Abstract

Effective conservation and management of Snow leopards (Panthera Uncia) requires identifying and in-depth knowledge of suitable habitats. Habitat suitability models are utilized to comprehend niche preferences, focusing on addressing management and conservation concerns for endangered species. This research aimed to delineate the present distribution and suitable habitat for Snow leopards in the border region of Northern China and Southern Mongolia. Satellite collar data of 5 individuals from 3 different mountain ranges were collected between 2017 and 2021, and maximum entropy models (Maxent) were used to evaluate habitat suitability. The result shows a strong probability distribution prediction with an AUC value of 0.987, indicating the high fit model. Among the environmental variables, the mean diurnal range contributed a maximum of 26% and precipitation 13.2% for habitat prediction of snow leopards, followed by annual and temperature 11.2%. The topographical variables, vector ruggedness measure 19.1%, and distance to human settlements 1.6% contributed to the habitat suitability model. Finally, we use a habitat suitability map to configure habitat connectivity through circuit theory in the Circuitscape program. The habitat was highly permeable to movements between the core areas of Western Altai and Southern. The connectivity between Altai Mountain and Yanchiwan, Qilian Mountain range was lower and concentrated; this is likely an outcome of the large proportion of railroads and urban development in northern China. Overall, our analysis offers new information on habitat selection and connectivity in a rebounding felid population and offers important ecological information for wildlife management strategies. We recommend monitoring long-term studies and integrating them with data from neighboring areas to assess comprehensive conservation success.