scholarly journals Population trends of wintering waterbirds in Lombardy between 2002 and 2013

2015 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Violetta Longoni ◽  
Diego Rubolini ◽  
Guido Pinoli ◽  
Mauro Fasola

Birds are among the most important biological components of wetlands. They play a key role in their ecology and are an important cultural resource for the public, in part because some species can be legally hunted. The conservation of waterbirds is especially important in terms of land use planning, in light of their ecological, cultural, and economic value. Here we summarize the results of wintering waterbirds censuses carried out in Lombardy between 2002 and 2013, using the standardized International Waterbird Census methodology. Our goals were to identify priority sites for waterbirds; estimate population sizes; define demographic trends; and provide a technical framework for making administrative and legislative decisions on the management and conservation of wetlands and their bird species. Lombardy hosts substantial numbers of wintering waterbirds, and many of its wetlands qualify as areas of conservation interest under Ramsar Convention criteria, as they host >1% of the Italian population of one or more species. Trends for the 20 species of highest conservation or hunting interest showed stable or increasing populations in most cases, with the exception of Black-necked Grebe, Common Pochard, and Eurasian Coot, which instead decreased in 2002-2013. The favourable population trends for most species suggest that the ecological status of Lombardy’s wetlands is essentially stable, but it could be improved by simple measures to improve the natural value of the shorelines and bottoms of major lakes and flooded gravel pits. Hunting was one of the main factors affecting the distribution and abundance of wintering waterbirds, which concentrate in protected areas - over 50% of all birds, rising to over 70% for species of conservation interest concentrate there, despite the fact that protected areas only account for 43% of sites surveyed. Overall, protected areas hosted bird densities that were almost seven times higher than those managed primarily for hunting, while mixed-use areas hosted intermediate densities of birds. The presence of protected and unprotected areas within the same wetland mitigates the effects of hunting on bird populations and species diversity, and may help maintain adequate conditions for their conservation.

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (20) ◽  
pp. 9903-9912 ◽  
Author(s):  
Çağan H. Şekercioğlu ◽  
Chase D. Mendenhall ◽  
Federico Oviedo-Brenes ◽  
Joshua J. Horns ◽  
Paul R. Ehrlich ◽  
...  

Tropical agriculture is a major driver of biodiversity loss, yet it can provide conservation opportunities, especially where protected areas are inadequate. To investigate the long-term biodiversity capacity of agricultural countryside, we quantified bird population trends in Costa Rica by mist netting 57,255 birds of 265 species between 1999 and 2010 in sun coffee plantations, riparian corridors, secondary forests, forest fragments, and primary forest reserves. More bird populations (69) were declining than were stable (39) or increasing (4). Declines were common in resident, insectivorous, and more specialized species. There was no relationship between the species richness of a habitat and its conservation value. High-value forest bird communities were characterized by their distinct species composition and habitat and dietary functional signatures. While 49% of bird species preferred forest to coffee, 39% preferred coffee to forest and 12% used both habitats, indicating that coffee plantations have some conservation value. Coffee plantations, although lacking most of the forest specialists, hosted 185 bird species, had the highest capture rates, and supported increasing numbers of some forest species. Coffee plantations with higher tree cover (7% vs. 13%) had more species with increasing capture rates, twice as many forest specialists, and half as many nonforest species. Costa Rican countryside habitats, especially those with greater tree cover, host many bird species and are critical for connecting bird populations in forest remnants. Diversified agricultural landscapes can enhance the biodiversity capacity of tropical countryside, but, for the long-term persistence of all forest bird species, large (>1,000 ha) protected areas are essential.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 58
Author(s):  
Dwi Bayu Prasetya ◽  
Hediyati Anisia

The wetland area in Tulang Bawang Regency is a stretch of swamps that has an important value ecologically and hydrologically and has economic value. However, currently, the area's condition has begun to change its function to agricultural land, resulting in damage to the habitat and function of swamps, causing a decrease in biological resources such as fish and bird populations. The use of wetlands must be carefully planned and designed with land use principles with a sustainable perspective. The aim of this research is; 1.) Identifying the potential for hydrology, potential land use, and the condition of biodiversity in the Wetland area; 2) Formulating alternative land suitability in the wetland area planning in Tulang Bawang Regency by taking into account biophysical factors and area functions. This research's approach method is spatial pattern analysis, which is to study the patterns, shapes, and distribution of phenomena on the earth's surface. In addition, understand the meaning of these patterns and use them in sustainable land use planning. Based on the results of land suitability analysis for wetland planning in Tulang Bawang Regency, it can be concluded that this area is classified as very suitable (S1) with a score of 93.33. For the development of wetlands through nature conservation and cultural heritage of the Tulang Bawang community as objects and the main attraction of this area.


