Spatial modeling of forage crops for tiger prey species in the area surrounding highway 304 in the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai forest complex

Abstract

Spatial modeling is an analytical procedure that simulates real-world conditions using remote sensing and geographic information systems. The field data in this study were collected from 318 survey plots in the area surrounding highway 304 in the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex (DPKY-FC) during the 2019 rainy season. Forage-crop biomass was collected from all plots. We focused on sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) and gaur (Bos gaurus), which are the main prey for tigers in this area. We created spatial models using generalized linear models with stepwise regression. The results indicated that the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) varied directly with grass biomass but inversely with shrub biomass (p<0.05). Elevation varied directly with forb biomass but inversely with shrub biomass (p<0.05). The probability of occurrence of sambar deer varied directly with distance from disturbance variables, distance from the stream, and grass biomass (p<0.001), but inversely with NDVI (p<0.05). The occurrence of gaur varied directly with NDVI (p=0.08), but varied inversely with slope, distance from the road, and distance from the stream (p<0.05). Our results demonstrate that spatial modeling can be an effective tool for wildlife habitat management in the area surrounding highway 304.