Assessing biodiversity and conservation value of forest patches secondarily fragmented by urbanisation in semiarid southeastern Spain (original) (raw)
Related papers
Journal for Nature Conservation, 2009
We used the community of passerines and woodpeckers as a target group for the conservation management of Pindos National Park (NW Greece). We conducted bird point counts twice during springtime in 72 plots that represented the main vegetation types (16 sites). We recorded 56 species (14 of conservation concern-SPEC). The montane grasslands were the most important habitats in terms of species of conservation concern, whereas the agricultural mosaics were the most species-rich habitats. The mixed pine-beech woods were significantly richer than the pinewoods, whereas pinewoods and broad-leaved woods did not differ significantly between them. The bird diversity was significantly correlated with the number of tree layers, the vertical structural complexity and the maximum height of trees. The presence of grassland, forest and agricultural habitat type, as well as the altitude and the vegetation structural complexity were the main environmental parameters determining species composition (Canonical Correspondence Analysis). We identified a set of 17 typical species (IndVal analysis) to be used in the monitoring scheme of the Park, which were characteristic of the main bird habitat types distinguished by Ward's hierarchical clustering. Conservation measures should involve maintenance of the traditional agricultural practices, montane grasslands, old growth woods, as well as the vertical vegetation complexity and high trees in forest stands.
Landscape and Urban Planning, 2000
Regional planning is bound to play an increasing role in nature conservation policies because much biodiversity is located outside natural parks and other protected areas. Differences in landscape structure between natural parks and surrounding areas may affect their respective species richness and may provide seasonal habitats that enhance total biodiversity. To test these ideas, we analyzed patterns of bird species richness, and its associated conservation value in a largely forested rural area that lies between the natural parks of Sant Llorenc , del Munt and Montseny (Catalonia, NE Spain). Relationships of species richness with spatial gradients (X and Y Universal Transversal of Mercator (UTM) coordinates) and with altitude and landscape variables were tested by stepwise multiple regression analysis. Regressions were performed separately for both breeding and wintering species, and considering both all species and only several dominant ecological groups (forest, forestcropland and cropland species). Bird species richness and its associated conservation value were higher in the study area than in the surrounding borders of natural parks. Cropland and forest-cropland species concentrated outside the natural parks, whereas forest species were uniformly distributed. Total bird species richness was mainly related to landscape diversity and to abundance of open habitats like croplands and shrublands. Cropland species were the most dependent on the abundance of crops and on landscape diversity, whereas forest and forest-cropland species exhibited weak correlations with landscape variables. Most forest species were year-round residents, whereas forest-cropland and cropland species exhibited seasonal shifts in the number of species, mainly because of interchanges with other areas. Results indicate that rural areas play a role complementary to the surrounding natural protected areas in the conservation of bird species richness at different scales. Implications for the design and optimization of ecological networks in the perimetropolitan area of Barcelona are discussed. #
Forest Ecology and Management, 2007
There is a growing need to manage forest ecosystems for biodiversity conservation. However, there is still a lack of knowledge on which forest characteristics have a greater influence on biological diversity, particularly in Mediterranean forests. To provide further insights in this respect, we analyzed how different characteristics related to forest composition and structure (forest area, canopy cover, canopy cover diversity, development stage, development stage diversity, coniferous species percentage, tree species diversity, and mono-specific forest percentage) influence the richness of forest breeding bird species (considering 22 specialist and 31 generalist species) in a large dataset comprising 2923 UTM 1 km  1 km cells in Catalonia (NE Spain). Bird species richness was estimated through presence/absence data obtained from surveys conducted within the framework of the Catalan Breeding Bird Atlas (1999)(2000)(2001)(2002). Forest characteristics were obtained from the Spanish Forest Map (scale 1:50,000), which was developed within the Third Spanish National Forest Inventory. Best regression models for forest specialists accounted for up to 53% of the variability in species richness, while models for generalist and total species richness accounted for 34% and 49% of total variability, respectively. Species richness was favoured by more developed forest stages and by tree species diversity, but very dense, closed forest canopies (>70%) decreased species richness for both groups. For specialist species richness the percentage of coniferous forest cover had a slightly negative influence, while generalists were favoured by more diverse canopy closure. We discuss the implications of these results for Mediterranean forest management considering the current situation of Catalan forests. #