The Condor ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Lepage ◽  
Charles M. Francis

Abstract Few monitoring programs in North America track bird populations at a continental scale during the winter, a critical stage of the life cycle for many species. To date, only Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) have been used to index bird abundance in winter across North America. We evaluated another continentwide program, Project FeederWatch (PFW), which monitors many bird species more intensively than CBC. PFW is a survey in which volunteers use standardized methods to count birds visiting feeders every two weeks from November through April. We compared population indices and trends from PFW and CBC data for 43 species in 3 regions of Ontario, Canada, over a 21-year period from 1976–1997. Annual population indices from PFW were significantly positively correlated with similar indices from CBC for about 80% of species for which annual variation in counts was substantially greater than sampling error. Log-linear population trends from both surveys were also well correlated, though the absolute value of the trend estimates tended to be higher for PFW. The high consistency between surveys suggests that both may be suitable for detecting population changes for many bird species in winter, especially irruptive species that show large annual fluctuations, and species with marked population trends. However, some species did not correspond between surveys, despite being measured fairly precisely, highlighting the value of having two independent surveys to corroborate patterns. Christmas Bird Counts have the advantage that they sample more species, but Project FeederWatch has a more consistent protocol and continues through the winter, allowing analysis of changes in populations through the winter. ¿Proveen los Conteos en Comederos Información Fidedigna sobre Cambios en las Poblaciones de Aves? 21 Años de Conteos Invernales de Aves en Ontario, Canadá Resumen. Pocos programas de monitoreo en América del Norte siguen a las poblaciones de aves a escala continental durante el invierno, cuando muchas especies pasan por una etapa crítica en su ciclo de vida. Hasta el presente, sólo los Conteos de Aves de Navidad (CAN) han sido usados para cuantificar la abundancia de aves en el invierno a lo largo de América del Norte. Nosotros evaluamos otro programa a nivel continental, el Proyecto de Observación de Comederos (POC), el cual sigue muchas especies de aves de modo más intenso que los CAN. El POC es un programa de muestreo en el cual voluntarios usan métodos estandarizados para contar las aves que visitan comederos, censándolas cada dos semanas entre noviembre y abril. Comparamos índices y tendencias poblacionales de los datos del POC y de los CAN para 43 especies en 3 regiones de Ontario, Canadá, a lo largo de un período de 21 años entre 1976 y 1997. Los índices poblacionales anuales del POC estuvieron positiva y significativamente correlacionados con índices similares de los CAN para alrededor del 80% de las especies, considerando aquellas para las que la variación anual en los conteos fue sustancialmente mayor que el error de muestreo. Las tendencias poblacionales de ambos muestreos, representadas de modo log-lineal, también estuvieron bien correlacionadas, aunque el valor absoluto de la tendencia estimada tendió a ser mayor para el POC. La alta consistencia entre los programas de muestreo sugiere que ambos pueden ser adecuados para detectar los cambios poblacionales de muchas especies de aves durante el invierno, especialmente para especies eruptivas que muestran grandes fluctuaciones anuales, y para aquellas con tendencias poblacionales marcadas. Sin embargo, algunas especies mostraron diferencias entre los programas de muestreo a pesar de haber sido medidas de modo bastante preciso, destacando el valor de tener dos métodos de muestreo independientes para corroborar los patrones. Los Conteos de Aves de Navidad tienen la ventaja de que muestrean más especies, pero el Proyecto de Observación de Comederos posee un protocolo más consistente y se prolonga a través del invierno, permitiendo analizar los cambios de las poblaciones a través de este período.


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 152
Author(s):  
Miju Kim ◽  
Sangkwon Lee ◽  
Chi-Ok Oh

Protected areas are places that provide diverse ecosystem services, including cultural ecosystem services. At the same time, the development and unbalanced use of natural resources in protected areas often create environmental threats and social conflicts. This study estimates the economic value of environmental consequences derived from the construction of an airport in a national park in Korea. We employ a discrete choice experiment to assess economic values and consider a key part of the tradeoffs derived from the airport construction at Heuksan Island of Dadohae Marine National Park in Korea. The results show that social benefits related to improved accessibility and tourism opportunities would be generated but at substantial costs resulting from environmental degradation and the reduction in bird populations. A segmentation analysis also reveals that heterogeneous preferences exist based on variables reflecting individuals’ visit experiences and trust in the government. The findings indicate that considering environmental impacts is important when evaluating the feasibility of a development project in a protected area.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
MALTE BUSCH ◽  
JAKOB KATZENBERGER ◽  
SVEN TRAUTMANN ◽  
BETTINA GERLACH ◽  
RAINER DRÖSCHMEISTER ◽  
...  

