Jyoti Sharma, University of Inland Norway, Norway

Sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) are nationally endangered in Nepal, yet their current distribution and habitat requirements remain poorly understood, particularly in Bardia – Banke Complex (BBC). The Bardia – Banke Complex (BBC) in the western region of Nepal, comprises two adjacent interconnected protected areas of Nepal’s terai region i.e., Banke and Bardia National Park. Using 7,423 camera-trap nights, we complied 60 independent detections of sloth bears and modelled habitat suitability using MaxEnt with six non-collinear environmental predictors. The model performed well (AUC = 0.819), indicating strong discriminatory capacity. Terrain Ruggedness Index (TRI) and annual mean temperature (bio 1) were the most influential predicators, followed by NDVI and annual precipitation (bio 12). The model predicted a total 2539.32 sq.km area of BBC as potential habitat for sloth bears. A total of 1176.12 ksq.km (approximately 46% of the study area) was identified as potential habitat (low to highly suitable). Specifically, 377.50 sq.km (15%) was classified as highly suitable habitat representing the core areas for conservation. 379.02 sq.km (15%) was identified as moderately suitable, and 419.60 sq.km (17%) was classified as low suitability. The remaining 1363.19 sq.km (54%) was determined to be unsuitable for sloth bears. Suitable habitat was concentrated in rugged Chure foothills, and dry deciduous forests, and predicted distribution suggests that much of the BBC remains ecologically suitable for sloth bears, supporting its role as a regional stronghold. These findings align with ecological patterns reported across Nepal and India, where sloth bears preferentially use heterogenous, warm, and seasonally dry habitats rich in termites and fruiting species. Our results provide the first landscape-level suitability map for sloth bears in western Nepal and highlight priority areas for conservation, conflict mitigation and long-term monitoring.