Top predators such as leopardPantheraspp. are often associated with high biodiversity, so the protection of their habitats
is one of the most effective ways to conserve biodiversity globally. In this paper, we use ecological niche factor analysis
(ENFA), a presence-only environmental habitat-envelope based method to create habitat suitability maps for Persian
leopard in Golestan National Park (GNP), Iran. The Persian leopard Panthera pardus saxicoloris an endangered subspecies on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. During a one-year field study in 2009, we recorded 120 leopard
locations and related these to 14 environmental variables. Our analysis shows that the Persian leopard in this area lives
within a very narrow range of conditions and therefore may require rather specific habitat protection and management in
this area.
کلید واژگان :
ecological niche factor analysis, Golestan National Park, habitat suitability, Panthera pardus saxicolor, Persian leopard
