Biogeographical differences between the two Capra pyrenaica subspecies, C. p. victoriae and C. p. hispanica, inhabiting the Iberian Peninsula: Implications for conservation

The Iberian wild goat (Capra pyrenaica), an endemic species to the Iberian Peninsula, was represented in the past by four subspecies. Currently, the conservation status of the recognized subspecies – C. p. hispanica and C. p. victoriae – is quite different, being the former broadly distributed while the latter inhabits fewer and smaller areas. In this global context, our specific aims were to assess the biogeographical relationships, similarities and differences between the Iberian wild goat subspecies, and to evaluate their conservation status from a biogeographical perspective. We modelled the ecogeographical favourability for each subspecies, and also for the whole species, and we comparatively analyzed the spatial relationships among models in order to detect differential biogeographical patterns. Our results showed a differential pattern for each Iberian wild goat subspecies, and thus each one should be independently considered when designing management strategies. The distribution of C. p. victoriae was closely related to climatic conditions, thus it is highly sensitive to variations in climatic characteristics. Finally, from the perspective of metapopulation theory, and according to the geographical structure of their favourable areas, C. p. victoriae is at higher risk than C. p. hispanica. We discuss the implications of our results for species/subspecies conservation, and highlight the importance of conservation biogeography.