Habitat suitability analysis for blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) in Nahar Wildlife Sanctuary, Haryana, India

Remote sensing and GIS play an important role in wildlife species conservation through their applicability to study spatial distribution, landscape pattern and also factors that affect the distribution, density and movement of wild fauna. The present study deals with the distribution of blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) in Nahargarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Haryana, India, and to determine their habitat suitability which is shrinking due to the spread of settlements (urban and rural). For habitat suitability analysis of blackbuck, data from WorldClim, 19 bioclimatic variable layers such as temperature, humidity, precipitation, etc. were utilized to calculate the maximum entropy using MaxEnt version 3.2. Satellite data from Landsat 8 were used to generate land use and land cover for analysing habitat suitability. An area of 330.71 ha was found to be suitable for blackbuck habitat within the 10 km buffer area, against the present area of 28.32 ha. The growth of Prosopis juliflora which causes damage to the skin of blackbuck during movement was found to be another factor responsible for confining its niche within the Sanctuary. The present study will help in the effective safeguarding of blackbuck species by the Wildlife Wing of the Haryana Forest Department.