Suitable Habitat Zone Analysis in Allidegi Wildlife Reserve, Ethiopia: a Case Study for Grevy’s Zebra
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Date
2015-06-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Currently natural and anthropogenic effects are causing changes in wildlife suitable
habitat status and distribution. This resulted in heterogeneous habitat matrix of landscape.
Meanwhile, limited range of methods for studying suitable habitat analysis leads to have
limited information and knowledge. Application of GIS and remote sensing for wildlife
suitable habitat analysis increases monitoring of suitable habitat distribution and assists in
assessing suitable habitat variables and their respective influences. The GIS based multicriteria
evaluation for suitable habitat analysis presented in this study used to analyze
Grevy’s zebra suitable habitat distribution in Allidegi wildlife reserve through integrating
habitat factors with expertise opinion. This enables to evaluate and characterize Grevy’s
zebra suitable habitat status and distribution across the study area. The objectives of this
study were to contribute a better understanding of suitable habitat distribution of an
endangered Grevy’s zebra in Allidegi wildlife reserve by using GIS and remote sensing.
Further, Grevy’s zebra suitable habitat index had been developed through identifying and
assessing the relative importance of Grevy’s zebra suitable habitat parameters for an
improved management in the study area. Vegetation cover, slope, proximity to water
point, settlement and road were identified as the major Grevy’s zebra habitat defining
factors. Hence, their influences were analyzing and reclassified for evaluating the suitable
habitat. The relative importances of the factors were determined through key informant
interview and their weights were determined through analytical hierarchy process. GIS
based multi-criteria evaluation was used to combine the factors map and their respective
weight to produce final suitability map. Among the selected suitable habitat factors of
Grevy’s zebra grassland areas found to be the most important factor in the habitat
suitability index with weight of 45%. The final suitable habitat map showed that 19%
(272 kmï ) are of the reserve found to be highly suitable habitat for Grevy’s zebra and 25%
(368 km2) moderately suitable habitat and the rest 56% (820km2) of areas found to be
unsuitable. Integrating this study results into conservation planning and management
practices of the reserve would enhance decision making utility.
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Keywords
Analytical Hierarchy Process, Geographical Information System, Grevy’s, Zebra, Habitat Suitability Index, Multi-Criteria Evaluation