Habitat suitability and distribution range modelling for slender-billed vulture Gyps tenuirostris in Arunachal Pradesh, North East India using MaxEnt

Determination of distribution range with the suitability of available habitat is one of the important facets for conservation planning on any threatened species. The slender-billed vulture (SBV) Gyps tenuirostris is one of the three critically endangered Gyps vultures found in Arunachal Pradesh, North East India. Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) software was used to predict potential distribution range, habitat suitability and influence of environmental variables on the distribution of SBV. Analysis showed that out of the total area of 81658.85 km², 95.88 km² (0.12%) fell in the ‘extremely suitable area’ category. The prediction from MaxEnt was highly accurate, with a statistical AUC value of 0.994. The predicted preferred habitat of SBV includes areas with low elevation, high temperature, high precipitation, and open land with less vegetation cover. Elevation (63%) was found to have the most significant influence on the distribution of SBV. The findings of the present study will help in the implementation of any conservation initiatives required in the future with respect to SBV population protection or habitat conservation in Arunachal Pradesh.