Habitat For Endangered Species Research Articles

Spatio-Temporal Changes and Habitats of Rare and Endangered Species in Yunnan Province Based on MaxEnt Model

Biodiversity is crucial for ecosystem functioning, but it is rapidly declining due to human activities and climate change. Protecting biodiversity has become a key priority for global environmental conservation actions. Rare and endangered species have a great impact on the ecosystem, yet due to their limited survival capacity, they are more prone to extinction, thus exerting a significant impact on biodiversity. However, current research reveals a lack of information concerning the potential distribution and changes of these species. This study used the maximum entropy model to predict the present and future potential habitats of rare and endangered species in Yunnan Province. After superimposing model results, four richness regions are divided by the natural breakpoint method and analyzed. Existing protected areas are compared with hotspots, and the land-use composition of hotspots is also analyzed. The results revealed that, in both current and future scenarios, rare and endangered species in Yunnan Province are primarily found in the western mountainous region, the Xishuangbanna–Wenshan high temperature area, and the Kunming–Qujing dense vegetation cover area. These species are also expanding their distribution towards the western mountainous area. However, under the low carbon emission scenario (RCP2.6), these species will spread from the high abundance regions to the low altitude hotspots by 2070. In the high carbon emissions scenario (RCP8.5), there will be fewer high abundance areas in 2070 than in 2050. The transfer matrix analysis reveals regional richness variations over time. Furthermore, the analysis revealed significant conservation gaps and found that existing hotspot areas were heavily affected by human activities. To improve conservation efficiency, it is necessary to enhance the protection of existing hotspots in Yunnan Province. Climate change plays a significant role in species migration, with precipitation levels being a key factor. The necessary actions should be taken to address the insufficient protection, resolve conflicts between human activities and land use in critical areas, and formulate effective strategies for adapting to future climate changes. Yunnan Province, with its rich species resources, has the potential to become a global innovator in biodiversity conservation by implementing improved conservation strategies.

Establishing an Ecological Network to Enhance Forest Connectivity in South Korea’s Demilitarized Zone

This investigation delineated an ecological network within South Korea’s Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to enhance ecosystem functionality, with a focus on forest landscape connectivity. The study employed spatial autocorrelation analysis and the minimum cumulative resistance model to identify key source patches. These patches are vital for maintaining connectivity across various topographies and land uses in the DMZ. Morphological spatial pattern analysis in the DMZ’s forest area showed a variation in forest patch types. The core class, less affected by external influences, was more prevalent in the eastern part. In contrast, the edge class, influenced by different environmental boundaries, was dominant in the western part. A 452.36 km long ecological network was constructed, serving as an essential corridor linking habitats of endangered species. This network covers a total forest area of 730.17 km2, which includes an existing forest protection area of 165.84 km2 (22.7%). The study also identified 564.33 km2 (77.3%) of previously non-designated forest regions as potential conservation areas. This aims to significantly increase forest connectivity within the DMZ. The research highlights the effectiveness of spatial planning tools in promoting ecosystem integrity in politically sensitive and restricted-access areas.

Assessing Forest Conservation Strategies for Biodiversity Restoration and Sustainable Development: A Comparative Analysis of Global Income Groups

The escalating rate of deforestation presents significant challenges to the global economy, including the loss of habitats for endangered species and a decline in biocapacity reserves. This situation also raises concerns about overcrowding and excessive production, which can undermine conservation efforts. Addressing this issue, Sustainable Development Goal 15 of the United Nations emphasizes managing forest resources, preventing habitat loss, combatting desertification, and expanding biodiversity reserves. Its contributions have played a pivotal role in wildlife conservation, mitigating rural-urban migration and preserving land resources. Given the relevance of this problem, this study examines the consequences of ongoing tropical deforestation on the loss of endangered species habitats while controlling for biocapacity reserves, urbanization, economic growth, and industrialization across a large sample of 159 nations, further categorized into low-, middle-, and high-income countries. The findings from cross-sectional and quantile regression analyses reveal that higher deforestation rates, increased rural-urban migration, and greater industrialization threaten endangered species habitats. Conversely, increased biocapacity reserves and economic growth contribute to wildlife restoration. Granger causality estimations highlight unidirectional relationships between deforestation and biodiversity loss (as well as biocapacity reserves), while deforestation and industrialization exhibit bidirectional causality. The results further indicate that sustained economic growth leads to deforestation, biocapacity reserves, and urbanization, while urbanization contributes to deforestation. This underscores the role of deforestation as the primary driver of habitat loss for endangered species and the depletion of biocapacity, thereby fostering mass production. Urbanization and economic growth are shown to be causally linked to deforestation across countries. The study underscores the urgent need to safeguard forest reserves against large-scale land conversion for infrastructure development, industrialization, and settlement of overpopulated urban areas, as these factors contribute to habitat degradation and biodiversity loss. Conserving, restoring, and promoting sustainable utilization of ecosystems are essential measures to address natural uncertainties and advance Sustainable development goals.

