A GIS‒based habitat suitability model for the mountain nyala tragelaphus buxtoni in the southeastern highlands of Ethiopia and its implication for conservation

Abstract

Mountain nyala Tragelaphus buxtoni is one of the endangered and endemic flagship species in Ethiopia.1,2 The species is confined in its distribution to the southeastern highlands of Ethiopia, bounded by the Chercher Mountains in the north and the Bale Mountains in the south.3,4 Currently, mountain nyala is known to occur in six different locations in Ethiopia. From north to south, these sites are: Kuni Muktar, Dindin and Arba Gugu Forests, Munessa‒Shashemene Forests, Mount Kaka, Galama‒Chilalo Forest Priority Area (FPA), and the Bale Mountains (Figure 1).5 The most prominent population of mountain nyala is found in the Bale Mountains.3,6‒10 Mountain nyala are commonly reported to be found in a mosaic of high‒altitude woodland, bush‒land, heath‒land, moorland, and valley‒bottom grassland, ranging from 1600m up to 4300m above sea level,3 but they are mostly concentrated between 1800m and 4000m in the heath‒land and alpine mesic habitats.8,11,12 They prefer steep terrains and dense vegetation for concealment, thermal cover, year‒round forage, and predator avoidance (Table 1).3,8,13