna across the Kopet Dag Ecoregion and can direct future survey efforts to identify critical wildlife areas in Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, two countries with scarce data on biodiversity.

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“…Although preference of males and juveniles was not supported at fine scales, loss of a single male or juvenile by a household can undermine the family income relying on breeding and replenishment of less productive cattle. As the Hyrcanian forest is a biodiversity hotspot and a key area for leopard conservation (Ebrahimi et al., ; Farashi & Shariati, ; Farashi et al., ) which needs better protection (Mehri et al., ), we hope that this practice will reduce conflicts and improve conservation status of this region.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study is novel in terms of research findings and practical applications, in Iran and beyond. Also, this study is timely and important because Iran is the stronghold country for the globally endangered leopard subspecies in the Middle East, the Persian leopard ( Panthera pardus saxicolor ) (Figure ; Ebrahimi, Farashi, & Rashki, ; Khorozyan, ), the Hyrcanian forest represents the most continuous and most suitable habitat for leopard (Ebrahimi et al., ; Farashi & Shariati, ; Farashi, Shariati, & Hosseini, ), and retaliatory anthropogenic mortality from depredation is among the main threats to leopard survival in Iran and the region (Ghoddousi et al., ; Soofi et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cattle selectivity by leopards suggests ways to mitigate human–leopard conflict

Khorozyan

Ghoddousi²,

Soufi

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Addressing widespread livestock losses to carnivores requires information on which livestock categories are preferentially selected. We analyzed an individual‐based database of cattle grazing in forest (n = 932) and having been killed (n = 70) by leopards (Panthera pardus) in the Hyrcanian forest, Iran. We calculated Jacobs’ selectivity index for cattle age, sex, and coloration across four scales: the study area as a whole, three sites, nine villages, and 60 cattle owners. Naturally colored cattle were significantly preferred by leopards at all scales in comparison with black and black‐and‐white cattle, and there was also a preference for males and juveniles at the study area level. More research is needed to see whether cattle losses would decrease if the share of naturally colored individuals in local holdings was reduced and males and juveniles had limited access to forest. We conclude that phenotypic and biologic characteristics of livestock can affect depredation and appeal for more research in this direction, particularly within the predator–prey framework.

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Identifying biodiversity hotspots for threatened mammal species in Iran

Cited by 36 publications

References 52 publications

Identifying core habitats and corridors of a near threatened carnivore, striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena) in southwestern Iran

Identifying core habitats and corridors of a near threatened carnivore, striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena) in southwestern Iran

Landscape connectivity for mammalian megafauna along the Iran-Turkmenistan-Afghanistan borderland

Cattle selectivity by leopards suggests ways to mitigate human–leopard conflict

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