Identifying the potential for ecological rehabilitation of landfills in Queensland: A spatial analysis

ABSTRACT Closed landfills represent a large portion of land that cannot be developed but can potentially be ecologically rehabilitated using capping technologies such as phytocapping. This study aims to identify and quantify the value of landfills for ecological rehabilitation in Queensland, Australia, using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and multi-criteria analysis. Multiple environmental features were used for this study and were selected to represent ecosystem services and connectivity. These features were used to create two novel scores (environmental and habitat score), representing the total area and number of environmental features. The evaluation shows there is high value for ecological rehabilitation of landfills in South East Queensland and the Wet Tropics, signifying the importance of ecological rehabilitation in these biogeographic regions. Landfill rehabilitation can create high-value habitats for endangered species and enhance connectivity. It is recommended that landfill after-use is considered by regulators and stakeholders as a potential vehicle for achieving environmental sustainability and ecological conservation. The developed methodology in this study can be used to inform the decision-making process for landfill after-use and the strategic prioritisation of landfills within local governmental areas for achieving ecological rehabilitation.

Dealing with sampling bias and inferring absence data to improve distribution models of a widely distributed vulnerable marsupial

AbstractSpecies distribution models are widely used to identify potential and high‐quality habitat of endangered species to inform conservation decisions. However, their usefulness is constrained by the amount and quality of biodiversity data and the approaches for dealing with data deficiencies. Presence‐only data, used in presence/background modelling methods, are widely available but are often affected by sampling bias. Presence/absence modelling methods are less affected by biases, but data are less common. We modelled the distribution of a widely distributed, endangered species from Australia – the greater glider – and tested how predictions were influenced by data treatment and modelling framework. We collated available species data and fitted generalized linear models and boosted regression trees using presence/absence data, as well as using an augmented dataset that included additional presences alongside absences inferred from survey data. We also fitted presence/background models, adopting three common strategies for bias correction. We compared model performance quantitatively through evaluation metrics calculated internally and on held out data, and qualitatively by identifying areas of agreement of spatial predictions. We found that presence/background models with bias correction performed better than not corrected, though evaluation metrics did not favour a single strategy. Presence/absence models outperformed presence/background models in comparable metrics and delivered different spatial predictions. Importantly, differences in spatial predictions between models had the potential to substantially alter decisions about where to protect high‐quality habitat. The approach to inferring absences proved useful, as models fitted with these outperformed all other models. Dealing with sampling bias requires additional time and data management strategies, but we found that the time invested allowed improvement of models and more reliable predictions. Our results suggest that ancillary occurrence data and careful data handling can improve both presence/background and presence/absence models.

A field-validated ensemble species distribution model of Eriogonum pelinophilum, an endangered subshrub in Colorado, USA.