Birds, landscape connectivity and environmental planning in urban landscapes
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 2017
The composition of the urban vegetation that comprises the green infrastructure of a highlyurbanized Neotropical city was mapped and described in order to assess how it can be used to preserve and maintain urban biodiversity. Supervised classification was used, followed by Map Algebra methodology, to identify the elements that comprise the green infrastructure of the southern region of Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais, Brazil). Species composition of the street trees community was also assessed. Almost half of the study area is occupied by 12 types of woody and herbaceous vegetation, composed mostly by urban parks and gardens. Forty-one percent of the almost 90,000 street trees is composed by 10 species from which only four are native. These results show that the green infrastructure of this urban landscape is comprised by a large amount of different types of green elements, and has a great potential for biodiversity conservation. However, management strategies are needed such as better planning of the urban afforestation process, increasing street tree species richness. This study is the first step towards a better understanding of how such urban landscape influences local biodiversity.
A method for establishing bird conservation value at a landscape level
Bird Conservation International, 1997
To produce conservation indices from bird community data, with the aim of identifying and comparing areas of regional conservation concern, we selected bird community samples randomly over a large study area, without including habitat features a priori in the sampling procedure. Subsequently, we subjected the samples to a cluster analysis to identify a posteriori bird communities to be indexed together with their associated habitat and distribution/abundance on a regional scale. We identified 15 bird community types and were able to characterize each of them by a community conservation index (CCI) taking into account three different components of rarity: habitat selectivity, geographical distribution, and abundance. A cluster of four communities was associated with lowland farmland and woodland; another cluster of five was found at higher average altitudes and degree of urbanization; a third one of six showed a montane distribution. This third cluster showed much higher CCI values in comparison with the first two suggesting that the index here proposed is very sensitive to a high community selectivity and a restricted distribution/abundance.
Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências
Indicator species are frequently used to monitor restoration areas. However, species of conservation concern are usually absent in highly fragmented landscapes, making the selection of indicator species a challenging task. Here, we select indicator species of birds and mammals to be used for the evaluation of restoration sites in a highly fragmented landscape, the Capivara-Taquaruçu Dams region located in north Paraná, Brazil. By using the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI), we show that the Capivara-Taquaruçu Dams landscape has low IBI values and bird richness when compared with two other landscapes in the north of Paraná. Therefore, we used the Individual Indicate Value to identify birds and mammals associated with forest fragments in the Capivara-Taquaruçu Dams landscape. Six bird and four mammal species were selected as indicators of forest fragments, none of which were of conservation concern. However, monitoring of these species could help evaluate the recovery of restoration sites in the Capivara-Taquaruçu Dams region. Lastly, several species of birds and mammals were frequently recorded in the restoration sites, including vulnerable species such as the lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris). This is indicative that restoration sites can be important habitats in highly fragmented landscapes despite the loss of biodiversity.
Tropical forests have been extensively exploited and cleared for various reasons over the past years. Therefore, conservation emphasis has been given to protect natural forests and to assist regeneration of secondary forests. In the current study the composition and abundance of bird species in a natural forest (NF) and an adjacent regenerating forest (RF) in Maragamuwa, Naula in the Matale District were compared using a point count integrated line transect method. A clear variation was seen in the bird composition, diversity and evenness in both forest types and also during different time sessions of the day. In all the instances the values shown by the RF was greater than that of the NF and the species evenness showed high values for both forest types. The species composition showed no seasonal variation in NF throughout the study period while RF showed a seasonal variation. The endemicity of birds in the NF was higher than that of the RF. Hence, the current study shows that early successional forests support a rich bird diversity while the species richness of endemic bird species increases thereby enabling these measurements to be used as indicators in long term conservational practices.