Identification of Priority Areas for Conservation of Threatened Agamid Lizards of Sri Lanka Using Species Distribution Modeling

To ensure the survival of threatened species, identifying biodiversity hotspots is essential for determining where and how conservation should be prioritized. Sri Lanka along with Western Ghats of India is a global biodiversity hotspot, with reptiles among its most threatened taxa. Agamid lizards in Sri Lanka are both threatened and evolutionarily distinct, with 19 of 22 species endemic to the island. We assessed the distribution of 14 threatened agamid lizard species using Species Distribution Modeling (SDM). The generated distribution maps were used to identify highly diverse target areas for agamid conservation, both within and outside protected areas. We assigned conservation priority ranks for species using different criteria such as IUCN status, the number of occurrence records, and the size of the estimated range. Our results indicated that agamid hotspots are primarily concentrated in the wet zone of Sri Lanka; specifically, Sinharaja Forest Reserve, the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary, and the Knuckles Mountain Range emerged as high priority conservation targets. Although all species targeted in our SDM had some portion of their range within protected areas, over 40% of high-priority agamid habitats remain unprotected. We advocate for the expanded use of SDM for hotspot identification and conservation planning, particularly for threatened and endangered species with poorly documented population status and geographic distribution.