University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones Department of Geography and the Environment 5-28-2010 Creating a Habitat Suitability Index Model for Argali Sheep (Ovis ammon), and Siberian Ibex (Capra sibirica) in Ikh Nartin Reserve, Mongolia Nanette Bragin Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/geog_ms_capstone Part of the Physical and Environmental Geography Commons Recommended Citation Bragin, Nanette, "Creating a Habitat Suitability Index Model for Argali Sheep (Ovis ammon), and Siberian Ibex (Capra sibirica) in Ikh Nartin Reserve, Mongolia" (2010). Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones. 2. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/geog_ms_capstone/2 This Capstone is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Geography and the Environment at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. Creating a H abitat S uitability Index m odel for A r g a li sh eep (Ovis ammon), and S iberian ibex ( C apra sibirica ) in Ikh N artin Reserve, M ongolia N an e tte B ragin U niversity of Denver U niversity College C apston e Project fo r M aster of Applied Science M ay 28, 2010 _____________________ K ath ry n M. Flanagan, Ph.D. C apston e A dvisor ______________________ J ohn A . H ill, P h .D . A cadem ic Director Upon the Recom m endation of the Departm ent _______________________ Jam es R. Davis, Ph.D. Dean B r a g in - ii ABSTRACT M o n g o lia is a c ountry with a park system of protected areas, pres e r v in g native flora and fauna. In order to inform decision m akers about the status of endangered species and park land health, t w o species of con cern , th e A r g a li sheep (O vis am m on ) and Siberian ibex Capra sib e r ic a ) in the Ikh Nart R e s e r v e in M o n g o lia were studied. A H abitat S uitability Index M odel w as developed to stu dy th e A r g a li and ibex habitat preference and discern if the reserve and core zone offer optimal habitat. A t o t a l o f 5 7 a n im a ls were exam ined, creating 95% and 50% hom e range kernels, and m inimum convex polygons. The percen t use of six vegetation classes were rated fro m 0 (m ost preferred) to 6 (least preferred). The 3 m ost preferred vegetation classes for A r g a li and ibex are dense rock, low- den sity shrub, and short grass forb. The core zone was designed appropriately offering the sam e proportion of vegetation classes as A r g a li and ibex prefer. B r a g in - iii T ab le o f co n ten ts In trodu ction .............................................. E rro r! B o o km ark no t d efined . Literatu re Review ................................................................................... 3 M e th ods .............................................................................................. 12 S tu dy are a ........................................................................................ 12 Data Analysis .................................................................................... 16 R e s u lt s ................................................................................................ 28 A r g a li s h eep and Siberian ibex vegetative preferences .......................... 30 Study areas ..................................................................................... 31 Sexual segregation and seasonal m ovem ent C ost S aving s A n alysis ........ 33 Com petition w ith do m estic livesto ck .................................................... 33 M anagem ent im plications ................................................................... 3 4 C o n c lu s io n ........................................................................................... 35 References........................................................................................... 37 Acknow ledgem ents ............................................................................... 40 Appendices ............................................... E rro r! B o o km ark no t d efined . B r a g in - iv L is t o f T a b le s Table 1. Preferred vegetation classes for the 95% .................................. 25 Table 2. Preferred vegetation classes for the 50% kernel ......................... 25 Table 3. Preferred vegetation classes for the m cp.................................... 26 Table 4. M ean percent vegetation use and ranking .................................. 26 Table 5. Annual Natural G as Cost Savings ... E rro r! Bookm ark not defined. Table 6. A nnual Electricity Cost S avings ...... E rro r! B o o km ark no t d efined . Table 7. Annual W ater Use Cost Savings...... E rro r! B o o km ark no t d efined . Table 8. Annual W ater Discharge Cost Savings........... E rro r! B o o km ark no t defined. Table 9. Total A nnu al S avings A ll Cate gories E rro r! B o o km ark no t d efined . B r a g in - v L is t o f F ig u re s Figure 1. Livesto ck num ber ..................................................................... 4 F ig u r e 2. A rgali a bun dance and livestock total num ber E rro r! B o o km ark no t defined. Figure 3. M ongolia’s reserves ................................................................ 10 Figure 4. Relief m ap of M on golia ............................................................ 13 Figure 5. M ap of study site, Ikh Nart Reserve, and core zone ................... 15 Figure 6. M inim u m convex polygons by year for Argali............................. 18 Figure 7. M inim u m c onvex polygons by year for Ibex .............................. 19 Figure 8. Telem etry points for 1 female Argali sheep ............................... 20 Figure 9. M inim u m convex polygons by year for 1 fem ale A rg a li. … ............ 21 Figure 10. 95% and 50% kernel by year for 1 female Argali ..................... 22 Figure 11. Flow chart for G IS H abitat Suitability Index M ode l… .. ............... 24 Figure 12. Top three preferred habitat for A rgali and Ibex ........................ 2 7 Figure 13. Topo of study site, Ikh Nart Reserve, and Core zone ................ 32 B r a g in - 1 IN TRODUCTION A r g a li sheep, Ovis ammon, is a m ajestic species in decline. The largest and heaviest species in the genus, O v is , A r g a li are built for fast running over long distances. The M ongolian Red List of M am m als lists the A r g a li as endangered. The Siberian ib e x , C apra sibirica, is s y m p a t r ic w it h t h e A r g a li and the largest and heaviest of the genus, Capra. The M ongolian Red List of M am m als lists the S iberian ibex as near threatened, but little is know n of th e ir ecology an d statu s du e to lack of stu dies ( Reading et al. 2007). In Ik h Nart, a reserve in M ongolia, both species inhabit the sam e area. S in c e A r g a li a r e e n d a n g e r e d a n d lit t le is k n o w n a b o u t S ib e r ia n ib e x , m y g o a l is t o determ ine the optimal environm ent for A r g a li sheep and Siberian ibex. Determ ining the optimal environm ent can inform decision m akers in how reserves are designed. T he question can be asked, ‘d o e s Ik h N a rt en com pass an area appropriate for sustainability of A r g a li and ibex?’ A ls o , A r g a li an d ibex can be u sed as indicator species to determ ine the health o f the habitat in an area. This information can help decision m akers plan, alter, and adjust m anaging protected areas. Preserving suitable habitat for endangered species is a recurring them e in conservation planning. Endangered species are continually m arginalized by hum an behavior such as econom ic developm ent, habitat alterations, and creating unsustainable liv in g environm ents. M ongolia is at a critical stage in conservation planning. W hile M ongolia has not developed industry at a critical pace, there are internal and B r a g in - 2 external pressures for developm ent ( R e a d in g e t al 2006). The pressure for developm ent could m arginalize the existing reserve structure and goal of preserving 30% of M ongolian land as protected areas. S p a t ia lly - e x plicit w ildlife habitat m odels can be useful in conservation planning. Models can be developed to determ ine habitat preservation priorities, suitability of habitat for reintroduction of endangered species, understand the impact of land m anagem ent decisions, and identify p o t e n t ia l risks to species (Yam ada e t a l. 2003). U sing a G eographic I nform ation S ystem (G IS), a m odel can spatially exam ine the interac tions between a species an d its environm ent. A w idely used m ethod in habitat m odeling is the habitat suitability index m o del (HSIM). The HSI m odel uses an index scale to rate appropriate and inappropriate habitat for a species (Yam ada e t a l. 2003). Minimum convex polygons and hom e range kernels estimate an animal and species hom e range by m apping telem etry points and creating polygons representing hom e range areas. The polygons are the building blocks for creating th e HSI m odel.