Open AccessPrediction of leopard habitat suitability in Taman Negara main forest complex, Malaysia
Author(s) -
Nur Fatin Khodri,
Tukimat Lihan,
Muzzneena Ahmad Mustapha,
Taqi Mohammed Jwad Taher,
Nurul Atikah Tajul Arifin,
N.I. Abdullah,
Shukor Mohd Nor
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of environmental biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.247
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 2394-0379
pISSN - 0254-8704
DOI - 10.22438/jeb/42/3(si)/jeb-11
Subject(s) - habitat , geography , wildlife , leopard , elevation (ballistics) , wildlife corridor , environmental science , geographic information system , ecology , remote sensing , geometry , mathematics , biology
Aim: This research assessed the distribution of leopard to predict the habitat suitability in Taman Negara National Park and adjacent forest area. Methodology: Environmental factors for habitat suitability were derived from geographical information system (GIS) data such as elevation, slope, land-use, distance from urban and distance from river. Leopard presence data from 1993 to 2008 were integrated with the environmental parameters using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) modeling to assess habitat suitability across the study area. Results: The results showed that distance from river contributed the most (39.3%) in the habitat suitability modeling followed by distance from urban (31.4%), elevation (12.3%), land use types (10.1%), and slope (6.9%). Distance from river and urban showed highest contribution that influenced leopard distribution in which most suitable habitat occurred in proximity with river and further from urban. Habitat suitability of leopard were distributed among 48% over 2,218,389 ha of the study area.Interpretation: The findings of this study provides knowledge on how the species move and exploit different habitat niches for more effective conservation management. It provide models for future wildlife conservation and urban planning.