Hunting, habitat loss and fragmentation have caused a rapid decline in the distribution and abundance of the clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa across its range, and in several areas, including Taiwan, the species is now extirpated. Taiwan, a former stronghold for the species, is a candidate for its reintroduction, based on increasing prey abundance and high forest coverage. Such future reintroduction efforts, however, are hampered by a lack of analysis of potential clouded leopard habitat on the island. To address this, we explore habitat suitability for the species in Taiwan. We used a multi-scale, multivariate habitat selection model based on clouded leopard presence–absence data from extensive camera-trap surveys across its current range to predict suitable habitat in Taiwan. Our findings indicate that 38% of Taiwanese territory is potentially suitable habitat for the clouded leopard, of which 46% is under protection. This demonstrates the high potential of Taiwan's habitat for clouded leopard reintroduction.

Rattus species pose a significant threat to the Philippines, causing substantial economic losses in agriculture and posing health risks to humans. While Ecologically Based Rodent Management (EBRM) has been developed to mitigate rodent outbreaks, its implementation is challenging, particularly in the face of climate and land use changes. In this study, we aimed to potentially enhance EBRM strategies by utilizing a high-performing modelling approach, MaxEnt, to predict the habitat suitability for Rattus species in the Philippines. This study revealed that forested areas exhibit high suitability for R. tanezumi, R. exulans, and R. everetti, with a notable degree of similarities in their habitat suitability. Furthermore, the model predicted that R. argentiventer, a species with no records in the mainland of Luzon, could potentially find suitable habitats in some areas of these regions, particularly in Central Luzon. Conversely, R. norvegicus was predicted to be highly suitable for areas with high-human population density, such as urban cities. The predictive model deepens our understanding of the interactions between Rattus species and their environments across the Philippines, which is crucial for identifying high-risk areas that require immediate intervention. These results have the potential to enhance the EBRM approach more effectively on a national scale. The EBRM strategy based on the predictive outcomes of the MaxEnt model is not only crucial for the Philippines but also serve as a guiding framework for other regions facing similar challenges with rodent populations.

The Asian tapir Tapirus indicus is the only tapir species in Southeast Asia. It is declining across its range and is categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. The forests of Sumatra are critical to Asian tapir conservation as they contain some of the last remaining populations of the species, yet conservation efforts are hindered by a lack of information on habitat suitability. We collated camera-trap data from nine landscapes across 69,500 km2 of Sumatran rainforest to help predict suitable habitat for Asian tapirs on the island. Predictions from Bayesian occupancy models demonstrated that tapir occupancy was greatest in forests below 600 m elevation and exclusively in forests with high aboveground biomass. Forests around the Barisan Mountains on the west of Sumatra provide the most suitable habitat for the species. Only 36% of the most critical habitat (i.e. 80th percentile of predicted occupancy values, or above) for tapirs is formally protected for conservation, with much of the remainder found in forests allocated to watershed protection (35%) or logging (23%). We highlight several key areas in Sumatra where tapir conservation could be bolstered, such as by leveraging existing conservation efforts for other charismatic flagships species on the island.

The Taita Falcon Falco fasciinucha is known to occur and breed at only a few locations in eastern and southern Africa and is currently listed as globally “Vulnerable” and “Critically Endangered” in South Africa. An accurate estimation of its conservation status is however hampered by a lack of data and understanding of the species’ habitat requirements and competitive interactions with congeners. Our aim was to address some of these knowledge gaps. We conducted cliff-nesting raptor surveys across a substantial area of the Mpumalanga/Limpopo escarpment in north-eastern South Africa and modelled habitat suitability for nesting Taita Falcons in relation to the proximity of conspecifics and a community of five other sympatric cliff-nesting raptor species, and in relation to a suite of biotic and abiotic environmental variables. Results suggested the location of Taita Falcon nest sites was negatively associated with distance to the nearest pair of conspecifics and the nearest pair of Lanner Falcons Falco biarmicus, and positively associated with tracts of intact, unfragmented forest and woodland around the base of the cliffs. Our results indicated that Taita Falcon and Lanner Falcon appeared to be responding in opposite ways to a directional change in environmental conditions. This response appeared to be detrimental to Taita Falcon and beneficial to Lanner Falcon. Furthermore, the degradation and destruction of Afrotropical woodland and forest is a documented and ongoing reality, both locally and across much of the Taita Falcon’s global distribution. We argue that our findings are sufficient to justify uplisting Taita Falcon to globally “Endangered”.

