@article {145425, title = {Differentially biased sampling strategies reveal the non-stationarity of species distribution models for Indian small felids}, journal = {ECOLOGICAL MODELLING}, volume = {493}, year = {2024}, month = {06/2024}, abstract = {

Species Distribution Models (SDMs) have been used extensively to understand species-habitat relationships and design conservation strategies. The ability to train these models using a wide variety of datasets and modelling algorithms has led to their wide applicability across systems. However, the ease of modelling also leads to their use as off-the-shelf models without a detailed investigation of the data and their suitable end-use application. The effect of various modelling parameters on inferences has been explored, however, their interaction with training data type is limited. We used country-wide data for four sympatric Indian small cat species to understand the sensitivity of SDMs to data types, sampling extents and their interaction. Our results reveal the non-stationarity of models with varying modelling parameters. The extent of the training dataset had major implications on the inferences and interacted strongly with the type of dataset used. The divergent distribution of the target species revealed that the effect of sampling extent was more pronounced for species that have limited distribution within the predictive extent. Lastly, our results highlight the significance of sampled environmental space in explaining the non-stationarity of the model outputs.

}, doi = {10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2024.110749}, author = {Rana, Divyashree and Sartor, CC and Chiaverini, Luca and Cushman, SA and Kaszta, Z and Ramakrishnan, U. and Macdonald, David W.} } @article {115008, title = {To a charismatic rescue: Designing a blueprint to steer Fishing Cat conservation for safeguarding Indian wetlands}, journal = {JOURNAL FOR NATURE CONSERVATION}, volume = {68}, year = {2022}, month = {07/2022}, abstract = {

Wetland conservation in the Indo-tropics can benefit from the protection of the charismatic Fishing Cat. India, supporting ~ 40\% of its known range, is a stronghold for the species. Here, using multiple information sources we outline a framework to safeguard fishing cats in India. Specifically, we a) estimated district-level Conservation priority scores (using presence records, and habitat suitability and habitat connectivity) to identify ecologically important habitats, b) estimated state-level Conservation likelihood scores assessing the success potential of any conservation intervention, c) collated district-level Conservation initiative information identifying ongoing efforts for species and/or habitat conservation. We consecutively assessed the spatial congruence between (a), (b) and (c) to delineate species{\textquoteright} conservation areas and corresponding action goals (blueprint). Using information on habitat suitability, we also delineated survey landscapes. Although Fishing Cat records were found in 12 Indian states, only a small proportion of the state area was identified harbouring optimal habitat for the species. Three broad habitat clusters Terai arc, Eastern coast, and Brahmaputra floodplains were identified, with overall high habitat connectivity. Most districts ranking high in Conservation priority scored low in Conservation likelihood. Districts with Fishing Cat presence (n = 60) were delineated into four tiers of action landscapes and the majority of districts classified as survey landscapes (n = 156) were found in the Terai arc. We use our results to recommend and discuss conservation actions for districts identified in our blueprint. Flagship species conservation approach has substantial potential to enrich wetland conservation, for which our blueprint can act as a baseline.

}, doi = {10.1016/j.jnc.2022.126225}, author = {Rana, Divyashree and Samad, Imran and Rastogi, Sankarshan} }