Habitat suitability and potential landscape corridors for South China sika deer (Cervus pseudaxis)

Abstract Evaluation of habitat suitability and landscape connectivity is critical for managing habitats of threatened species. The fragmented and declining populations of South China sika deer ( Cervus pseudaxis ) are now restricted to eastern China. Using infrared cameras, we monitored the species’ occurrence in Jiangxi Taohongling and Zhejiang Qingliangfeng Nature Reserves and assessed environmental factors, including terrain, vegetation, water availability, and human disturbance. Habitat suitability was evaluated using the Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) model, while least-cost path analysis was applied to identify potential corridors linking current and suitable habitats. Our findings show that habitat suitability is primarily influenced by proximity to railways, vegetation type, and distance to main roads. Highly and moderately suitable habitats, covering 6,686 km 2 (9.2 %) and 2,347 km 2 (3.2 %) of the study area, were concentrated near the two reserves. Additionally, we identified five potentially suitable habitats and delineated five potential corridors, with an average least-cost path length of 62.6 km (range: 4–106 km), connecting nearby reserves. This study offers critical insights for conserving South China sika deer habitats and provides a framework for protecting other threatened species with similar ecological requirements.