The Critically Endangered African wild ass Equus africanus is one of the most threatened equids, with fewer than 400 individuals persisting in the Danakil Desert (Eritrea), and fewer than 600 globally. To effectively conserve the species, it is essential to determine the extent of available suitable habitats and understand the environmental factors that most influence its current distribution. During 2016–2019 we observed African wild asses, recorded their locations during both the wet and dry seasons and analysed the bioclimatic data and topography using the maximum entropy species distribution model. Distance from water sources and precipitation of the driest month were the top predictors of suitable habitat for the dry season, whereas seasonal temperature variability and precipitation during the warmest quarter were the top predictors for the wet season. Model performances were high, with area under the curve values of 0.97 and 0.98 for the dry and wet seasons, respectively. In the Danakil Desert of Eritrea, the extent of optimal habitat for African wild asses is estimated to be 130 km2 in the dry season and 739 km2 in the wet season, with a potential range of 11,000 km2 for both seasons. Our model results also indicate that in the dry season 89 km2 of the Messir Plateau is optimal habitat, and the entire plateau area of 124 km2 provides optimal habitat during the wet season. These findings provide wildlife management authorities with substantive information and rationale for the establishment of a protected area on the Messir Plateau for African wild asses in Eritrea.

Understanding the distribution and extent of suitable habitats is critical for the conservation of endangered and endemic taxa. Such knowledge is limited for many Central African species, including the rare and globally threatened Grey-necked Picathartes Picathartes oreas, one of only two species in the family Picathartidae endemic to the forests of Central Africa. Despite growing concerns about land-use change resulting in fragmentation and loss of forest cover in the region, neither the extent of suitable habitat nor the potential species’ distribution is well known. We combine 339 (new and historical) occurrence records of Grey-necked Picathartes with environmental variables to model the potential global distribution. We used a Maximum Entropy modelling approach that accounted for sampling bias. Our model suggests that Grey-necked Picathartes distribution is strongly associated with steeper slopes and high levels of forest cover, while bioclimatic, vegetation health, and habitat condition variables were all excluded from the final model. We predicted 17,327 km2 of suitable habitat for the species, of which only 2,490 km2 (14.4%) are within protected areas where conservation designations are strictly enforced. These findings show a smaller global distribution of predicted suitable habitat forthe Grey-necked Picathartes than previously thought. This work provides evidence to inform a revision of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status, and may warrant upgrading the status of the species from “Near Threatened” to “Vulnerable”.

Landscape changes affect species abundance and drive biodiversity loss. Here we explored if habitat amount and patch aggregation shape the abundance of forest passerines within the south-western Palaearctic (Morocco). As forests in this region are affected by increasing drought and temperature, we also forecasted their trends according to current predictions of climate change and explored how landscape changes could affect bird distribution. We recorded geo-referenced occurrences of seven forest passerines that were modelled with a set of environmental variables with Maxent to predict their distribution. The occurrence probabilities provided by the models were used as surrogates for the current distribution of habitat amount and patch aggregation within the country. In addition, 190 500-m line transects scattered within the country were used to estimate local bird abundance. Results showed that bird abundance recorded in line transects was positively correlated with habitat amount and patch aggregation of landscape around transects. This supports the idea that changes in these landscape metrics affect the abundance of the study species. Climate-change projections suggest that habitat amount and patch aggregation will decline in southern sectors but will be maintained or will increase at higher elevations. Given their relationship to abundance, these landscape changes suggest that forest birds will have to shift to the northernmost and elevated sectors. These results showed that landscape management can play an important role in the conservation of rear-edge populations of forest birds and suggest that any increase in forest amount and connectivity will improve bird resilience under a global change scenario.

Loss of local biodiversity resulting from abrupt environmental change is a significant environmental problem throughout the world. Extinctions of plants are particularly important yet are often overlooked. Drawing from a case in Hawai‘i, a global hotspot for plant and other extinctions, we demonstrate an effort to better understand and determine priorities for the management of an endangered plant (‘Ihi makole or Portulaca sclerocarpa) in the face of rapid and extreme environmental change. Volcanic heat emissions and biological invasions have anecdotally been suggested as possible threats to the species. We integrated P. sclerocarpa outplanting with efforts to collect geological and ecological data to gauge the role of elevated soil temperatures and invasive grasses in driving P. sclerocarpa mortality and population decline. We measured soil temperature, soil depth, surrounding cover and P. sclerocarpa survivorship over three decades. The abundance of wild P. sclerocarpa decreased by 99.7% from the 1990s to 2021. Only 51% of outplantings persisted through 3–4 years. Binomial regression and structural equation modelling revealed that, among the variables we analysed, high soil temperatures were most strongly associated with population decline. Finding the niche where soil temperatures are low enough to allow P. sclerocarpa survival but high enough to limit other agents of P. sclerocarpa mortality may be necessary to increase population growth of this species.

