Estimated Avian Nest Loss Associated with Oil and Gas Exploration and Extraction in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin

Avian Conservation and Ecology

Erin M. Bayne,¹  NicolaKoper,²  Steven L. Van Wilgenburg,³  Keith A. Hobson,³ 

[1] Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta;Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba;Science & Technology Branch, Environment Canada

关键词: adult recruitment;    gas well;    incidental take;    migratory bird;    mortality;    nest loss;    nests;    oil;    gas;    oil s;    s;    oil well;    pipeline;    seismic line;   

DOI  :  10.5751/ACE-00585-080209

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Resilience Alliance Publications

【 摘 要 】

Annual mortality within bird populations can be attributed to numerous sources; however, the extent to which anthropogenic sources of mortality contribute to avian demography is largely unknown. Quantifying the relative magnitude of human-related avian mortality could inform conservation efforts, particularly if multiple sources of human-related mortality can be contrasted. The unintentional destruction of nests and their contents by industrial activities conducted during the breeding season of resident and migratory birds presumably leads to one such source of human-caused avian mortality. As part of a broader effort to quantify major sources of human-related avian mortality, we estimated the magnitude of nest loss resulting from the terrestrial oil and gas sector in Canada, including: (1) seismic exploration, (2) pipeline right-of-way clearing, (3) well pad clearing, and (4) oil sands mining within the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB). We estimated nest losses as the product of estimated nest densities, the area disturbed annually, and the proportion of annual disturbance presumed to occur during the breeding season. The estimated number of nests disturbed annually by all oil and gas sectors combined ranged between 11,840

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