Modeling Habitat Requirements of Leopard (Panthera pardus) Using Genetic Algorithm in Golestan National Park

Top predators are seen as keystone species of ecosystems. Knowledge of their habitat requirements is important for their conservation and for stability of the interacting wildlife communities. Recent environmental destructions have generally led to major habitat loss, so protection of the leopards’ habitats is regarded as very important. As such, habitat management based on modeling is strongly recommended as a practical solution. The goal of this study was to model the habitat of leopard Panthera pardus in Golestan National Park, where it is endangered, and determine the most important parameters affecting its habitat. In this paper, I apply the technique ecological niche modeling using genetic algorithm for rule-set prediction (GARP) to predict the distributions of this species. The results of this study showed that the distribution of the leopard is affected by altitude, and prey density. This research also provides an algorithm for sample data management, which could be used in modeling habitats of the similar species.