Beyond Site-Specific Criteria: Conservation of Migratory Birds and Their Habitats from a Network Perspective

Diversity

Herbert H. T. Prins¹  Haitham Mossad²  Andy J. Green³  Taej Mundkur⁴  Ward Hagemeijer⁴  Willem F. de Boer⁵  Yanjie Xu⁵ 

[1] Animal Sciences Group, Wageningen University and Research, De Elst 1, 6708 WD Wageningen, The Netherlands;Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University and Research, De Elst 1, 6708 WD Wageningen, The Netherlands;Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD), CSIC, E-41092 Sevilla, Spain;Wetlands International, Global Office, Horapark 9, 6717 LZ Ede, The Netherlands;Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen University and Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands;

关键词: bird movement;    migration;    site network;    conservation;    habitat;    wetland;   

DOI  :  10.3390/d14050353

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Many populations of birds depend on networks of sites to survive. Sufficient connectivity that allows movement between the sites throughout the year is a critical requirement. We found that existing international frameworks and policies for identifying sites important for bird conservation focus more at the level of the individual site than on the site network and its connectivity. Only 21% of site criteria acknowledge the importance of movement networks for birds, and such network criteria were mostly (67%) qualitative. We suggest a three-step quantitative approach for informing conservation about the connectivity of bird movements (especially when migrating) from a network perspective, by reviewing current scientific knowledge. The first step is to construct a bird movement network by identifying sites frequently used by birds as ‘nodes’, and then define ‘edges’ from the probability of non-stop flight between each pair of nodes. The second step is to quantify network connectivity, i.e., the extent to which the site network facilitates bird movements. The last step is to assess the importance of each site from its contribution to network connectivity. This approach can serve as a tool for comprehensive and dynamic monitoring of the robustness of site networks during global change.

【 授权许可】

Unknown