Understanding the suitable habitat of endangered species is crucial for agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management to plan management and conservation. However, few species distribution models are directly validated, potentially limiting their application in management. In preparation for a Species Status Assessment of clay-loving wild buckwheat (Eriogonum pelinophilum), an endangered subshrub found in southwest Colorado, we ran a series of species distribution models to estimate the species' potential occupied habitat and validated these models in the field. A 1-meter resolution digital elevation model derived from LiDAR and a high-resolution geology mapping helped identify biologically relevant characteristics of the species' habitat. We employed a weighted ensemble model based on two Random Forest and one Boosted Regression Tree model, and discrimination performance of the ensemble model was high (AUC-PR = 0.793). We then conducted a systematic field survey of model habitat suitability predictions, during which we discovered 55 new subpopulations of the species and demonstrated that new species observations were strongly associated with model predictions (p < .0001, Cliff's delta = 0.575). We further refined our original models by incorporating the additional species occurrences collected in the field survey, a new explanatory variable, and a more diverse set of models. These iterative changes marginally improved performance of the ensemble model (AUC-PR = 0.825). Direct validation of species distribution models is extremely rare, and our field survey provides strong validation of our model results. This helps increase confidence to utilize predictions in planning. The final model predictions greatly improve the Bureau of Land Management's understanding of the species' habitat and increase our ability to consider potential habitat in planning land use activities such as road development and travel management.

Protecting the Habitats of Endangered Species Through Environmental Public Interest Litigation in China: Lessons Learned from Peafowl Versus the Dam

Abstract Green Peafowl stands as a landmark lawsuit in China where environmental NGOs successfully halted a project threatening habitat of endangered species. By examining this case, this analysis evaluates the promise and limitations of China’s civil environmental public interest litigation (EPIL) in protecting habitat. Under civil EPIL’s broad and flexible framework, environmental NGOs can convince the courts that a government-approved project would destroy the ‘biological habitat’ for endangered species and hold project developers accountable. By arguing that the environmental impact assessment (EIA) institution is jointly liable by preparing a flawed report, environmental NGOs can also use civil EPIL as an alternative avenue to challenge the quality of an approved EIA report. However, the timing of judicial intervention, uncertainties of litigation outcomes, the scope of protection, and the court’s attitude towards EIA claims limit the effectiveness of civil EPIL. This analysis highlights the need to address regulatory failures revealed by Green Peafowl.

Predicting the habitat suitability of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) under future climate scenarios

AbstractThis study aimed to predict the habitat suitability of Asian elephants in Madhesh Province, Nepal, by using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) modeling based on the occurrence data and environmental variables, including bioclimatic, topographic, vegetation‐related, and anthropogenic variables. The study was conducted under current and future climate scenarios for the year 2100. Among the districts of Madhesh Province, the largest suitable habitats for elephants are located in Rautahat district (30%) followed by Bara district (21%), with Dhanusha district having the smallest suitable area (1%). Elevation, slope, annual precipitation, precipitation of the driest quarter, and temperature seasonality were identified as the most important variables affecting habitat suitability. A total of 1037.3 km2 was identified as the current highly suitable habitat for elephants, primarily in grasslands and shrublands. The results of the study depict a slight increase in highly suitable areas under the emission scenarios shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP) 2–4.5 and SSP 5–8.5 but a severe decrease in suitable habitats and a drastic increase in unsuitable habitats. The research emphasizes the possible influence of human activities and land use on the living environment of elephants. The study, therefore, suggests that the authorities should prioritize future land use management to lessen the potential harm to the habitats of elephants and other endangered species in Nepal. It is also imperative to identify how elephants utilize their spatial habitat within their range to help park authorities devise efficient management strategies.

Plastisphere characterization in habitat of the highly endangered Shinisaurus crocodilurus: Bacterial composition, assembly, function and the comparison with surrounding environment

Plastisphere is a new niche for microorganisms that complicate the ecological effects of plastics, and may profoundly influence biodiversity and habitat conservation. The DaGuishan National Nature Reserve, one of the largest habitats of the highly endangered crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus), is experiencing plastic pollution without sufficient attention. Here, plastisphere collected from captive tanks of crocodile lizards in this nature reserve was characterized for the first time. Three types of plastic (PE-PP, PE1, and PE2) together with the surrounding water and soil samples, were collected, and 16S rRNA sequencing technology was used to characterize the bacterial composition. The results demonstrated that plastisphere was driven by stochastic process and had a distinct bacterial community with higher diversity than that in surrounding water (p < 0.05). Bacteria related to nitrogen and carbon cycles (Pseudomonas psychrotolerans, Methylobacterium-Methylorubrum) were more abundant in plastisphere than in water or soil (p < 0.05). More importantly, plastics recruited pathogens and those bacteria function in antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) coding. Bacteria related to polymer degradation also proliferated in plastisphere, especially Bacillus subtilis with a fold change of 42.01. The PE2 plastisphere, which had the lowest diversity and was dominated by Methylobacterium-Methylorubrum differed from PE 1 and PE-PP plastispheres totally. Plastics' morphology and aquatic nutrient levels contributed to the heterogeneity of different plastispheres. Overall, this study demonstrated that plastispheres diversify in composition and function, affecting ecosystem services directly or indirectly. Pathogens and bacteria related to ARGs expression enriched in the plastisphere should not be ignored because they may threaten the health of crocodile lizards by increasing the risk of infection. Plastic pollution control should be included in conservation efforts for crocodile lizards. This study provides new insights into the potential impacts of plastisphere, which is important for ecological risk assessments of plastic pollution in the habitats of endangered species.