Reintroductions are challenging, and success rates are low despite extensive planning and considerable investment of resources. Improving predictive models for reintroduction planning is critical for achieving successful outcomes. The IUCN Guidelines for Reintroductions and Other Conservation Translocations recommend that habitat suitability assessments account for abiotic and biotic factors specific to the species to be reintroduced and, where needed, include habitat quality variables. However, habitat assessments are often based on remotely-sensed or existing geographical data that do not always reliably represent habitat quality variables. We tested the contribution of ground-based habitat quality metrics to habitat suitability models using a case study of the swift fox Vulpes velox, a mesocarnivore species for which a reintroduction is planned. Field surveys for habitat quality included collection of data on the main threat to the swift fox (the coyote Canis latrans), and for swift fox prey species. Our findings demonstrated that the inclusion of habitat quality variables derived from field surveys yielded better fitted models and a 16% increase in estimates of suitable habitat. Models including field survey data and models based only on interpolated geographical and remotely-sensed data had little overlap (38%), demonstrating the significant impact that different models can have in determining appropriate locations for a reintroduction. We advocate that ground-based habitat metrics be included in habitat suitability assessments for reintroductions of mesocarnivores.

Spatial prioritization in systematic conservation planning has traditionally been developed for several to many species and/or habitats, and single-species applications are rare. We developed a novel spatial prioritization model based on accurate estimates of remotely-sensed data and maps of threats potentially affecting long-term species persistence. We used this approach to identify priority areas for the conservation of the Endangered Greek meadow viper Vipera graeca, a cold-adapted species inhabiting mountaintops in the Pindos Mountains of Greece and Albania. We transformed the mapped threats into nine variables to estimate conservation value: habitat suitability (climate suitability, habitat size, occupancy, vegetation suitability), climate change (future persistence, potential for altitudinal range shift) and land-use impact (habitat alteration, degradation, disturbance). We applied the Zonation systematic conservation planning tool with these conservation value variables as biodiversity features to rank the areas currently occupied by the species and to identify priority areas where the chances for population persistence are highest. We found that 90% of current habitats will become unsuitable by the 2080s and that conservation actions need to be implemented to avoid extinction as this is already a threatened species with a narrow ecological niche. If threats are appropriately quantified and translated into variables of conservation value, spatial conservation planning tools can successfully identify priority areas for the conservation of single species. Our study demonstrates that spatial prioritization for single umbrella, flagship or keystone species is a promising approach for the conservation of species for which few data are available.

Habitat prioritization and corridor restoration are important steps for reconnecting fragmented habitats and species populations, and spatial modelling approaches are useful in identifying suitable habitat for elusive tropical rainforest mammals. The Endangered Bornean banteng Bos javanicus lowi, a wild bovid endemic to Borneo, occurs in habitat that is highly fragmented as a result of extensive agricultural expansion. Based on the species’ historical distribution in Sabah (Malaysia), we conducted camera-trap surveys in 14 forest reserves during 2011–2016. To assess suitable habitat for the banteng we used a presence-only maximum entropy (MaxEnt) approach with 11 spatial predictors, including climate, infrastructure, land cover and land use, and topography variables. We performed a least-cost path analysis using Linkage Mapper, to understand the resistance to movement through the landscape. The surveys comprised a total of 44,251 nights of camera trapping. We recorded banteng presence in 11 forest reserves. Key spatial predictors deemed to be important in predicting suitable habitat included soil associations (52.6%), distance to intact and logged forests (11.8%), precipitation in the driest quarter (10.8%), distance to agro-forest and regenerating forest (5.7%), and distance to oil palm plantations (5.1%). Circa 11% of Sabah had suitable habitat (7,719 km2), of which 12.2% was in protected forests, 60.4% was in production forests and 27.4% was in other areas. The least-cost path model predicted 21 linkages and a relatively high movement resistance between core habitats. Our models provide information about key habitat and movement resistance for bantengs through the landscape, which is crucial for constructive conservation strategies and land-use planning.

