Assessment of habitat suitability of a high-mountain Galliform species, buff-throated partridge (Tetraophasis szechenyii)

Habitat evaluation constitutes an important and fundamental step in the management of wildlife populations and conservation strategy planning. The buff-throated partridge (Tetraophasis szechenyii) is a medium-sized Galliform species with national conservation priority endemic to the high mountains of western China, yet its habitat status across its distribution range has not been studied. We predicted current potential suitable habitats for the buff-throated partridge in China with 155 presence points collected between 2005 and 2019, using MaxEnt modeling. The predicted habitat of the buff-throated partridge covered an area of 191,259 km2, with highly suitable habitat concentrated in Shaluli and Daxueshan Mountains, with marginal habitat patches of lower suitability scattered over Mangkang, Yunling, Nushan and Nyainqêntanglha Mountains. The most suitable habitat for buff-throated partridge was associated with environmental variables isothermality (~45), moderate annual rainfall (678 mm), lower human population density (<30 people/km2), and steep slope at an elevation of 4000 m a.s.l. Our study suggested that although the area of buff-throated partridge habitat was large, its highly suitable habitat was restricted and fragmented due to the natural barriers of major rivers and increased human disturbance. Therefore, the status of buff-throated partridge habitat was not promising, and we proposed three recommendations for conservation strategy being 1) highest conservation priorities for the species being protection of its core distribution and habitat ranging from southwestern Sichuan to northern Yunnan, especially several national nature reserves in these regions; 2) design corridors to facilitate population communication and genetic diversity; 3) restrictions on human disturbance such as free-ranging yak grazing in buff-throated partridge habitat.