Status, diversity and trends of the bird communities in Volcanoes National Park and surrounds, Rwanda

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
MIA A. DERHÉ ◽  
DEO TUYISINGIZE ◽  
WINNIE ECKARDT ◽  
FAIDA EMMANUEL ◽  
TARA STOINSKI
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Population Pressure ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Albertine Rift ◽  
1960S And 1970S

SummaryThe Volcanoes National Park (VNP) in Rwanda, part of the Virunga massif in the Albertine Rift region, boasts some of Rwanda’s best remaining natural vegetation and is home to many endangered and endemic species. The park has suffered from high levels of degradation and destruction, reducing in size by 50% during the 1960s and 1970s, and remains under threat from illegal activities, human population pressure and climate change. This study is the first to investigate the status and trends of bird communities in the VNP, using a multi-year dataset. We use a five-year dataset, totalling over 3,200 point-counts, both within and around the VNP, to assess the conservation value of the VNP for birds in comparison with other national parks and non-protected areas. We assess bird communities and population trends within and around the parks and identify important habitat factors for birds within the VNP. We found that the VNP hosts a unique bird community compared to other localities, with several Albertine Rift endemics and threatened species occurring in the VNP. Hagenia/ Hypericum woodland, herbaceous vegetation, brush ridge and mixed forest host the highest levels of bird diversity in the VNP, whilst the park’s waterbodies provide key habitat for the endangered Albertine Rift endemic Grauer’s Swamp-warbler (Bradypterus graueri). Elevation had a negative effect on bird diversity in the VNP, whilst the basal area of dead trees, Hagenia and vines had a positive effect. Both inside and outside the VNP, there was a significant decline in abundance and species richness over the sampling years; however, we advocate for further monitoring to confirm these trends. Based on our findings, we recommend effective, targeted management of key habitats for birds within the park, including those identified in this study, in order to mitigate bird declines and conserve the unique bird communities in the VNP.

scholarly journals Conserving native trees increases native bird diversity and community composition on commercial office developments

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Dyson
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Bird Conservation ◽  
Tree Protection ◽  
Matrix Habitat ◽  
Site Use

Abstract In cities, woody vegetation provides critical shelter, nesting and foraging habitat for bird species of interest. Human actions—including development and landscaping choices—determine vegetation community composition and structure, making these choices critically important to urban bird conservation. A better understanding of how bird communities are impacted by parcel-scale actions can help guide policy and management best practices to improve matrix habitat quality and quantity. Here, I examined how bird habitat use varies along a vegetation gradient created by different development and landscaping choices. I surveyed 20 commercial office developments near Seattle in the Puget Trough region of Washington, USA selected using stratified random sampling, where I quantified bird communities and observed feeding behavior. I used GLMM and PERMANOVA models with data likelihood metrics to identify the best supported variables for bird site use, along with TITAN models to identify changes in community composition along environmental gradients. I found that measures of bird effective species richness and bird community are positively influenced by the presence of more native conifers, including the presence of a stand predating development and the height and density of native conifers. Measures of the native bird community are negatively influenced by higher non-native tree density. In contrast to prior research, top-down landscape-scale variables did not explain variation in measures of the bird community on office developments. Importantly, I found that birds are associated with the same habitat on office developments as observed elsewhere. Together, my findings suggest an important role for developers, land owners, landscape architects, and tree protection policy in bird conservation.

scholarly journals Respon Komunitas Burung terhadap Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Panas Bumi (PLTP) Kamojang, Bandung, Jawa Barat

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diyah Kartikasari ◽  
Satyawan Pudyatmoko ◽  
Novianto Bambang Wawandono ◽  
Pri Utami
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Species Number ◽  
Point Count ◽  
Geothermal Power Plant ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
Geothermal Power

