Abstract Once one of the most abundant raptors in the world, the White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) has faced a drastic population decline across its global range for the past three decades. In India, the main cause of this decline has been the accidental ingestion of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac through livestock carcasses. However, some breeding populations still survive in the forested landscapes of India's Western Ghats. But these populations have also been facing several anthropogenic threats recently, and now show a declining population trend. The two possible conservation strategies for G. bengalensis are to ban diclofenac and develop further captive breeding and reintroduction programs. In this context, we modelled potential reintroduction sites for the species in the Western Ghats by considering its key habitat features and ecological niche models to maximise the likelihood of its long-term regional persistence. Models were developed for current and future climate change scenarios using nesting and foraging occurrence records. Our models predict climatically stable habitats under three climate change scenarios (Representative Concentration Pathways; RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, and RCP 8.5) for three future time periods (2030s, 2050s, and 2080s). The primary determinants of nest-site selection by G. bengalensis evaluated using Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) revealed a preference for larger trees closer to water sources. Based on our findings, we suggest possible reintroduction sites in the southern Western Ghats that are climatically stable in the future time periods. Our approach can encourage policymakers to prioritize sites for future species management in the wild. The key results and its implications on conservation of G. bengalensis populations within the Western Ghats hotspot are further discussed in detail.

中文翻译：

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使用生态位模型和栖息地要求为印度西高止山脉的白腰秃鹫（Gyps bengalensis）确定合适的重新引入地点

摘要 白腰秃鹫 (Gyps bengalensis) 曾经是世界上数量最多的猛禽之一，在过去的三十年中，其全球范围内的种群数量急剧下降。在印度，这种下降的主要原因是通过牲畜尸体意外摄入了非甾体抗炎药双氯芬酸。然而，一些繁殖种群仍然在印度西高止山脉的森林景观中生存。但这些种群最近也面临着几次人为威胁，现在呈现出种群减少的趋势。G. begalensis 的两种可能保护策略是禁用双氯芬酸并制定进一步的圈养繁殖和重新引入计划。在这种情况下，我们通过考虑其主要栖息地特征和生态位模型来模拟西高止山脉物种的潜在重新引入地点，以最大限度地提高其长期区域持久性的可能性。使用筑巢和觅食事件记录为当前和未来的气候变化情景开发了模型。我们的模型预测了未来三个时间段（2030 年代、2050 年代和 2080 年代）在三种气候变化情景（代表性浓度路径；RCP 2.6、RCP 4.5 和 RCP 8.5）下气候稳定的栖息地。使用广义线性模型 (GLM) 评估的 G. bengalensis 选择巢址的主要决定因素显示，偏爱靠近水源的较大树木。根据我们的发现，我们建议在未来一段时间内气候稳定的西高止山脉南部可能的重新引入地点。我们的方法可以鼓励政策制定者优先考虑未来野外物种管理的地点。进一步详细讨论了主要结果及其对西高止山脉热点内 G. bengalensis 种群保护的影响。