Black bear habitat suitability modeling in a part of Sistan and Balouchestan province using multi-criteria evaluation method

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

assistant professor

Abstract

The Balouchi Black bear as an endangered subspecies, has a limited distribution in Iran, including the provinces of Kerman, Sistan and Baluchestan and Hormozgan. In this study, multi-criteria evaluation method was used to model the suitability of the land as a habitat of the black bear. For this purpose, by literature reviewing and experts’ knowledge, the most important criteria for evaluating the suitability of the land as black bear habitat were identified, were standardized by fuzzy and Boolean methods and criteria weights were determined using the hierarchical analysis process (AHP) method. The highest weight is related to slope criterion. Criteria and constraints maps were prepared by satellite image interpretation and available data. Results have shown 0-20% vegetation cover crown with 6945673 ha has the highest portion in study area. The study criteria and constraints were overlaid using the Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) method and the land suitability model was produced for the Balouchi black bear. In habitat suitability map, 261615 ha were identified with very high habitat suitability for black bear. Field studies and overlaying areas with the highest habitat suitability on the suitability maps of the used criteria, show that these areas mostly include mountainous areas with wild date (Daz) and farm land date. The results of this study with producing 81% total accuracy show the capability of multi-criteria evaluation methods by producing suitability maps with considering the importance of habitat evaluation criteria in modeling the suitability black bear habitat and the possibility of trade-off the criteria which causes criteria with more importance, support lower importance criteria.

