Obtaining reliable estimates of wildlife populations remains a critical challenge for conservation biologists. Accurate and precise population size estimates are essential for assessing conservation activities and planning effective management strategies. Additionally, understanding the impacts of natural and human factors on the density and presence of animal species is crucial for developing effective management programs. Distance sampling is a widely used method for estimating animal abundance. This study employed line transect and point transect methods to estimate the population of wild mouflons in the mountainous habitat of Tang-e-Sayyad National Park and Protected Area. Over a five-month period during the autumn 2023 and winter 2024, 42 point transects and 150 kilometers of line transects were surveyed, leading to an estimated 1,806 wild mouflons (confidence interval: 972–3,353) using the line transect method and 2,375 wild mouflons (confidence interval: 923–6,112) using the point transect method. The results indicated that the Department of Environment's estimate, based on the population census, fall within the confidence intervals of the density estimates obtained through distance sampling methods in this study. Furthermore, the line transect method demonstrated superior efficiency, yielding a higher number of observations per unit effort, a better fit for the detection function, and a narrower confidence interval compared to the point transect method. Due to the small sample size, employing a stratified sampling design based on habitat did not significantly improve estimate accuracy (line transect: 1,786 with a confidence interval of 856–4,696; point transect: 1,502 with a confidence interval of 526–6,870). Recommendations include increasing effort in transects to enhance estimate accuracy and validating the obtained estimates through re-sampling with the same method, in addition to utilizing other independent abundance estimation methods. An assessment of the effects of environmental variables revealed that the species’ cluster size did not show a significant relationship on the determined variables; however, species presence was associated with the percentage of vegetation cover and distance from water sources. This study establishes a foundation for the feasibility of using distance sampling methods to estimate wild mouflon populations in mountainous habitats with complex topography. Continued monitoring of wild mouflon populations through distance sampling in Tang-e-Sayyad National Park and other protected areas could provide baseline density figures necessary for eva‎luating the effectiveness of management plans.

محمودرضا همامي

محسن احمدي

منصوره ملكيان , سيما فاخران اصفهاني