Assessment of Habitat Suitability for Chinese Goral in Mountainous Areas of Beijing with MaxEnt Model

Assessment of habitat suitability is crucial for endangered species conservation and habitat protection. We investigated the distribution of the Chinese goral (Naemorhedus griseus) in mountainous areas of suitable habitats for the Chinese goral. The results showed that Altitude, Max Temperature of Warmest Month, and Mean Temperature of Warmest Quarter were the main factors influencing the Chinese goral distribution. The highly suitable habitats for the Chinese goral were mainly located in the junction of Taihang Mountains and Yan Mountains in northern Beijing, and scattered in Yan Mountains in northeastern Beijing and Taihang Mountains in western Beijing. Chinese gorals preferred lower altitude where deciduous broad-leaved forests could provide ample food resources and help them avoid the severe winter. It was also found that Chinese gorals preferred moderate summer temperature and precipitation. We recommend that future conservation should focus on protecting the deciduous broad-leaved forests in low-altitude areas to maintain food abundance, and provide supplementary feeding sites to ensure the availability of the food resources. The current distribution areas and highly suitable areas for the Chinese goral should be given priority in conservation management decisions, and the fragmented suitable habitat patches should be connected by establishing habitat corridors, which will be beneficial for improving biodiversity in mountainous areas of Beijing.