2.1 Study area
The study was conducted across central Iran (33o30 to
30o535 N; 48o57’ to
57o51’ E) (Figure 1). This area is bounded between the
central desert and the junction of the Alborz and Zagros faults. Despite
the arid and semi-arid environmental conditions, this part of Iran
supports a high diversity of large and medium-sized carnivores,
including grey wolf (Canis lupus ), golden jackal (Canis
aureus ), red fox (Vulpes vulpes ), striped hyena (Hyaena
hyaena ), wild cat (Felis lybica ), Persian leopard
(Panthera pardus ) and caracal (Caracal caracal ) (Ansari &
Golabi, 2019). The region also supports three ungulate species,
including wild sheep (Ovis orientalis ), goitered gazelle
(Gazella subguturosa ) and wild goat (Capra aegagrus ). The
dominant vegetation types in the study area include the Artemisiaspp., Scariola orientalis , Astragalus spp. andEuphorbia spp. In this landscape there are two Wildlife
Refuges (WRs), two Protected Areas (PAs) for protecting biodiversity
(Darvishsefat & Tajvidi, 2006).
Fig. 1: Presence locations and vehicle collisions of the grey wolf and
golden jackal in central of Iran (Markazi province). Dem indicates
elevation (m).