Angiostrongylus cantonensis (rat lungworm), a parasitic nematode, is expanding its distribution. Human infection, known as angiostrongyliasis, may manifest as eosinophilic meningitis, an emerging infectious disease. The range and incidence of this disease are expanding throughout the tropics and subtropics. Recently, the Hawaiian Islands have experienced an increase in reported cases. This study addresses factors affecting the parasite's distribution and projects its potential future distribution, using Hawaii as a model for its global expansion. Specimens of 37 snail species from the Hawaiian Islands were screened for the parasite using PCR. It was present on five of the six largest islands. The data were used to generate habitat suitability models for A. cantonensis, based on temperature and precipitation, to predict its potential further spread within the archipelago. The best current climate model predicted suitable habitat on all islands, with greater suitability in regions with higher precipitation and temperatures. Projections under climate change (to 2100) indicated increased suitability in regions with estimated increased precipitation and temperatures, suitable habitat occurring increasingly at higher elevations. Analogously, climate change could facilitate the spread of A. cantonensis from its current tropical/subtropical range into more temperate regions of the world, as is beginning to be seen in the continental USA.

Protected areas help to decrease human impacts on threatened mammals but do not always include species’ core habitats. Here we focus on the Vulnerable taruka Hippocamelus antisensis near the Atacama Desert, Chile, a population that is mainly threatened by interactions with local human communities. We develop a species distribution model for taruka and assess the contribution of protected areas to safeguarding its preferred habitat. From sightings (collected during 2004–2015), absence records (collected in 2014), and environmental variables, we determined that taruka habitat is scarce, highly fragmented and limited to humid areas. Only 7.7–11.2% of the taruka's core habitat is under protection. We recommend the establishment of a protected area in the south of Arica-Parinacota district, an area without settlements that lies within the taruka's core habitat, along with educational programmes, fencing of crops, and inclusion of communities in decision-making in areas where farmer–taruka interactions are negative.

Habitat suitability and disturbance can shape the early stages of biological invasions in important ways. Much that we know about habitat suitability and invasion originates from point-in-time studies, which characterize invasive plant abundance and associated site characteristics. In our study, we tested the influence of habitat suitability by creating small-scale invasions in a range of environments. Seeds of the invasive annual grass Japanese stiltgrass [Microstegium vimineum (Trin.) A. Camus] were planted into six environments in a deciduous forest in central Pennsylvania, and patch growth was monitored for 4 yr. Each of the 30 sites included a subplot subjected to litter disturbance at time of planting. This litter disturbance led to increased seedling recruitment only in the first 2 yr. Although patches were generally larger in wetland and roadside habitats, site influence was highly variable. Environmental variables (soil moisture, ammonium–N, pH, and plant species richness) measured in each plot were better predictors of population success than broad habitat categories. We conclude that risk assessment for species such as M. vimineum should focus not on habitat types but on areas likely to experience the physical changes that release M. vimineum populations.

The bentgrasses comprise an adaptable group of grasses that include introduced species, cultivated turfgrasses, and native plants in North America. Their distribution in cultural landscapes has not been documented, and this gap in knowledge has limited the development of predictive ecological risk assessments for creeping bentgrass engineered for herbicide resistance. In this study, bentgrass distribution and abundance were surveyed in 289 plots in an 8.5 km2 site surrounding a golf course in the northeastern United States. Four introduced species and two native bentgrasses were identified in seminatural and managed plant communities. Across the study site, 77% of the plots containing creeping bentgrass also had invasive plants. Bentgrasses co-occurred with critical habitat for threatened or endangered animals. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that bentgrasses were positively correlated with herbaceous plant cover and mowing, but negatively correlated with tree canopy cover, shrub cover, poorly drained soils, and leaf litter. The most influential ecological factors were tree canopy cover and soil moisture. Geospatial information about these two ecological factors was combined with mathematical models to generate two habitat suitability maps. The favorable environments map (FEM) showed that highly suitable bentgrass habitat covered 36% of the study site and included common features such as home lawns and railroad right-of-ways. Our results suggest that release of herbicide-resistant creeping bentgrass in this cultural landscape could potentially result in pollen-mediated gene flow, interspecific hybridization, environmental hazards, and herbicide selection pressure in some areas. Habitat suitability maps could be critical tools for predictive ecological risk assessments, monitoring projects, and management of herbicide-resistant bentgrasses.