Fauna of Lepidoptera on wetlands damaged by peat extraction and undisturbed by human: analysis and comparison (Nizhny Novgorod region, Russia)

This paper aimed to compare the diversity and abundance of fauna of Lepidoptera on wetland sites damaged by peat extraction and remained in their natural state, which locate on the territory of the Ramsar wetland in the Nizhny Novgorod region. The surveys were curried out monthly in May–September 2021. We used methods of attracting moths to a white screen using mercury and ultraviolet lamps (5 nights per each study plot). Diurnal butterflies were being identified along pedestrian routes (total length – 11.4 km) during a day. Indices characterizing the α- and β-diversity of Lepidoptera were calculated. At both plots, we revealed the species diversity of Macrolepidoptera more than 70%. According to our results the abundance and diversity of Macrolepidoptera in the study plots seem to be the same. In the course of succession, after the complete destruction of peat bogs and forests on a site surrounded by intact communities, species abundance and diversity is rapidly restored and reaches a high level. The composition of faunas in the transformed and undisturbed plots differs significantly; the similarity in Jacquard is 44.7%. The ecological features of butterfly species recorded only on one of the study plots were evaluated. The role of the surveyed territories as habitats of rare and endangered butterfly species is shown as well.

Creation of the National Nature Park “Skhidnyi Steppe” as a means of preserving natural ecosystems in Northeastern Ukraine

The remnants of natural steppes in Northeastern Ukraine are represented in small areas, interconnected by riverbeds or large, extensive ravines and gullies. The presence of a large number of plant and animal species listed in the Red Book of Ukraine is the basis for granting of national protection status to these territories. The total territory of the prospective National Nature Park (NNP) “Skhidnyi Steppe” includes three clusters: Vovchanskyi, Burlutskyi and Kupyansko-Shevchenkivskyi, its total area is 22272.0 hectares. The future park covers the existing reserves "Vovchansky" and "Siverskodonetsky", the regional landscape park "Velykoburluk Steppe" (4 segments), and several reserves of a small area. In addition to the steppe areas, it is planned to include forests and meadow areas. The flora and fauna of the territory to be protected are of high conservation value: 25 species of vascular plants are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine; 63 species are listed in the Red List of Kharkiv region; 17 species of chalk outcrops and chalk steppes are relics; 49 animal species are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine; 100 animal species are listed in Annexes 2 and 3 of the Berne Convention, 27 bird species are included in the lists of Bonn Convention; 33 animal species are in the List of rare species and species requiring protection in the Kharkiv Region. In addition, the proposed park hosts groups of 11 formations included in the Green Book of Ukraine and 16 habitats in need of protection under the Berne Convention. The purpose of the establishment of the National Nature Park “Skhidnyi Steppe” is the protection of unique natural areas in Northeastern Ukraine, namely, the last remnants of steppe and meadow ecosystems and forests in steppe gullies, which are an integral part of the gully steppe macrocomplex. The primary task of the future national park is to protect the grasslands. The next step is the restoration of pasture ecosystems as habitats for rare and endangered steppe species. This paper describes the planned NNP as of early 2022; it does not reflect changes caused by the hostilities that began in February 2022 and continue in the northern part to date.