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui respon komunitas burung terhadap keberadaan Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Panas Bumi Kamojang. Kami membandingkan keanekaragaman dan kekayaan jenis burung pada lokasi yang terdampak (DL) dan tidak terdampak (TL) di Wilayah Kerja Panas Bumi Kamojang, Cagar Alam Kamojang dan Taman Wisata Alam Kamojang di Kabupaten Bandung Provinsi Jawa Barat. Lokasi yang terdampak berada di sekitar sumur produksi atau pembangkit listrik tenaga panas bumi (30 sampel) sedangkan lokasi yang tidak terdampak adalah dengan jarak 3.000 m sampai 9.000 m dari fasilitas tersebut (42 sampel). Pengumpulan data dilakukan selama dua musim; musim kemarau dan penghujan (2015-2016). Kami mengumpulkan data komunitas burung dan data habitat dengan metode point count yang ditempatkan secara sistematis di setiap lokasi. Kami menemukan 124 spesies burung yang terdiri dari 35 famili dan 16 spesies di antaranya adalah burung endemik di Pulau Jawa. Dua puluh tiga spesies dilindungi oleh undang-undang di Indonesia, sembilan spesies termasuk dalam daftar lampiran CITES dan lima spesies masuk dalam Daftar Merah Spesies Terancam IUCN tahun 2017. Terdapat perbedaan respon antara komunitas burung di lokasi terdampak dan tidak terdampak yang ditunjukkan dengan perbedaan rata-rata jumlah spesies, jumlah individu masing-masing spesies, indeks keanekaragaman ShannonWiener. Lokasi tidak terdampak memiliki nilai lebih tinggi pada parameter ini dibanding lokasi yang terkena dampak. Demikian juga, jumlah spesies, jumlah individu vegetasi dan indeks keanekaragaman hayati ShannonWiener pada lokasi TL memiliki nilai rata-rata lebih tinggi daripada lokasi DL. Hal ini membuktikan bahwa meskipun panas bumi dianggap sebagai energi ramah lingkungan namun dalam penggunaannya masih berdampak pada keanekaragaman hayati di sekitarnya terutama untuk jenis burung. Response of Bird Community to Kamojang Geothermal Power Plant, Bandung, West JavaAbstractThis study aimed to investigate the response of bird communities on the presence of geothermal power plant of Kamojang. We compared the bird diversity and richness of affected (DL) and not affected (TL) in Kamojang Geothermal Working Area, Kamojang Nature Reserve and Kamojang Nature Park in Bandung regency of West Java Province. The affected sites were surrounding production wells or geothermal power plants (30 samples) whereas not affected sites were with distance of 3,000 m to 9,000 m from those facilities (42 samples). The data collection was carried out during two seasons; dry and rainy season in (2015-2016). In each site, we collected bird community data and habitat data with the point count method which was placed systematically on each sites. We found 124 birds species belongs to 35 families with 16 endemic species in Java Island. Twenty three species are protected by Indonesian law, with nine species are in the CITES appendix list and five species are listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species of 2017. There was a difference of responses between bird communities in the affected and not affected sites which is indicated by differences in the mean number of species, number of individuals in each species, and Shannon-Wiener's diversity index. The not affected sites had higher value on these parameters than the affected sites. Similarly, number of species, number of individual vegetation, and Shannon-Wiener biodiversity index in TL sites had higher mean values than DL sites. This proves that although geothermal is considered as environmentally friendly energy but in its utilization it still has an impact on the surrounding biodiversity especially for bird species.

scholarly journals Spatial distribution and diversity of bird community in an urban area of Southeast Brazil

2005 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Antônio Manhães ◽  
Alan Loures-Ribeiro
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Distance Estimation ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Point Counts ◽  
Bird Richness ◽  
Minas Gerais State

Since the campus of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, has different landscapes, it turns up to be a useful ecological model to evaluate the influence of habitat heterogeneity on bird communities. Our research goals were to know the local avifauna and compare its composition and bird diversity within the different landscapes. Species were identified in point counts without distance estimation, in four habitats: secondary woodlot, lake and surroundings, scrub/abandoned grazing areas and urban areas. One hundred and twenty-one species were identified, but no difference in diversity among the habitats was found. However, analyses indicated the existence of greater similarities among the sampling points belonging to the same kind of habitat. Results suggests that small and isolated forest fragments in urban areas fail to sustain a greater diversity than the adjacent areas, even though the environment's heterogeneous aspect favours local bird richness.

Partial cutting of woodlots in an agriculture-dominated landscape: effects on forest bird communities

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (12) ◽  
pp. 2467-2476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen B Holmes ◽  
Dawn M Burke ◽  
Ken A Elliott ◽  
Michael D Cadman ◽  
Lyle Friesen
Keyword(s):  
Basal Area ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Forest Bird ◽  
Single Tree Selection ◽  
Dendroica Pensylvanica ◽  
Successional Species ◽  
Brown Creeper ◽  
Silvicultural Guidelines

