habCluster-based Intraspecific Units Identification of Giant Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in Daxiangling Mountains

Delineating the geographical boundaries of intraspecific units is important for effective conservation management. Using the habitat suitability index (HSI) map of giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in the Daxiangling Mountains and its surrounding areas, we delineated the intraspecific units for pandas in this region with R package “habCluster”. The results showed that the Daxiangling Mountains was divided into 20 giant panda intraspecific units. These boundary delineations from our results show good performance in detecting areas that are separated by raster cells with low HSI values, thus could serve as good indicator of giant panda habitat patches. The overlap analysis with nature reserves suggested that the Daxiangling Nature Reserve was divided into 3 intraspecific units, the Wawushan Nature Reserve into 4 units, and the Yangziling Nature Reserve into 2 units. For the trans-Daxiangling-Wawushan intraspecific unit, coordinated conservation efforts is needed among the departments of different administrative regions in order to strengthen the protection and management of its wild population. While for the Niba Mountain intraspecific unit, it is indispensable to reduce the negative impacts of the highway that across it, so as to avoid its habitat from further fragmentation. Our study provided a new perspective for the conservation implementation of the giant pandas in the Daxiangling Mountains, and can be applied to wildlife conservation in other regions.