Identifying priority conservation areas in a Saharan environment by highlighting the endangered Cuvier’s Gazelle as a flagship species

Abstract

Monitoring populations and designing effective conservation actions for endangered species present significant challenges. An accurate understanding of current distribution, ecological traits and habitat requirements is imperative in formulating conservation strategies. Recent surveys on the southernmost Cuvier’s Gazelle (Gazella cuvieri) population, an ungulate endemic to North Africa, showcase its importance in terms of numbers and genetic diversity. This population inhabits a remote region in the extreme north-western portion of the Sahara Desert and has not been well studied. Here, we examine the potential distribution of Cuvier’s Gazelle and the environmental factors limiting the species in a Saharan environment, by combining broad-scale field survey data and species distribution models. Our objective was to identify high priority conservation areas in the southernmost known portion of the species’ distribution by modelling habitat selection at the landscape scale using a predictive distribution map. Our results show that the distribution of Cuvier’s Gazelle is strongly related to mountainous areas with heterogeneous terrain and remoteness from large human settlements over other ecological factors that had less impact on the species’ presence and distribution. We also provide a quantitative estimate of the potential distribution range of Cuvier’s Gazelle in southern Morocco, identifying two well-demarcated key areas. The two core areas currently contain enough rugged terrain isolated from human encroachment to support the endangered species in this harsh desert environment. We encourage the implementation of conservation planning for Cuvier’s Gazelle as an “umbrella species”, which will confer effective protection to higher-quality habitat zones and co-occurring species, leading to sustainable and ecologically responsible development in the region.