Due to their extremely rapid rates of decline, six of these species are already regarded as globally threatened. Global estimates have not considered the eight remaining species’ worrying national plunges, such as those in the black kite . Despite all these, a disproportionate amount of studies is expended on raptors’ studies in Kenya . There are knowledge gaps regarding the interactions between raptors’ geographic distribution and their ecological needs over time and space, which, in order to direct conservation and management efforts, must be filled.
Raptors’ movements and feeding preferences are known to be influenced by environmental variables, as well as the plausible links between their distribution and environmental predictors such as precipitation, temperature, human influence, and vegetation, which have been demonstrated in numerous studies (e.g. . Understanding the relationships between raptor distribution and environmental variables may aid in determining their ideal niche. Such data would be crucial in creating spatially explicit management and conservation measures when combined with anthropogenic variables . To advance their spatio-temporal management on a landscape scale, more data are needed on significant environmental variables, niche distribution, and anthropogenic predictors.
Accurate species occurrence determination is necessary for proper biodiversity conservation policy decisions, including nature reserve preselection, biologically-based invasion monitoring and the identification of vital habitats for endangered species . Aforesaid data is frequently arbitrarily gathered and made accessible as museum records or through websites that collect biodiversity data, like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) . Seeking out new presence locations for endangered or rare species is critical because a better understanding of their distribution may aid in management and conservation efforts . In order to inform conservation management, species distribution models (SDMs) are employed to deduce the ecological requirements of species as well as predict their geographic distribution. In a variety of applications, such as regional biodiversity assessment in rangelands, conservation planning and wildlife management, these models have grown in significance
The biggest dangers to raptors are habitat loss brought on by logging and agricultural growth, persecution (including shooting, poisoning, and trapping), electrocution and collisions with energy infrastructure, contamination (primarily from lead, pesticides, or veterinary drugs), and illegal harvesting for actions motivated by religious convictions . This study estimates the distribution and ecological requirements of five raptor species in Kenya in order to better understand their niches and threats. It also examines the contribution of continuous remotely sensed predictor variables to their distribution. The objectives of this research are to; 1) identify the ecological niche, geographic distribution, and impact of protected areas in raptor conservation in Kenya.; 2) determine the relative importance of environmental predictors to raptor distribution ; 3) offer recommendations for raptor habitat management and protection in Kenya. The results of this study will improve the understanding of raptors’ niche and the critical environmental/anthropogenic variables influencing its distribution to inform sustainable management efforts of its habitats.