The difficulty of monitoring growth parameters of climbing invasive plants subjected to different control options can be overcome by using standardized support structures (trellises). The utility of such support structures on aboveground biomass accumulation and fruit production was demonstrated using the invasive climber, bridal creeper in three invaded nature reserves near Perth in Western Australia. Mean above-ground plant biomass for plots provided with trellises ranged from 204 ± 38 g/m2 to 336 ± 31 g/m2, whereas it ranged from 66 ± 10 g/m2 to 118 ± 10 g/m2 in plots with no trellises. The mean number of fruits/m2 produced on shoots in plots provided with trellises ranged from 424 ± 159 to 3,787 ± 873 and was up to almost four orders of magnitude greater than the number of fruits produced on plants in plots with no trellis (ranging from 0 to 5.25 ± 7.9). The use of standardized trellises also showed that fruit volume and fruit seed number can vary significantly between sites. Standardized trellises have been installed at sites across Australia to assess the long-term impact of biological control agents introduced to manage bridal creeper.

Large carnivores are recolonizing parts of North America and Europe as a result of modern management and conservation policy. In the midwestern USA, black bears Ursus americanus, cougars Puma concolor and grey wolves Canis lupus have the potential to recolonize provided there is suitable habitat. Understanding where large carnivores may become re-established will prepare resource professionals for the inevitable ecosystem effects and potential human–carnivore conflicts associated with these species. We developed individual and combined models of suitable habitat for black bears, cougars and wolves in 18 midwestern states, using geospatial data, expert-opinion surveys, and multi-criteria evaluation. Large, contiguous areas of suitable habitat comprised 35, 21 and 13% of the study region for wolves, bears and cougars, respectively. Approximately 12% of the region was considered suitable for all three species. Arkansas, Minnesota, Texas and Wisconsin had the highest proportions (> 40%) of suitable habitat for black bears; Arkansas, Michigan, Missouri, Texas and Wisconsin had the highest proportions (≥ 20%) of suitable habitat for cougars; and only in four states in the study region was < 29% of land suitable wolf habitat. Models performed well when validated by comparing suitability values of independent sets of known carnivore locations to those of random locations. Contiguous areas of suitable habitat typically spanned multiple states, thus coordination across boundaries and among agencies will be vital to successful conservation of these species. Our models highlight differences in habitat requirements and geographical distribution of potential habitat among these carnivores, as well as areas vital to their persistence in the Midwest.

Grasshopper plagues have seriously disturbed grassland ecosystems in Inner Mongolia, China. The accurate prediction of grasshopper infestations and control of grasshopper plagues have become urgent needs. We sampled 234, 342, 335, and 369 plots in Xianghuangqi County of Xilingol League in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively, and measured the density of the most dominant grasshopper species, Oedaleus decorus asiaticus, and the latitude, longitude, and associated relatively stable habitat factors at each plot. We used Excel–GeogDetector software to explore the effects of individual habitat factors and the two-factor interactions on grasshopper density. We estimated the membership of each grasshopper density rank and determined the weights of each habitat category. These results were used to construct a model system evaluating grasshopper habitat suitability. The results showed that our evaluation system was reliable and the fuzzy evaluation scores of grasshopper habitat suitability were good indicators of potential occurrence of grasshoppers. The effects of the two-factor interactions on grasshopper density were greater than the effects of any individual factors. O. d. asiaticus was most likely to be found at elevations of 1300–1400 m, flat terrain or slopes of 4–6°, typical chestnut soil with 70–80% sand content in the top 5 cm of soil, and medium-coverage grassland. The species preferred temperate bunchgrass steppe dominated by Stipa krylovii and Cleistogenes squarrosa. These findings may be used to improve models to predict grasshopper occurrence and to develop management guidelines to control grasshopper plagues by changing habitats.

The Critically Endangered hirola Beatragus hunteri exists in two populations, a natural population on the Kenyan–Somali border and a translocated population in Tsavo East National Park, Kenya. The Tsavo population is becoming increasingly important for the survival of the hirola yet its status is unknown and little is understood about the factors that limit its growth. Here we report the size, distribution and demographic parameters of the Tsavo population of hirola and consider whether insufficient suitable habitat could be limiting its growth. The Tsavo population has not increased since 2000, when the last census was carried out, but neither has it significantly decreased. The importance of habitat as a limiting factor is dependent on the hirola's ability to utilize marginal habitat.