Dryad
Published June 29, 2021 | Version v1
Dataset Open

Conservation of birds in fragmented landscapes requires protected areas

Authors/Creators

  • 1. Utrecht University
  • 2. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich
  • 3. James Cook University
  • 4. Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco
  • 5. Connecticut College
  • 6. Long Term Ecological Research Network*
  • 7. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
  • 8. Stanford University
  • 9. University of Chile
  • 10. Capital Regional District
  • 11. Japan Bird Research Association*
  • 12. Retired Biologist and College Instructor*
  • 13. Charles Darwin University

Description

For successful conservation of biodiversity, it is vital to know whether protected areas in increasingly fragmented landscapes effectively conserve species. However, how large habitat fragments must be and what level of protection is required to sustain species, remains poorly known. We compiled a global dataset on almost 2000 bird species in 741 forest fragments varying in size and protection status, and show that protection is associated with higher bird occurrence, especially for threatened species. Protection becomes increasingly important with increasing size of forest fragments. For forest fragments >50 ha our results show that strict protection (IUCN cat. I-IV) is strongly associated with higher bird occurrences, whereas fragments should be at least 175 ha to observe a positive effect of moderate protection (cat. V-VI). This meta-analysis quantifies the importance of fragment size, protection status, and their interaction for the conservation of bird species communities, and stresses that protection should not be limited to large pristine areas.

Notes

Funding provided by: Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100003246
Award Number: Personal Vidi grant to M.B. Soons

Funding provided by: Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100003246
Award Number: 17431

Funding provided by: Prince Bernhard Chair for International Nature Conservation*
Crossref Funder Registry ID:
Award Number:

Funding provided by: Prince Bernhard Chair for International Nature Conservation
Crossref Funder Registry ID:

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