Remote sensing as a tool of biological conservation and grassland monitoring in mountain areas of Southeastern Kazakhstan

Grassland degradation, as a worldwide phenomenon, has economic and bio-conservation aspects. Degradation of mountain grasslands severely impacts the stability of ecosystems in fragile mountain environments and may destroy the habitats of many endemic and endangered species. One of the significant triggers of mountain grassland degradation, along with the possible consequences of climate change, is massive overgrazing. Overgrazing may seriously influence the ecosystem since it results in plant composition changes, soil erosion, water regime disturbances, etc., up to the disappearance of the entire ecosystem. It is crucial to have a reliable and cost-effective instrument for the ecosystem assessment of remote and hardly accessible mountain areas supported by accurate methods of vegetation parameter estimation since the vegetation cover is first to react to externally driven disturbances. The current study was conducted in the Dzungarian Alatau Mountains, inhabited by the rare and endemic anuran amphibian Ranodon sibiricus (Kessler, 1886). The project of the Conservation International Foundation (CIF/326/21) was aimed at the strategy of species conservation. The current study emphasises estimating the overgrazing risks for the amphibian population. More than two hundred ground measurements were done within the Upper Koksu Forestry and adjacent areas to provide representative data on the vegetation parameters. We tested a series of spectral indices related to vegetation biophysical parameters. We found the DWSI, GrNDVI, IRECI and NDI45 indices to provide the best correlations and reasonable accuracy for remote measurements of above-ground biomass, grass cover, and unpalatable grass content. Sentinel-2 data with the red-edge bands, in most cases, provided better performance. Our study confirmed that the use of a single criterion (like above-ground biomass) might result in a serious underestimation of grassland degradation. Data obtained from field surveys and satellite information analysis allowed the evaluation of the optimal grazing load for the Upper Koksu Forestry and provided recommendations for the Action Plan on the Conservation of Ranodon sibiricus.

Remote sensing as a tool of biological conservation and grassland monitoring in mountain areas of Southeastern Kazakhstan

Grassland degradation, as a worldwide phenomenon, has economic and bio-conservation aspects. Degradation of mountain grasslands severely impacts the ecosystem stability in fragile mountain environments and may destroy habitats of many endemic and endangered species. One of the significant triggers of mountain grassland degradation, along with possible consequences of climate change, is massive overgrazing. Overgrazing may seriously influence the ecosystem since it results in plant composition changes, soil erosion, water regime disturbances, etc., up to the disappearance of the entire ecosystem. It is crucial to have a reliable and cost-effective instrument for the ecosystem assessment of remote and hardly accessible mountain areas supported with accurate methods of the vegetation parameters estimation since the vegetation cover is first to react to externally driven disturbances. The current study was conducted in Dzungarian Alatau Mountains, inhabited by the rare and endemic anuran amphibian Ranodon sibiricus, Kessler, 1886. The project of the Conservation International Foundation (CIF/326/21) was aimed at the strategy of this species conservation. The current study emphasises estimating the overgrazing risks for the amphibian population. More than two hundred ground measurements were done within the Upper Koksu Forestry and adjacent areas to provide representative data on the vegetation parameters. We tested a series of spectral indices related to vegetation biophysical parameters. We found DWSI, GrNDVI, IRECI and NDI45 indices to provide the best correlations and reasonable accuracy for remote measurements of above-ground biomass, grasscover and unpalatable grass content. Sentinel-2 data with the red-edge bands, in most cases, provided better performance. Our study confirmed the use of a single criterion (like above-ground biomass) might result in a serious underestimation of grassland degradation. Data obtained from field survey and satellite information analysis allowed the evaluation of the optimal grazing load for the Upper Koksu Forestry and provided recommendations for the Action Plan on the conservation of Ranodon sibiricus.

