Objectives To scientifically assess the current status of habitat quality, and spatial distribution of habitat cold and hot spots, and to predict potential habitat suitability areas for desert ungulates in Kalamari National Park.

Methods With desert ungulates as the indicator group for biodiversity, two indicators of habitat quality and habitat degradation risk of InVEST model were selected to analyze the spatial distribution characteristics of habitat quality in Kalamari National Park. The spatial correlation and hot spot analysis, combined with the results of habitat suitability prediction from MaxEnt model, were employed to elucidate the spatial distribution characteristics of the cold and hot spot coverage areas of habitat quality in Kalamari National Park. Additionally, the relationship between ungulates’ habitat selection and various environmental factors was analyzed.

Results Research showed: (1) The average habitat quality index of InVEST model was 0.54, and the area with medium habitat quality grade was 7185.18 km², accounting for 48.76% of the total area; the degree of habitat degradation was low, and the high habitat degradation area was 122.29 km², accounting for only 0.83% of the total area. (2) The average AUC value of the three desert ungulates in the MaxEnt model was 0.849, the prediction accuracy of the Maxent model was high, and temperature and water source distribution were the two most important environmental factors affecting the potential habitat distribution of desert ungulates. The high suitable habitat area for ungulates was 3351 km², the medium suitable habitat area was 5261 km², and the unsuitable habitat area was 5970 km². (3) The results of the MaxEnt-InVEST integration model indicated that the habitat suitability of desert ungulates was predominantly "high in the northwest and low in the southeast". The hot spots with high habitat quality grades were primarily concentrated in shrub, grassland, wetland, and other land types, which were situated in the central and northern regions of Kalamari National Park, covering an area of 3 742.8 km², accounting for 25.46% of the total area. The cold spot area with low habitat quality grade mainly included other construction land, roads, Gobi, and some bare land, with an area of 4 218.6 km², accounting for 28.7% of the total area.

Conclusions The areas identified as highly suitable for desert ungulates were concentrated in the northwest, with moderate habitat quality and low risk of habitat degradation. The change in land use along the road affected the habitat quality along the road. The cold spot areas of the habitat were distributed along both sides of the road and the southeast, underscoring the need for enhanced planning and management strategies to mitigate the impact of human activities in these regoins.