Forecasting the probable range and environmental variables Linked with Indian pangolin habitats in Chakwal District of Pakistan

Forecasting the probable range and environmental variables Linked with Indian pangolin habitats in Chakwal District of Pakistan | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Forecasting the probable range and environmental variables Linked with Indian pangolin habitats in Chakwal District of Pakistan Mirza Wajid Ali Safi, Sophia Ann Varriano This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4662583/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The population of Indian pangolin in Chakwal district is under serious threat due to various biological and human induced factors leading to rapid decline. Limited data on their habitat in Pakistan hinders conservation efforts. To address this issue, we conducted a comprehensive study combining a literature review, expert interviews and field surveys. We identified the presence of pangolins at 50 sites through direct observations and features such as burrows and scats along 15 transects and 11 quadrats covering different habitats. Our findings reveal that forested areas, characterized by medium-textured brown soil at altitudes between 400 and 1,300 meters above sea level, host the highest concentration of pangolin burrows. Maximum Entropy Model (MaxEnt) version 3.4.1 was used to model potential habitat distribution of Indian Pangolin in the study area with more than 100 sightings data from survey and literature. The results of the logistic regression analysis indicated strong correlations between pangolin sightings with distance from waterbodies, termite site presence, topographic diversity, open forest cover and precipitation. It was found that 7.8% (517 sq. km) of Chakwal district has been identified as highly suitable, consisting of fragmented upland forest and grassland and another 26% (1,579 sq. km) as moderately suitable habitat. These findings are essential for understanding the distribution of pangolins in Chakwal district and formulating effective conservation strategies. They provide the basis for local management plans aimed at protecting pangolin natural habitats and ensure their continued protection amid ongoing environmental challenges. Wildlife Conservation Endangered Indian pangolin Habitat Suitability MaxEnt Chakwal Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4662583","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":322133426,"identity":"fc4795c9-608e-486a-a967-0d1bb245fcb9","order_by":0,"name":"Mirza Wajid Ali Safi","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABAElEQVRIie3RMWvCQBTA8Xc8iMvpHKGQr5AuRcGSr3KSVfELOAhCXKxZFVr6LZzvOLCL0DVwS4qrw7kUKVL60kUXL46F3n8IeXA/7i4B8Pn+ZkJy6HAAVkpLY9C4jYREMFbLiuAt+xCBiiCvpjoSv8kPuR+Hd9FMM937WkctBGYPAwfZCqGeNyGPtyno4cLcZwjYXq2vkwcphOYBERhJPZwbRiTApou8l0S+Qx7lO9DduUnqSUG7NDP6YgUdDI6mX0uSohTqZUEHK3agniYmzZBNnXdp54PU7j97SZSnaI8n8/g6myp7cBD6KeL8zrLf58S1nmrIi+FUs9jn8/n+ZT+s61Vv0dNQ7AAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"World Wide Fund for Nature, Pakistan","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mirza","middleName":"Wajid Ali","lastName":"Safi","suffix":""},{"id":322133427,"identity":"f9b93fc8-c6ea-45fd-af5a-164ee0cc3aa2","order_by":1,"name":"Sophia Ann Varriano","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Georgia","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sophia","middleName":"Ann","lastName":"Varriano","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-06-30 12:03:26","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4662583/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4662583/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":61669059,"identity":"50975e5e-9085-42a2-9e7a-1373d4970a5a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-02 17:25:40","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":569835,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscriptComplete.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4662583/v1_covered_a7f8416a-a9c7-4638-8686-aa52343abb09.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Forecasting the probable range and environmental variables Linked with Indian pangolin habitats in Chakwal District of Pakistan","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Wildlife Conservation, Endangered, Indian pangolin, Habitat Suitability, MaxEnt, Chakwal","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4662583/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4662583/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe population of Indian pangolin in Chakwal district is under serious threat due to various biological and human induced factors leading to rapid decline. 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