Simulation of potential endangered species distribution in drylands with small sample size based on semi-supervised models

Identifying suitable habitats for endangered species is critical in order to promote their recovery. However, conventional species distribution models (SDMs) need large amounts of labeled sample data to learn the relationship between species and environmental conditions, and are difficult to fully detangle the role of the environment in the distribution of the endangered species, which are very sparsely distributed and have environmental heterogeneity. This study’s first innovation used the semi-supervised model to accurately simulate the suitable habitats for endangered species with a small sample size. The model performance was compared with three conventional SDMs, namely Maxent, the generalized linear model, and a support vector machine. Applying the model to the endangered species Populus euphratica (P. euphratica) in the lower Tarim River basin (TRB), Northwest China. The results showed that the semi-supervised model exhibited better performance than conventional SDMs with an accuracy of 85% when only using 443 P. euphratica samples. All models developed using smaller sample sizes exhibit worse performance in the prediction of habitat suitability areas for endangered species while the semi-supervised model is still excellent. The results showed that the suitable habitat for P. euphratica is mainly near the river channel of the lower TRB, accounting for 13.49% of the study area. The lower Tarim River still has enormous land potential for the restoration of endangered P. euphratica. The model developed here can be used to evaluate a suitable habitat for endangered species with only a small sample size, and provide a basis for the conservation of endangered species.

Estimating the amount of excavated sediment using RTK-UAV in excavation project considering the habitat of endangered species.

Estimating the amount of excavated sediment using RTK-UAV in excavation project considering the habitat of endangered species.

A Checklist of Orchids Inside Dibrugarh University Campus, Assam, North-East India

Widespread, ornamentally valuable angiosperm orchids belong to the family Orchidaceae. The Dibrugarh University campus is rich in biodiversity. Therefore, a survey was conducted inside the 500 acres area of the university to know the orchid diversity inside the campus. The campus bears 22 different orchid species belonging to 17 genera. The presence of two rear species like Dendrobium nobile and Vanda bicolour was reported from the campus. The campus provides a habitat for endangered species like Aerides odorata. Dendrobium and Cymbidium are the two dominant genera from the campus. The campus holds 17% of total species found all over the Dibrugarh district and 6% of species found in Assam. The species found inside the campus are economically important as they can be used as medicine, food and ornamentally. Although the university has a healthy environment for orchids still, they need more scientific methods and strategies to be developed for their conservation.

Dwindling seagrasses: A multi-temporal analysis on Google Earth Engine

Seagrasses, a unique group of marine flowering plants, profoundly influence the marine environment by providing an array of critical ecological functions. They serve as the foundational habitat for several endangered and charismatic species, including sea cows, sea turtles, and sea horses, and are often referred to as coastal canaries. In comparison to boreal and tropical forests, they have an amazing ability for carbon storage. Despite their long evolutionary history, they are threatened by rapid environmental changes caused by climate change and human activity. Long-term monitoring is required to comprehend the changes in this fragile ecosystem. Conventional field survey methods for collecting long-term data are laborious, time-consuming, and expensive. Hence, this work builds a time-series dataset of the seagrass coverage in the Kalpeni lagoon from 2003 to 2020 by analysing Landsat data on Google Earth Engine. We also evaluated the temporal changes in the seagrass coverage of the study area and studied the influence of selected environmental factors on the seagrass coverage. We observed a negative relationship between sea surface temperature and seagrass coverage. The results revealed a decline in more than 99% of seagrass coverage, indicating an alarming threat to this seagrass ecosystem of the region. With such a drastic shrinkage in the seagrass coverage, the hysteresis must be strong, and the recovery of these meadows may require intensive interventions. By establishing a long-term time series database of seagrass coverage, our study also opens up new avenues for future ecological research on the seagrass meadows.

Assessment of Shoreline Change Along The Sandy Beach of Ellembelle District of Ghana

Sandy beaches are most popular tourists and fish landing sites, and serve as habitat for several endangered species. However, sandy beaches more vulnerable to coastal erosion, particularly those along open oceans. Assessment of shoreline change using reliable dataset aid in understanding the morphology of coastal landforms, the processes associated with their occurrence and support decision making. This paper analysed available multi-temporal spatial dataset and field observations using GNSS techniques to assess the shoreline change along the study area. The shoreline features were extracted from 1974 topographic map and 2005 orthophotographs using the High Water Line (HWL) in conjunction with 2020 spatial data. Shoreline change statistics were computed using DSAS. A geodatabase was created, transects were cast and the shoreline change rates computed using EPR, LRR and WLR methods. Both accretion and erosion were recorded with mean erosion rate of 0.97 m/year. It was observed that sections of the shoreline nourished by Ankobra and Amunzuri rivers were experiencing some accretion, particularly the mouth of the Amuzuri river. The estuary of Amunzuri river was found to be drifting eastwards at a rate of 5.4m/year possibly due to tides, waves and currents. The study concludes that in spite of the littoral drift eastwards, fluvial sediment supplied by coastal rivers accounts for the relative stability of shoreline in the area. Policy formulation regarding possible damming of coastal rivers by government under the ‘one district one dam’ agenda must be carefully considered to avert high levels of erosion along the western coast of Ghana.

