Multi-Scale Habitat Suitability and Spatial Distribution of the European Green Toad

Area of Science:

• Ecology and Conservation Biology
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Spatial Modeling
• Amphibian Ecology

Background:

• Amphibians face global threats from habitat loss, pollution, and climate change.
• The European green toad (Bufotes viridis sensu lato) is a key species in Mediterranean ecosystems.
• Effective conservation requires understanding species' spatial distribution and habitat suitability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To model and map the habitat suitability of Bufotes viridis in Türkiye's Mediterranean Basin.
• To inform conservation strategies and habitat management for this threatened amphibian.
• To apply an integrated multi-criteria decision-making and GIS approach.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to weight nine environmental variables.
• Integrated weighted environmental layers using Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
• Validated the habitat suitability model with 33 georeferenced field points.

Main Results:

• Approximately 67% of the study area showed high or very high suitability for Bufotes viridis.
• 95.36% of the area was classified as moderately to very highly suitable.
• Proximity to freshwater (35.2%) and temperature (18.6%) were the most influential factors.

Conclusions:

• The AHP-GIS framework successfully identified critical habitats and conservation zones.
• Suitable habitats are concentrated near freshwater and in low-elevation areas.
• The study provides a replicable model for amphibian conservation in data-deficient regions.