| | Habitat suitability evaluation for rhinoceros in Bardia - Part 2
This GIS excercise is divided into three parts and requires the use of ArcExplorer.
Various studies have indicated that rhinoceros prefer to use habitat mosaics consisting of floodplain grassland, wooded grasslands, Khair-Sissoo forest and riverine forest. Such habitat mosaics are located close to the perennial water sources in the Karnali floodplain and Babai valley. The habitat suitability class was analysed based on the relationship of rhinos with altitude, vegetation types, and proximity with water sources, settlement and highway (see table below).
The habitat suitability classes for rhinoceros
Turn on the themes 'water body', 'rhino preferred habitat', 'unsuitable', 'less suitable', 'suitable', 'most suitable' and 'rhino distribution'. Move up the water body by clicking on the arrow pointing upwards. Assess the distances to the road and to the park borders with respect to the most suitable habitats.
Arc Explorer - Rhino Habitat (BNP)
1. By clicking the layers on and off, describe the role of the landscape’s features with respect to the distribution of rhinoceros. Identify the places of conflict, such as crop damage, between humans and rhinos. Prepare a map showing rhinoceros and human conflicts. This map can be used for a presentation on human-animal conflicts in the vicinity of national parks.
2. Which combinations of land cover types are preferred by rhinos?
3. Where will human activity most likely clash with rhino populations?
4. Observe the habitat suitability maps with various suitability classes. Determine the factors responsible for the habitat suitability of rhinos.
To improve your maps for a presentation, you may alter the Theme Properties. Double-click layer. Select e.g.:
Park_boundary: "Color: = black, Style: = transparent fill, Size: = 3"
Rhinoceros distribution: "Colour=red, Style=circle marker, Size = 5"
Water body: "Colour = blue, Style = solid fill, Size = 1"
Similarly, you can change the theme properties as you like.
Select View>map display properties……. Change the background colour to blue.
Select View> Display Scale Bar. Right click on the scale bar and set the map units to metres. Set scale units to metres and screen units to inches.
Your map is now ready to be printed.
The shape files contain a database structure in the form of point, polyline or polygon. Each type of theme includes information which is accessible in a GIS system. The table of contents is not static and therefore can be changed and updated.
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