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Assessing habitat quality of the mountain nyala Tragelaphus buxtoni in the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia

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dc.contributor.authorEvangelista, Paul H., author
dc.contributor.authorNorman, John, III, author
dc.contributor.authorSwartzinki, Paul, author
dc.contributor.authorYoung, Nicholas E., author
dc.contributor.authorCurrent Zoology, publisher
dc.date.accessioned2017-01-13T16:17:26Z
dc.date.available2017-01-13T16:17:26Z
dc.date.issued2012
dc.description.abstractPopulations of the endangered mountain nyala Tragelaphus buxtoni are significantly threatened by the loss of critical habitat. Population estimates are tentative, and information on the species' distribution and available habitat is required for formulating immediate management and conservation strategies. To support management decisions and conservation priorities, we integrated information from a number of small-scale observational studies, interviews and reports from multiple sources to define habitat parameters and create a habitat quality model for mountain nyala in the Bale Mountains. For our analysis, we used the FunConn model, an expertise-based model that considers spatial relationships (i.e., patch size, distance) between the species and vegetation type, topography and disturbance to create a habitat quality surface. The habitat quality model showed that approximately 18,610 km2 (82.7% of our study area) is unsuitable or poor habitat for the mountain nyala, while 2,857 km2 (12.7%) and 1,026 km2 (4.6%) was ranked as good or optimal habitat, respectively. Our results not only reflected human induced habitat degradation, but also revealed an extensive area of intact habitat on the remote slopes of the Bale Mountain's southern and southeastern escarpments. This study provides an example of the roles that expert knowledge can still play in modern geospatial modeling of wildlife habitat. New geospatial tools, such as the FunConn model, are readily available to wildlife managers and allow them to perform spatial analyses with minimal software, data and training requirements. This approach may be especially useful for species that are obscure to science or when field surveys are not practical.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediumarticles
dc.identifier.bibliographicCitationEvangelista, Paul H., John Norman III, Paul Swartzinki, Nicholas E. Young, Assessing Habitat Quality of the Mountain Nyala Tragelaphus buxtoni in the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia, Current Zoology 58, no. 4 (1 August 2012): 525-535. https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/czoolo/58.4.525.
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1093/czoolo/58.4.525
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10217/179312
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartofPublications
dc.relation.referencesEvangelista, Paul, Bale Mountains Vegetation Classification, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10217/179308
dc.rights©2012 Current Zoology.
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subjectexpert knowledge
dc.subjectFunConn model
dc.subjecthabitat mapping
dc.subjectland cover
dc.subjectmountain nyala
dc.subjectwildlife conservation
dc.titleAssessing habitat quality of the mountain nyala Tragelaphus buxtoni in the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia
dc.typeText

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