An additive Habitat Suitability Index format rating system was developed for use in managing wild horse ( Equus caballus) and burro (E. ainus) habitat in Nevada. The model evaluated the four life requisites of food, water , cover and space. Requirements for the rating system were that it should be management oriented, computer compatible, straightforward, predictive and robust. The system is being tested by rating occupied habitat and regressing the results against the densities of horses and burros occurring in the habitat unit. To date the rating system has been tested in northern Nevada (R2 = 0.94Xadjusted for small sample size. R2 = 0.88). Of the life requisites cover is the most weakly correlated. Eliminating the cover variable resulted in R2 = 0.91. Whether this shift in correlation is important to the rating systems application is for managers to determine. Additional testing throughout Nevada will be necessary to determine if the rating system is as accurate over all as it is in northern Nevada.
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