Modeling habitat suitability of endemic plant, Artemisia khorasanica, to improve rangelands conservation and restoration management efforts

Abstract

One of the management essentials to preserve beneficial plant species is the identification of potential habitats and spatial dispersal of plant species for conservation, reproduction, management, restoration, and regional development. This study is guided by the perdition of potential habitats and the landscape analysis of their patches to practically suggest patches for conservation and restoration and to prevent the fragmentation of habitat hot patches and the shrinkage of plant populations. Therefore, this research has been done for several purposes: A) Simulating the potential distribution of the medicinal and endemic plant, Artemisia khorasanica, B) Applying MaxEnt model utilizing a set of effective soil, geomorphological, climatic, and social-ecological variables; C) Identifying suitable areas for rangeland restoration and assessing Landscape hotspots to improve rangeland conservation and restoration management efforts. The present study is conducted based on field and laboratory operations along with mapping and modeling in GIS (geographic information system) using a multi-stage methodology. The results showed that the variables of distance from dry rivers, roads and villages had the most significant impact on predicting the potential habitat of the study plant, respectively. The AUC value of the MaxEnt model for habitat simulation was 0.94. This research examined two options for rangeland ecosystem management, including “mere conservation” and “conservation along with restoration,” using landscape analysis. All landscape metrics showed the superiority of the second option, which suggests that the sustainable conservation of hot patches depends on their interconnection and the maintenance of their ecological network connectivity. The results of this study might help the in-charge organizations and departments to identify the best potential habitat for A. khorasanica and perform restorative efforts in those areas with more confidence.