Identification of Conservation Priority Areas and a Protection Network for the Siberian Musk Deer (Moschus moschiferus L.) in Northeast China

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Siberian musk deer (Moschus moschiferus L.) populations and their habitat decreased significantly over the past decades due to unsustainable, long-term hunting and deforestation. To support the species’ conservation, we assessed its potential distribution, conservation priority areas, core patch fragmentation, and potential connectivity corridors in Northeast China. We concluded that large areas of a high-quality M. moschiferus habitat with low fragmentation and low human influence remain in the northern Greater Khingan Mountains. In contrast, a habitat in the Lesser Khingan Mountains and the Changbai Mountains was highly fragmented and highly influenced by human activity. The Greater Khingan Mountains offer a suitable habitat for the recovery of M. moschiferus populations in Northeast China. These findings offer recommendations to support the Chinese government’s goal of establishing protected area systems with national parks in Northeast China. ABSTRACT: Species conservation actions are guided by available information on the biogeography of the protected species. In this study, we integrated the occurrence data of Siberian musk deer (Moschus moschiferus L.) collected from 2019 to 2021 with species distribution models to estimate the species’ potential distribution in Northeast China. We then identified conservation priority areas using a core-area zonation algorithm. In addition, we analyzed core patch fragmentation using FRAGSTATS. Lastly, we identified potential connectivity corridors and constructed a potential protection network based on the least-cost path and the circuit theory. The results showed concentrations of M. moschiferus in the northern Greater Khingan Mountains, the southeastern Lesser Khingan Mountains, and the eastern Changbai Mountains, with a potential distribution area of 127,442.14 km(2). Conservation priority areas included 41 core patches with an area of 106,306.43 km(2). Patch fragmentation mainly occurred in the Changbai Mountains and the Lesser Khingan Mountains. We constructed an ecological network composed of 41 core patches and 69 linkages for M. moschiferus in Northeast China. The results suggest that the Greater Khingan Mountains represent the most suitable area to maintain the stability of M. moschiferus populations in Northeast China. Considering the high habitat quality requirements of M. moschiferus and its endangered status, we propose that the Chinese government accelerates the construction of the Greater Khingan Mountains National Park and the Lesser Khingan Mountains National Park and enlarges the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park to address the fragmentation of protected areas and the habitat of M. moschiferus.