A GIS‒based habitat suitability model for the mountain nyala tragelaphus buxtoni in the southeastern highlands of Ethiopia and its implication for conservation

Abstract

Mountain nyala Tragelaphus buxtoni is one of the endangered and endemic flagship species in Ethiopia. The goal of this study was to identify and map the distribution of suitable habitats for the mountain nyala in the southeastern highlands of Ethiopia where the species can be found. The following two questions were addressed in this study1 what are the major abiotic, biotic, and anthropogenic factors that determine the suitable habitats for the mountain nyala in the southeastern highlands of Ethiopia? And,2 where are the areas of best habitat suitability for the mountain nyala? Environmental and anthropogenic variables, such as landform and/or topography (i.e., slope), elevation, vegetation cover (i.e., trees, shrubs, and herbs cover), towns, and roads were included to develop a GIS (Geographic Information System) habitat suitability model for the mountain nyala. The model predicted that a total of 2,436.98km2 of suitable habitats are currently available for the endangered mountain nyala in Ethiopia. Three environmental variables, landform and/or topography (e.g., slope), vegetation cover (i.e., trees, shrubs, and herbs cover), and elevation, were the most important predictors having the greatest contribution to the habitat suitability model. The model suggested that habitat fragmentation is a common problem for the survival of the mountain nyala throughout its ranges of distribution. Thus, future conservation and management action should gear towards solving this problem through designing appropriate corridors that help connect the fragmented suitable habitat patches for this endangered flagship species in Ethiopia.