Suitable Habitat Prediction of Takins in Baishuihe National Nature Reserve

The takin is an endangered species endemic to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and the Hengduan Mountains. Sichuan takins are mainly found in the Minshan Mountains and the Qionglai Mountains in Sichuan province. To assist local habitat and population conservation in Baishuihe National Nature Reserve, suitable habitat survey and modelling of takins were conducted in 2017 and 2018.According to results, area under curve larger than 0.85 meant that the model was acceptable. The suitable habitat covered 80.4 km² and the area of most suitable habitat only occupied only 2.5% of the whole nature reserve in a fragmented way. Most of the suitable habitat lay in experimental zones and core zones. Among 7 variables of the model, bushes, elevation and slope were most important for habitat suitability. During field survey, the elevation of takin distribution in Baishuihe ranged from 2 100 m to 3 750 m, indicating that lower elevation areas contributed very few for conserving takin population. For future management, it is essential to control human disturbance and to enhance monitoring within these potential habitats.