We studied the short-term effects of partial cutting on the forest bird communities of mixed maple forests in an agriculture-dominated landscape in southwestern Ontario. Blocks that had been recently harvested were grouped according to provincial silvicultural guidelines (standard and heavy cuts) and compared with blocks that had been uncut for at least 24 years (old cuts). We found significant differences in forest bird community structure between standard and heavy cuts and between heavy and old cuts, but not between standard and old cuts. Heavy cuts had more species and more individuals than old cuts, the result primarily of greater numbers of early-successional species. Brown creeper (Certhia americana Bonap.) was the only species to show a significant negative response to harvesting and was the best indicator of old cuts, while indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea L.), brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater Bodd.), chestnut-sided warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica L.), American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla L.), and great crested flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus L.) were all significant indicators of heavy cuts. Our research suggests that it is possible to protect native bird communities in southwestern Ontario by using the single-tree selection system to meet the minimum basal area targets and harvest intensities recommended in provincial silvicultural guidelines.

The effect of fire on birds of mulga woodland in arid central Australia

2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam J. Leavesley ◽  
Geoffrey J. Cary ◽  
Glenn P. Edwards ◽  
A. Malcolm Gill
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
National Park ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Time Since Fire ◽  
Central Australia ◽  
Acacia Aneura

The principal ecosystem driver in arid Australia is unpredictable rainfall, but it is hypothesised that fire also plays an important role in determining the distribution of animals. We investigated the effect of fire on birds in mulga (Acacia aneura) woodland in the central Australian arid zone. The study was conducted at Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park using 63 sites classified into one of three time-since-fire classes: burnt 2002; burnt 1976; and long-unburnt. Birds were sampled in the winter and spring of 2005 and 2006 and vegetation structure was measured at all sites. Vegetation structure varied with time-since-fire. The burnt 2002 treatment was an early seral stage of mulga woodland and effectively a grassland. The burnt 1976 and long-unburnt treatments were both woodland, but the long-unburnt treatment had greater canopy cover and height. The bird community in the burnt 2002 treatment was characterised by granivores, whereas that in the burnt 1976 and long-unburnt treatments was characterised by foliar insectivores. All species showed monotonic responses to time-since-fire (i.e. none were at significantly highest density in the burnt 1976 treatment). Fire in mulga woodland changed the vegetation structure and consequently also changed the composition of the bird communities.

scholarly journals Bird Diversity and Community Composition in Kafta Sheraro National Park, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Teklay Girmay ◽  
Zeyede Teshome ◽  
Tesfay Tesfamichael
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
National Park ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Northern Ethiopia ◽  
Point Count

Birds are one of the most important components of biodiversity that has huge ecological, economical, and esthetic values. The main objective of this study was to assess diversity and species composition of bird community in Kafta Sheraro National Park, Northern Ethiopia. Data were collected from August 2017 to March 2018 in the national park. Point count method was employed to collect data on bird species diversity and species composition. Direct observations of birds and discussion with local people and scouts to assess potential threats of avifauna in the park were made. Shannon diversity index was used to calculate the species diversity. A total of 158 bird species belonging to 52 different families and 20 orders were identified. Of the recorded species, there were 76.6% residents, 15.8% Palaearctic migrants (PM), 5.7% Intra-African migrants (IM), and 1.9% partial migrants. Accipitiridae (11.4%) had the highest species followed by Columbidae, Estrilidae, and Ploceidae with 7%, 5.7%, and 4.4% species, respectively. The highest Shannon–Weiner diversity index (H′ = 4.50) was recorded during February while the lowest (H′ = 2.18) was recorded during March. Species richness of the park showed no significance difference among the study months (χ2 = 10.046, df = 5, P>0.05). Agricultural expansions, fire, livestock grazing, mining, and poaching were the major threats of the park bird species. Kafta Sheraro National Park is one of the areas with high avian composition in Ethiopia. In the park, wildlife watching in general and ornithological tourism in particular should be developed. Anthropogenic disturbances should also be minimized to conserve avian diversity of the park.

scholarly journals Composition and structure of bird communities in vegetational gradients of Bodoquena Mountains, western Brazil

2016 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 211-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
MAURICIO N. GODOI ◽  
FRANCO L. SOUZA ◽  
RUDI R. LAPS ◽  
DANILO B. RIBEIRO
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Bird Conservation ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Bird Abundance ◽  
Point Counts ◽  
Composition And Structure

