Habitat Suitability and Conserving Tacca chantrieri André, a Case Study in Ba-Vi Natural Park, Vietnam

Tacca chantrieri André (1901) is a valuable evergreen rhizomatous herbaceous species that plays a crucial ecological and economic role in Vietnam’s evergreen broadleaf forests. However, the degradation of forest ecosystems poses a significant threat to its survival in the wild. This study aimed to develop a model for determining the potential land suitable for Tacca chantrieri in Ba-Vi Natural Park, utilizing SoilGrid data. The results revealed that the species primarily thrives in Ba Vi, Minh Quang, and Yen Bai communes, covering approximately 20.92% of the total area. Despite its adaptability, Tacca chantrieri is highly scarce in the wild, with only 30 identified population spots concentrated along streams and slopes. The Jackknife standard analysis identified five key variables influencing the potential distribution of Tacca chantrieri in Ba-Vi National Park: clay composition in soil (36.9% contribution), bulk (22.6%), organic carbon density (OCD) (16.4%), coarse fragments (CF) (13%), and silt (9.3%). These findings highlight the applicability of SoilGrid data in species distribution modeling for small areas, particularly in the absence of site-specific soil data. However, for precise and site-specific information, field data collection remains indispensable. The high AUC values (training data: 93.9%, test data: 94.9%) indicate the feasibility of developing an effective model for evergreen rhizomatous herbaceous species.