Resource selection modelling of Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) in Iwofin Forest, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Abstract

Resource selection modelling has become a useful ecological concept for quantifying wildlife-habitat
relationships. Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) is well-known wildlife species in West African subregion with a few documented evidence of their present population status. The study conducted a logistic regression modelling of bushbuck presence-absence data collected with a handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) from Iwofin Forest in Ogun State, Nigeria to predict their resource selection use for survival. The resource selection model showed that there was high probability (0.45 - 0.72) of resource selection by bushbucks in Iwofin Forest at areas that are closer to the watershed and of lower elevations covering about 45% of the entire 65.81 hectares. The study concluded that the resource selection model would assist in identifying bushbuck habitats towards developing suitable conservation plans for their management in Iwofin Forest.