ABSTRACT The informations of bird species distribution in different habitats and the structure of their communities are crucial for bird conservation. We tested the differences in composition, richness and abundance of birds in different phytophysiognomies at Bodoquena Mountains, western Brazil, and we demonstrated the variations in richness and abundance of birds between different trophic groups. Sampling was conducted between July 2011 and June 2012 in 200 point counts arranged in the study area. A total of 3350 contacts were obtained belonging to 156 bird species. Woodland savannas, seasonal forests and arboreal savannas had higher bird abundance and richness, while riparian forests, clean pastures and dirty pastures had smaller values of these parameters. The bird community was organized according to local vegetational gradient, with communities of forests, open areas and savannas, although many species occurred in more than one vegetation type. The insectivorous, omnivorous, frugivorous and gramnivorous birds composed most of the community. These data showed how important environmental heterogeneity is to bird communities. Furthermore, the presence of extensive patches of natural habitats, the small distance between these patches and the permeability of pastures, with high arboreal and shrubby cover, are indicated as important factors to maintain the bird diversity.

scholarly journals Landscape structure affects bird community in Bogor, West Java

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aronika Kaban ◽  
Ani Mardiastuti ◽  
Lilik Budi Prasetyo
Keyword(s):  
Bird Community ◽  
Shape Index ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Similarity Analysis ◽  
Point Count ◽  
Landscape Modification ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Landscape Types ◽  
The City

Birds have different responses to landscape modification, depends on its adaptation to the environment. The purposes of this study were to identify bird communities in several landscape types and to analyze the landscape structures that affect bird communities. The study was conducted from April to August 2016 at 29 landscapes in the city of Bogor. The landscapes were categorized into four types based on their fragmentation stages: intact, variegated, fragmented, and relict. Birds were surveyed using point count. Bird diversity was calculated using Shanon-Wienner Index, followed by Kruskal-Wallis statistical analysis, the similarity of communities was tested using Bray-Curtis. The landscape structures were quantified using 7 variables and measured using ArcGis patch analyst. Total 8,967 individuals from 75 species and 36 families were recorded. Similarity analysis of the bird community suggested that intact landscapes were clustered separately, while other three types were clustered together. The results showed that the abundance and species richness were higher in intact landscape. Bird diversity in Bogor becomes higher when the total edge, the mean shape index, and the shannon evenness index become smaller.

From Competition to Cooperation: A History of Canada–US National Park Relations

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terence Young ◽  
Alan MacEachern ◽  
Lary Dilsaver
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Us ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Settler Societies ◽  
History Of ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Flow Of Information ◽  
The Relationship

This essay explores the evolving international relationship of the two national park agencies that in 1968 began to offer joint training classes for protected-area managers from around the world. Within the British settler societies that dominated nineteenth century park-making, the United States’ National Park Service (NPS) and Canada’s National Parks Branch were the most closely linked and most frequently cooperative. Contrary to campfire myths and nationalist narratives, however, the relationship was not a one-way flow of information and motivation from the US to Canada. Indeed, the latter boasted a park bureaucracy before the NPS was established. The relationship of the two nations’ park leaders in the half century leading up to 1968 demonstrates the complexity of defining the influences on park management and its diffusion from one country to another.

Into Russian Nature

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan D. Roe
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
National Parks ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
National Park ◽  
World War ◽  
Nature Protection ◽  
Soviet Government ◽  
History Of ◽  
Development Goals

Into Russian Nature examines the history of the Russian national park movement. Russian biologists and geographers had been intrigued with the idea of establishing national parks before the Great October Revolution but pushed the Soviet government successfully to establish nature reserves (zapovedniki) during the USSR’s first decades. However, as the state pushed scientists to make zapovedniki more “useful” during the 1930s, some of the system’s staunchest defenders started supporting tourism in them. In the decades after World War II, the USSR experienced a tourism boom and faced a chronic shortage of tourism facilities. Also during these years, Soviet scientists took active part in Western-dominated international environmental protection organizations, where they became more familiar with national parks. In turn, they enthusiastically promoted parks for the USSR as a means to reconcile environmental protection and economic development goals, bring international respect to Soviet nature protection efforts, and help instill a love for the country’s nature and a desire to protect it in Russian/Soviet citizens. By the late 1980s, their supporters pushed transformative, and in some cases quixotic, park proposals. At the same time, national park opponents presented them as an unaffordable luxury during a time of economic struggle, especially after the USSR’s collapse. Despite unprecedented collaboration with international organizations, Russian national parks received little governmental support as they became mired in land-use conflicts with local populations. While the history of Russia’s national parks illustrates a bold attempt at reform, the state’s failure’s to support them has left Russian park supporters deeply disillusioned.

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