International Journal of Biological Sciences and Applications International Journal of Biological Sciences and Applications International Journal of Biological Sciences and Applications International Journal of Biological Sciences and Applications 2014; 1(4): 124-136 Published online September 20, 2014 (http://www.aascit.org/journal/ijbsa) Keywords Ecological Niche Factor Analysis, Gazella Subgutturosa Subgutturosa, Habitat Suitability Model, Golestan National Park Received: August 17, 2014 Revised: August 23, 2014 Accepted: August 24, 2014 Predicting habitat suitability of the goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa subgutturosa) using presence-only data in Golestan National Park, Iran Bagherirad Elham 1, * , Salmanmahiny Abdulrasoul 2 , Ahmad Norhayati 1 , Abdullah Maimon 1 , Erfanian Behnaz 2 1 Faculty of Science and Technology, National University of Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Malaysia 2 College of the Environmental Science, University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran Email address elham_bagherirad@yahoo.com (B. Elham), bagherirad.elham@gmail.com (B. Elham) Citation Bagherirad Elham, Salmanmahiny Abdulrasoul, Ahmad Norhayati, Abdullah Maimon, Erfanian Behnaz. Predicting Habitat Suitability of the Goitered Gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa subgutturosa) Using Presence-Only Data in Golestan National Park, Iran. International Journal of Biological Sciences and Applications. Vol. 1, No. 4, 2014, pp. 124-136. Abstract The goitered gazelle (G. s. subgutturosa) facing the highest rate of illegal hunting and habitat destruction has been classified as threatened in the IUCN Red List. Thus, knowing the distribution of this species and its habitat requirements is important in designing efficient conservation measures for its rehabilitation. An ecological-niche factor analysis (ENFA) using presence only data was carried out using the Biomapper 4.0 software to assess the environmental and human-related factors that affect the G. s. subgutturosa presence, as well as identified areas with high habitat suitability in Golestan National Park (GNP) and nearby areas. ENFA indicated a high marginality (1.40) and low tolerance (0.46) scores, suggesting a strong tendency for the species to live in a particular habitat throughout the study area. Although environmental factors limited the presence of the G. s. subgutturosa, human activities causing habitat loss/fragmentation plus irregular hunting were the major barriers to the distribution and survival of these gazelles. The model also showed that overall, 50% (313km 2 ) of the study area was suitable, of which approximately 3.66% (23 km 2 ) had high suitability. The ENFA updated our information on G. s. subgutturosa habitat status and showed us the need to revise the boundary of the GNP for efficient conservation of this species. However, a considerable portion of the suitable area was located outside the park, which is under weak protection rules. Therefore, to protect the remaining population of the gazelles in the GNP, it is necessary to focus management efforts on specific areas outside the park. 1. Introduction Certain biological characteristics expose species to greater risk of extinction. For instance, the risk of extinction could be higher in species that are characterized by a small population size (40), small geographical range sizes (42), and in those species that are also categorized as trade species, which inhabit an area with a high human activity rate (24). Therefore, any species that display these characteristics should be more sensitive to habitat change and more vulnerable to extinction.