SummaryFarmland bird populations in Germany are declining at a higher speed than species inhabiting other habitats. We studied potential causes for bird population changes based on data from standardised German breeding bird monitoring schemes. We related population trends to covariates describing the changes in the agricultural landscape in Germany, weather conditions during the breeding season and for some migratory species, conditions at stopover and wintering sites. Linear mixed effect models were used to analyse effect strength at species level and conclusions are drawn for the overall group of farmland bird species. The area of grassland and fallow land was shown to have the strongest positive effects and the area of maize and rapeseed the strongest negative effects on farmland bird population trends. The results obtained also indicate that despite the consistent influence of weather conditions during the breeding season, land-use changes had a stronger impact on bird populations than weather. Conditions at Sahel wintering sites did not show a consistent effect on population trends. Based on these findings the study quantitatively underpins and ranks key factors shaping farmland bird populations in Germany.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 934
Author(s):  
Luidgi Marchese ◽  
Camilo M. Botero ◽  
Seweryn Zielinski ◽  
Giorgio Anfuso ◽  
Marcus Polette ◽  
...  

Beaches are multidimensional ecosystems that develop relevant natural functions and host tourist activities of great economic value. Therefore, they are currently being subjected to severe human pressure and natural impacts often enhanced by climate change. Beach certification schemes (BCSs) were designed to bridge the gap between recreation and conservation uses. The aim of this paper is to assess the compatibility and potential contribution of nine Beach Classification Schemes (BCSs) used in Latin America with the Orla Project implemented in Brazil to optimize land use planning of coastal zones, including beaches. The weaknesses and strengths of each BCSs were assessed according to the criteria for integrated coastal zone management. As a result, four of the nine BCSs were found to be the most compatible with the context of Brazilian beaches (Ecuadorian, Colombian, Cuban, and Argentinean BCSs), indicating that BCSs can contribute to specific aspects of beach management, but they should not be the only management strategy. In conclusion, the strengths of the four BCSs identified in this study can be used to build a new management tool for Brazilian beaches aligned with the Orla Project—the main coastal planning and management instrument currently used.


Author(s):  
Jérôme FOURNIER ◽  
Andrea De CASTRO PANIZZA

Este artigo apresenta os diferentes aspectos da proteção do ambiente litorâneo abordando três pontos essenciais. O primeiro evoca a instalação de áreas marinhas protegidas (AMP) em um contexto socioeconômico e político, destacando seu funcionamento e a noção de “ efeito reserva”. O segundo mostra a importância das AMP na proteção da biodiversidade marinha. Finalmente, o terceiro ponto exemplifica a avaliação do meio natural e aborda, de maneira geral, o valor econômico das espécies e da “Natureza” na ocorrência de degradação. Contributions of the marine protected areas for the conservation and management of the marine environment Abstract This article presents the various aspects of the littoral environmental protection by approaching three important points. The first evokes the installation of the marine surfaces protected in a socio-economic and political context. The operation of the reserves and the concept of “ reserve effect “ are explained. The second explains the interest of MPA to protect the marine biodiversity. Lastly, the third point shows the evaluation of the natural environment and more generally of the economic value of the species and “Nature” in the event of degradation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralf Buckley ◽  
Paula Brough ◽  
Leah Hague ◽  
Alienor Chauvenet ◽  
Chris Fleming ◽  
...  

Abstract We evaluate methods to calculate the economic value of protected areas derived from the improved mental health of visitors. A conservative global estimate using quality-adjusted life years, a standard measure in health economics, is US$6 trillion p.a. This is an order of magnitude greater than the global value of protected area tourism, and two to three orders greater than global aggregate protected area management agency budgets. Future research should: refine this estimate using more precise methods; consider interactions between health and conservation policies and budgets at national scales; and examine links between personalities and protected area experiences at individual scale.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene Ezebilo

<p>Ecosystem services that are not traded on markets contribute to human wellbeing however their economic value is not well known and research is required to reveal it. This paper reports on a study of willingness to pay (WTP) for the maintenance of Mount Wilhelm by urban residents and socio-economic factors influencing it. The possibility of developing an ecotourism strategy that could generate benefits for local are discussed. The data were obtained from questionnaire and personal interviews of residents of Kundiawa, which is the capital of Simbu Province, Papua New Guinea. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and binary logit regression model. The results showed that 92% of the respondents were willing to pay for maintenance of Mount Wilhelm and they would pay an average of 7.4 Papua New Guinea Kina (US$ 2.5) each year. The respondents who belonged to high income group had the highest WTP, followed by those who were willing to give out part of their land for conservation. Approximately 62% of the respondents would pay ≥10 Papua New Guinea Kina (PGK), which is equivalent to the amount charged as access fee to Mount Wilhelm by the locals living around it. The willingness to pay ≥10 PGK was influenced by income, education, importance of forests and willingness to give up land for conservation. The findings will contribute to land use planning and design of nature-based recreation that meets societal demands.</p>


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