Wronski, T, Hoffmann, M and Plath, M (2017) Habitat preferences of Arabian gazelles (Gazella arabica) in the Farasan Islands Protected Area, Saudi Arabia. In: Menendez, A and Sands, N, (eds.) Ungulates: Evolution, Diversity and Ecology. Animal Science, Issues and Research . Nova Science Publishers, Hauppauge, NY, pp. 65-89. ISBN 9781536126082

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Abstract

Habitat preferences are a crucial facet in the management of endangered wildlife species, but only recently have wildlife managers begun to fully realize the potential of information on species' habitat selection to solve pressing problems in the conservation and management of protected areas. Habitat choice is particularly important in extreme environments like hyperarid deserts, in which resources like food, water and cover are limited. A number of studies suggested that endangered Arabian gazelles (Gazella arabica) prefer wooded, mountainous terrain on the Arabian Peninsula, while avoiding open plains and sand deserts. However, this pattern could also be an artefact created by the tremendous hunting pressure experienced by the species and a retreat into areas inaccessible to humans. We studied habitat choice of the largest indigenous population of Arabian gazelles in the world, persisting on the Farasan Islands in the Red Sea, off the coast of Saudi Arabia. We measured the availability of different habitat types using GIS-based habitat mapping and the degree of utilization by gazelles, assessed via biannual transect route counts in the protected area. Our results suggest that former fields (beside Acacia grooves) are the preferred habitat type of Arabian gazelles, especially during the hot summer months. Our study further suggests that Acacia-wooded habitats are the originally preferred habitat type of this gazelle species (especially during the cooler winter months) rather than secondary habitats in remote mountainous areas on the Arabian Peninsula.

Item Type:	Book Section
Subjects:	Q Science > QL Zoology
Divisions:	Biological and Environmental Sciences (from Sep 19)
Publisher:	Nova Science Publishers
SWORD Depositor:	A Symplectic
Date Deposited:	19 Mar 2025 15:20
Last Modified:	19 Mar 2025 15:20
Editors:	Menendez, A and Sands, N
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/25923

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