Modelling habitat suitability of reintroduced scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah) in Sidi Toui National Park, Tunisia

Marouane  Louhichi; Touhami Khorchani; Douglas  Eifler; Maria Eifler; Makenna Orton; Kamel Dadi; Ali Zaydi; Mohsen  Jarray; Mohsen Chammem

doi:10.56027/JOASD.162024

Authors

Marouane Louhichi
Touhami Khorchani
Douglas Eifler Erell Institute, 2808 Meadow Dr., Lawrence, KS 66047, USA.
Maria Eifler Erell Institute, 2808 Meadow Dr., Lawrence, KS 66047, USA.
Makenna Orton Erell Institute, 2808 Meadow Dr., Lawrence, KS 66047, USA.
Kamel Dadi
Ali Zaydi
Mohsen Jarray
Mohsen Chammem Laboratoire d'Elevage et Faune Sauvage, Institut des Régions Arides- Medenine

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56027/JOASD.162024

Keywords:

Endangered Antelope, Conservation, Arid ecosystem, Habitat characteristics, Season, Spatial Modelling

Abstract

Reintroducing endangered species into their restored habitats is a significant aspect of conservation biology. The scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah), one of the most critically endangered antelopes worldwide, was reintroduced into several protected areas in Tunisia. Understanding their habitat requirements within micro-level ecosystems is crucial for developing effective management plans to aid in species recovery. Using information-theoretic and multimodel inference (MMI) techniques, we evaluated the impact of habitat and management characteristics on the distribution of the scimitar-horned oryx in Tunisia's Sidi Toui National Park during different seasons, from June 2020 – May 2022. Our analyses, using regression coefficients and selection probabilities, revealed that factors influencing habitat suitability varied seasonally for the scimitar-horned oryx. However, the presence of grasses emerged as the most consistent indicator of their occurrence throughout the year. The strong fit of models to the data was confirmed by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) plots, which indicated an Area Under the Curve (AUC) > 0.9. The study has significant implications for developing practical habitat management plans for the scimitar-horned oryx in Sidi Toui National Park.

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