# Habitat Suitability and Relative Abundance of the European Wildcat (Felis silvestris) in the Southeastern Part of Its Range

## TL;DR

This study identifies key habitat preferences of the European wildcat in northern Greece, estimating a population of 3535 to 7070 individuals.

## Contribution

The study provides a regional ecological model for the European wildcat in northern Greece, revealing novel habitat preferences and population estimates.

## Key findings

- High-altitude forests are not favored by wildcats, unlike areas near water bodies and human settlements.
- Northern Greece contains 47,930 km2 of suitable wildcat habitat, with an estimated population of 3535 to 7070 individuals.
- Wildcat occupancy is negatively related to elevation and forest cover, but moderately related to distance from water and human settlements.

## Abstract

The European wildcat exhibits varying habitat requirements across its distribution range, influenced by local environmental factors. Deciduous and mixed forests with dense undergrowth, which offer prey and seclusion from human activity, are often preferred habitats, yet studies indicate that such preferences vary across the species’ distribution. This study aimed to identify the primary determinants of wildcat habitat suitability of the species at the southeastern edge of the species’ range, in northern Greece, using camera trap data from eight sites (292 survey stations) and occupancy modeling. Our findings show that high-altitude forests are not favored by the species, unlike areas near water bodies and human settlements, which appear to be preferred. Overall, >47,900 km2 of suitable wildcat habitat occurs in northern Greece. Applying conservative density estimates for areas predicted to have low/medium/high putative wildcat densities, we speculate a northern Greece population of 3535 to 7070 individuals. The findings contribute to the broader understanding of the ecology, distribution, and conservation status of the European wildcat populations at the southeastern part of the species’ range, which remains, to date, understudied. Considering that the eastern Mediterranean region is among the fastest warming regions globally, understanding the ecological requirements of its fauna will help anticipate the conservation requirements of these species in the decades to come.

The European wildcat exhibits considerable plasticity in its habitat requirements across its distribution, with differences increasing along a continental-scale latitudinal gradient. While wildcats often favor deciduous and mixed forests with dense cover and prey, studies show these preferences vary across their expansion. Range-wide conservation efforts will benefit from incorporating knowledge generated by robust regional ecological models. We used data from a large camera trap grid (n = 292 stations), spanning across eight wildcat-associated habitats, within its range in northern Greece, to understand the regional ecological parameters affecting the species’ habitat selection. We analyzed the data using single-season density-induced detection heterogeneity occupancy models (Royle–Nichols), considering 12 environmental and anthropogenic parameters. The global model’s GoF was high (p = 0.9). Elevation and percent forest cover were both significantly negatively related to wildcat occupancy (as derived from the modeled “relative abundance index” N). Likewise, there was a negative, but moderate, relation between distance to freshwater bodies and human settlements with wildcat occupancy. We used the model-average coefficients to generate a predictive map of wildcat relative abundance across northern Greece, which identified 47,930 km2 of potential wildcat habitat. Assuming a range of densities between 0.05 and 0.3 ind/km2 in areas with predicted low, medium, and high relative abundance, we speculate the putative wildcat population in northern Greece to be between 3535 and 7070 individuals. The findings, which vary from ecological models of the species in northern Europe, show the need for regional models and the importance of Greece, and the Balkan peninsula, for the species.