Keywords

Ahmadzadeh, F., Liaghati, H., Hassanzadeh Kiabi, B., Mehrabian, A.R., Abdoli, A. and Mostafavi, H. 2008. The status and conservation of the Asiatic black bear in Nikshahr County, Baluchistan District of Iran. Journal of Natural History, 42(35-36), pp.2379-2387.
Almasieh, K., Kaboli, M. and Beier, P. 2016. Identifying habitat cores and corridors for the Iranian black bear in Iran. Ursus, 27(1), pp.18-30.b
Almasieh, K., Kaboli, M. Beier., P., Rasouli, F and Abtin, E. 2016. Determination of potential current density of the Iranian black bear (Ursus thibetanus gedrosianus, Blanford, 1877) movement in habitat areas of Sistan and Baluchistan province. The 1st National Conference on the Natural Environment. Rasht, Iran) in Persian(.a
Almasieh, K., Kaboli, M., Rasouli, F., Fahimi, H and Abtin, E. 2017. Identifying habitat blocks and corridors for the Iranian black bear (Ursus thibetanus gedrosianus) in Hormozgan province, Animal environment, 9 (1),: 31-38 ) in Persian(.
Chamanehfar, S. 2014. The role of habitat quality in the natural regulation of the black bear population. The 2st National Environmental Conference, Tehran,  Mehre Arvand institute ) in Persian(.
Chauhan, N. P. S., and R. K. J. Singh.  2006.  Status and distribution of sun bears in Manipur, India.  Ursus 17,, pp.182-185
Damangir, A.A., Sehhatisabet, M.E. and Khalatbari, L. 2011. Camera traps reveal use of caves by Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus gedrosianus)(Mammalia: Ursidae) in southeastern Iran. Journal of natural history, 45(37-38), pp.2363-2373.
Doko, T., Fukui, H., Kooiman, A., Toxopeus, A.G and Skidmore, A.K. 2016. Identifying habitat patches and potential ecological corridors for remnant Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) populations in Japan. Ecological Modelling, 222(310), pp. 748-761.
Estman, J.R. 2001. Guide to GIS and image processing volume. Release 2. Clark  university, usa.171p.
Fahimi, H and Yusefi, GH. 2010. Food habits of the Baluchistan black bear in the Bahr-e Asman Mountain, Iran. (In preparation). Paper presented at the 19th International Conference on Bear Research and Management; Tbilisi, Georgia Republic, May 2010.
Fahimi, H., Yusefi, G.H., Madjdzadeh, S.M., Damangir, A.A., Sehhatisabet, M.E. and Khalatbari, L. 2011. Camera traps reveal use of caves by Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus gedrosianus)(Mammalia: Ursidae) in southeastern Iran. Journal of natural history, 45(37-38), pp.2363-2373.
Farashi, A. and Erfani, M. 2018. Modeling of habitat suitability of Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus gedrosianus) in Iran in future. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 38(1), pp.9-14.
Gao, B.C. 1996. NDWI—A normalized difference water index for remote sensing of vegetation liquid water from space. Remote Sensing of Environment, 58 (3), pp. 257-266.
Ghadirian, T. and Pishvaei, H. 2014. Status of Asiatic black bear in westernmost global distribution, Hormozgan Province, Southern Iran. In 23rd International Conference on Bear research and Management. Thessaloniki, Greece.
Hajehforooshnia, S., Soffianian, A., Mahiny, S and Fakheran, S. 2011. Multi objective land allocation (MOLA) for zoning Ghamishloo wildlife sanctuary in Iran.  journal for natural conservation, 19, pp. 254-262.
Hosseini,  S.,  Oladi,  J  and  Amirnejad.  H.,  2015.  The  priorityThe priority  of  ecological, economic and social indicators of national parks using of multi criteria decision making  techniques  (Entropy,  SAW  and  TOPSIS).  wood  and  forest  science  and technology, 22(4),pp.1-28 28. (In Persian)
Hute, A.R. 1998. A soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI). Remote Sensing of Environment, 25(3), pp.295-309.
Javadzadeh, M., Rezvani, P., Banayan, M and Asili, J. 2018. Assessment of Required Growing Degree Days for Phenological Stages of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) based on BBCH-Scale in Different Cropping Systems. Agroecology, 10(2), pp.368-385. 
Leblond, M., Dussault, C., St-Laurent, M. 2014. Development and validation of anexpert-based habitat suitability model to support boreal caribou conservation.Biol. Conserv. 177,pp. 100–108.
Liu, F., McShea, W and Garshelis, D. 2011.  Human-wildlife conflicts influence attitudes but not necessarily behaviors: Factors driving the poaching of bears in China. Biological Conservation, 134,pp.538-547.
Malcezewski, J. 2006. Ordered weighted averaging with Fuzzy quantifier GIS-based multi-criteria evaluation for land-use suitability analysis. International journal for applied earth observation and geoinformation, 8,pp. 270-277.
Melondi, H. 2017. Investigating the major threats to the Asian black bear  (Ursus thibetanus) As a vulnerable species. 3th  National Conference of Energy, Environment, Agriculture and Sustainable development, Sanandaj, Iran ) in Persian(
Mohammadabeigi, A., Mohammadsalehi, N and Aligol, M. 2015. Validity and Reliability of the Instruments and Types of MeasurmentS in Health Applied Researches. Journal of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, 13(12), pp. 1153-1170 (in presian).
Mosadeghi, R.; Warnken, J.; Tomlinson, R and Mirfenderesk, H. 2015. Comparison of and AHP in spatial multi criteria decision making model for urban land-use planning. Computer, environment and urban systems, 49,pp. 54-65.
Nori, G.R., Erfani, M., Karimi, S and Shahryari, A. 2010. Atlas of plant and animal indicators of Sistan and Baluchestan province. Sepeh press, 244p
Rahdari, V and Maleki, S. 2011. Compression of vegetation indices for vegetation cover mapping in arid and semi environment using satellite data (casestudy: Mouteh wild life sanctuary). RS and GIS for Natural Resources, 1(1),pp. 79-86 ) in Persian(.
Rahdari, V., Soffianian, A.R., Pourmanafi, S and Ghayoumi, H. 2017. Surviving of risk and tradeoff levels effects on land capability evaluation results in Fuzzy area (case study: Plasjan sub-basin). Natural environment, 70(4),pp. 843-855 ) in Persian(.
Rahdari, V., Soffianian, A.R., Pourmanafi, S., Ghayoumi, H., Maleki, S and Pormardan, V. 2019. Multi-criteria evaluation for land rain-fed agriculture capability (case study: Plasjan sub-basin). Water and soil science, 23(4),pp. 285-297 (in Persian).
Rahdary, V., Khajeddin, S.J., Soffianian, A.R and Maleki, S. 2014. Identification of Satellite Image Ability for Vegetation Cover Crown Percentage Mapping in Arid and Semi Arid Region (Case study: Mouteh wild life sanctuary). Environmental science and Technology, 15(4), pp.43-54 (in Persian)