Karst Heritage as a Tourist Attraction: a Case Study in the White Desert National Park, Western Desert, Egypt

Geotourism is a form of maintainable tourism that emphasizes the geoheritage characteristics of a district. Karst landforms are one of the most imperative appealing aspects of the theme of nature-based tourism. The geomorphological regionalization of the karst landforms contributes to a better understanding of Earthʼs evolution and provides the necessary provincial knowledge for resource utilization, ecological protection, and general economic improvement. To achieve this goal, an integrated geomorphological approach for inventorying, appraising, and evaluating sites of karst geoheritage within the framework of geomorphosite assessment method convoyed by SWOT analysis has been performed in the White Desert National Park (WDNP), Western Desert, Egypt. The paper aims to highlight the geotourism potential of the WDNP and offer strategic plans for identifying geotourist resources to a larger community through geoeducation and geoconservation. The WDNP is covered by Upper Cretaceous-Late Tertiary karstified carbonate successions and fluvioclastic rocks that host an interesting assemblage of diverse karst landforms (geodiversity) and amazing flora (bioturbation mangrove roots) together with fauna (biodiversity), revealing a geological open-air museum. The karst sites, which offer several phenomena with significant lithological, morphological, and paleogeographic features, embrace aesthetic, educational, scientific/scenic, and touristic values that will endure spectators of the geological evolution of this province. The brilliant conspicuousness, scientific excellence, innovative appeal, and distinctiveness of karst geomorphosites involving poljes/uvalas, karst lakes, natural sculptures, mushrooms, inselbergs, towers/bridges, dolines/sinkholes, cones/domes, and speleothems deliberate resources for the progress of geotourism. These landscapes can be considered tools for science and education because they give knowledge about rock/soil types and rock permeability, and paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic circumstances. Most of their landforms can be used as habitats for endangered bird species, which attract several sightseers, an indicative of ecological significance. This excellent karst geodiversity provides an appreciated tool for geotourism and geopark development that is preferred to raise the local economy for populations and reinforce rural growth in neighboring towns and cities. The paper’s findings reveal a comprehensive base for the improvement, planning, and management of the WDNP in order for it to become a geotourism endpoint. Furthermore, they improve the position of the WDNP in the tourist market and contribute to the local maintainable progress via giving socio-economic assistance to the local community for the advancement of geotourism through geoconservation and sustainability.

Predicting habitat suitability for the endangered species Hedysarum criniferum Boiss. using a fuzzy model in the semi-arid zone in Iran

The present study explored the habitat suitability for an endangered species, Hedysarum criniferum, in Iran using fuzzy logic. We measured 24 environmental variables including soil, climate, and physiographic variables of eight natural habitats of H. criniferum as the predictive variables and the percent cover of the species as the response variable. The most important environmental factors influencing species distribution and the species response curves were determined by principal component analysis (PCA) and the generalized linear model, respectively. The tolerance range and the optimal growth point of the studied species with respect to the environmental factors were specified, the ranges were divided into 11 classes by fuzzy value, and the fuzzy functions of the environmental factors were calculated. The species habitats were classified by the developed fuzzy model. Three regions with no H. criniferum occurrence were selected to determine their fuzzy suitability. The success in germination and shoot growth length of H. criniferum were used as the metrics of the habitat suitability in these regions. Based on the PCA, H. criniferum occurrence was most strongly affected by soil Mg, K, and Ca content, soil pH, wind speed, annual minimum temperature, slope, and altitude. The results revealed that the seedling length and germination percentage in the site with the fuzzy suitability of 0.6 differed from those in the two other sites with the fuzzy suitability of 0.5 and 0.3 significantly. The method used in this study can be employed in predicting optimal habitats for other endangered species in different ecosystems.