Mapping habitat suitabilities of some wildlife species in Burdur Lake Basin

Abstract

This research paper aimed at modeling the relations between mammal wildlife species, which spread around Burdur Lake Basin, with environmental factors and getting habitat suitability maps on the basis of native species by generalizing acquired models. Field survey was carried out on 328 sample plots and 3280 sub-sample plots. Traces, feces and signs belonging to wild boar (Sus scrofa), european hare (Lepus europaeus), beech marten (Martes foina) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) were identified using the transect counts in the Basin. Data from these species was tested through Jacknife Method by being analyzed with Maximum Entropy (Maxent) method. Base maps belonging to 20 different environmental variances were used for wildlife suitability modeling. Habitat suitability maps were prepared for wild boar (0.77;0,71), brown hare (0.80; 0.74), beech marten (0.86; 0,80), and red fox (0.87; 0.77) by taking into account of obtained models' education data set and test data set ROC values. According to obtained models' results; the relation between wildlife animal species on the study area and topography, distance to forest village road, elevation, bedrock, smoothness, solar lightening index, distance to settlement, distance to lake, distance to runnel and radiation index was detected. In this study, habitat suitability maps based on relation between wild animals and environmental factors were created. These maps will be important bases for mammals species to protect and hunting plans preperation.