Habitat Suitability for reptiles in the Goravan Sands Sanctuary, Armenia

The Goravan Sands Sanctuary is an important Armenian wildlife conservation area. The objectives of my study were to assess habitat suitability for reptiles within the sanctuary by comparing species richness, total abundance and species diversity across 35 random quadrats. I present the mean abundance data of 5 reptiles: Phrynocephalus persicus, Eremais pleskei, Eremias strauchi, Lacerta strigata and Testudo graeca. Maps of relatively uncommon lizard P. persicus reflect the species richness patterns, whereas maps of the most abundant lizard E. pleskei, more accurately reflect total reptile abundance and species diversity. About 71 % of the area of the patches is covered with patches of low diversity. The moderate and highly suitable patches are recommended for intensive conservation management planning.