Predicting the habitat usage of African black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) using random forest models

Species distribution models are often used in ecology to ascertain relationships between environmental variables and species presence. Modelling to understand this rela-tionship can be used to aid conservation management strategies. In this paper, we applied the random forest classification method to predict habitat used by black rhino for browsing. The random forest model was created using detailed habitat data collected from Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Variables from plots where rhino had been present were compared to those not used by rhino. Independent data were used to test the predictive accuracy of the rules generated. The model performed well with the independent test data, correctly classifying 69 % of the sampling plots where black rhino were present. Importan