Assessing habitat conditions, challenges and management measures for Persian fallow deer, Dama dama mesopotamica Brooke, 1875 in the dry provinces of Iran

Distribution of Persian fallow deer (Dama dama mesopotamica Brooke, 1875) as an endangered species is limited to captive breeding sites in Iran for more than six decades. The conservation program was relatively effective in some sites, but unsuccessful in other sites. This research aimed to evaluate habitat conditions, challenges, solutions, human-induced and environmental threats, as well as management efficiency in fallow deer breeding sites in three provinces including Ilam, Fars and Yazd using a combined methodology. Data were collected during two years of field surveys in the regions and in provincial offices. Challenges were observed in two major groups, habitat threats (small area of sites, resource poverty and environmental crises), and population threats (predation, male conflict, disease and inappropriate population structure) which was not significant despite the positive correlation (P-value>0.27). The average level of threats around the sites was high. The level of environmental and human-induced threats was estimated 52% and 55% in Arjan and Parishan protected areas, 43% and 50% in Manasht and Ghalarang, 41% and 56% in Koh Khom, and 29% and 47% in Bagh-e Shadi, respectively. The management effectiveness in all protected areas was at a basic level with many limitations. Management opportunity scores were 50% in Ilam and Arsanjan, 46% in Bagh-e Shadi and 44% in Arjan and Parishan protected areas. Suitable solutions involve site area expansion, vegetation restoration, establishing standard feed mangers and water troughs, establishing an earthen pond or reservoir for swimming and repelling annoying insects, providing supplemental food, controlling predators, improvement demographic structure with appropriate sex and age ratios, educating local communities, keeping livestock away for preventing disease transmission, installing closed-circuit television cameras, improving conservation level in protected areas, and releasing in the wild, which is the ultimate goal of breeding in captivity.