Moose Habitat Quality Assessment In Heihe Shengshan.

We selected 13 habitat impacts that influence moose habitat quality based on former researches and combined with human activity conditions. Moose habitat quality was assessed by one-factor, potential habitat, comprehensive factors and contemporary condition was analyzed through multivariate statistics analysis and geographic information system spatial analysis techniques based on habitat assess criterion and standards. The results revealed that:Altitude One-factor assessing results: Excellent and Good —the altitude was between 500-700m with area of 105.6 km~2, which in the study area, and moose frequently appeared in it;300-450 and 700-750 were Bad and Inferior habitat with area of 22.1 km~2, took a percentage of 14.2%,which was human residents with intensive human disturbance.Vegetation One-factor assessing results: Excellent was that: Middle-aged broad-leaf mixed stands with area of 54.6 km~2 and percentage of 35%, and moose often be found in it;deciduous and coniferous mixed stands, swamp. Middle-aged of spruce- fir-Korean Pine coniferous mixed stands, adult spruce- fir-Korean Pine coniferous mixed stands were Inferior habitat, moose rarely was seen in it.the distance to human residential area One-factor assessing results: Excellent—the distance to human is 12.9-14.5km and 8.1-9.7km, no human activity will influence moose here;Inferior—0-4.8km and 9.7-11.3, with much human activities which can not be quickly recovered to be ideal habitat for moose population.Compared with potential habitat, the real habitat had been greatly changed on area and fragmentation.(1) Area changes: Common habitat transferred to inferior ones, and the second is bad (22.8km~2) and excellent (13.3km~2). The inferior habitat changed from 5.6km~2 to 95km~2, and the suitable habitat changed from 60.25 to 38.8%, which indicated that the suitable habitat had greatly decreased.(2) Habitat fragmentation: excellent habitats decreased by 1324, and the separation index increased by 0.122;good habitats decreased by 2646, and the biggest patch decreased by 7.37km~2, the separation index increased by 0.787;good habitat had totally transferred to inferior habitats;bad ones decreased by 2385 and separation index increased by 0.911, and the maximum patch decreased by 5.4km~2;For inferior habitats, the number of patches increased by 9013, and separation index decreased by 1.825, and the maximum patch area increased by 67.34km~2.Totally, the suitable habitat for moose to live had been decreasing all the time, and the fragmentation was strengthened with the general decline of habitat quality.