علیرضا محمدی

Desertification alters wildlife distribution by reducing vegetation and water resources that are associated with habitat availability and quality. Therefore, in anticipation of these impacts from desertification, it is particularly important to understand and compare drivers of habitat and connectivity change for different species in order to identify those that have the highest conservation concerns and needs. Many wildlife species in Iran are expected to experience substantial changes in their habitat and distribution as two-thirds of the country show a high potential of desertification. Among these species, Rüppell’s fox (Vulpes rueppellii) and sand cat (Felis margarita) are two of the least known that occur sympatrically in desert and semi-desert ecosystems. Here, we assessed baseline habitat and connectivity conditions, and environmental factors that affect those conditions for the two species. We found that sand cat’s habitat was spatially patchy and fragmented, whereas Rüppell’s fox habitat was more expansive and connected. Although the two species share some of the same area, our models show contrasting influence of some environmental factors in their habitat. For example, the sand cat’s suitable habitat was relatively warmer, with smoother terrain, and closer to villages. Whereas, the Rüppell’s fox’s habitat was cooler, with rougher terrain, and at greater distances away from villages. Both species occurred in areas with more vegetation (i.e., NDVI in the model) and less precipitation. The contrasting response to temperature suggests that the two sympatric species might respond differently to warming climate. The overlap of the corridor paths and core habitats of the two species with Conservation Areas (CAs) was small. At least 75% of all predicted core habitats and corridors remain unprotected for both species. Further, most corridors are severely bisected by roads. Our findings highlight opportunities of designating new areas for wildlife habitat and corridors conservation and for promoting connectivity by limiting road impacts