Building development and roads: implications for the distribution of stone curlews across the Brecks

Background: Substantial new housing and infrastructure development planned within England has the potential to conflict with the nature conservation interests of protected sites. The Breckland area of eastern England (the Brecks) is designated as a Special Protection Area for a number of bird species, including the stone curlew (for which it holds more than 60% of the UK total population). We explore the effect of buildings and roads on the spatial distribution of stone curlew nests across the Brecks in order to inform strategic development plans to avoid adverse effects on such European protected sites. Methodology: Using data across all years (and subsets of years) over the period 1988 – 2006 but restricted to habitat areas of arable land with suitable soils, we assessed nest density in relation to the distances to nearest settlements and to major roads. Measures of the local density of nearby buildings, roads and traffic levels were assessed using normal kernel distance-weighting functions. Quasi-Poisson generalised linear mixed models allowing for spatial auto-correlation were fitted. Results: Significantly lower densities of stone curlew nests were found at distances up to 1500m from settlements, and distances up to 1000m or more from major (trunk) roads. The best fitting models involved optimally distance-weighted variables for the extent of nearby buildings and the trunk road traffic levels. Significance : The results and predictions from this study of past data suggests there is cause for concern that future housing development and associated road infrastructure within the Breckland area could have negative impacts on the nesting stone curlew population. Given the strict legal protection afforded to the SPA the planning and conservation bodies have subsequently agreed precautionary restrictions on building development within the distances identified and used the modelling predictions to agree mitigation measures for proposed trunk road developments

Predicting the population consequences of human disturbance for ringed plovers Charadrius hiaticula: a game theory approach. Ibis

Human disturbance and its potential impacts upon bird populations are currently topical and contentious issues for conservationists. Although many studies have revealed a behavioural impact, or even direct effect on breeding success or survival, these cannot usually be extended to predict the impact on population size. Here we present a population model that allows predictions of the effect that changes in human numbers, visiting a 9-km-long section of the coastline, may have upon the size of a Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula population. Human disturbance affects Ringed Plovers in our study area through birds avoiding areas of high disturbance and, in addition, through the accidental trampling of a small number of nests by people walking on the beach. Using the level of human disturbance and habitat variables (which define territory quality) it is possible to predict which areas of beach are occupied and therefore the sites available to the population. Breeding success, for a given area of beach, can be predicted from habitat data. Incorporating known, density-independent, adult mortality allows the equilibrium population size to be predicted. This provides a model that predicts population size. This model is then used to predict the population that the site would support with different, hypothetical, levels of disturbance. If nest loss from human activity was prevented, for example by fencing nests, we predict the Plover population size would increase by 8%. A complete absence of human disturbance would cause a population increase of 85%. If the numbers of people were to double, we predict the population would decrease by 23%

Solent Brent Goose and Waders Spatial Analysis.

Unpublished report by Footprint Ecology for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

Access to the countryside and bird conservation Priorities for reserch : a report developed from a workshop held in London in January 2001

Includes bibliographical referencesAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:3775. 10607(no 485) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

Speckled piculet Picumnus innominatus and golden speckled flycatcher-warbler Seicercus burkii from Margalla Hills, Pakistan

Volume: 95Start Page: 345End Page: 34

Nest density in relation to distance from A-roads.

<p>Average (1988-2006) annual density (km^-2) of stone curlew nests on arable land at different distance bands from individual A-roads, from any Trunk road (A11,A14), from any non-Trunk road and from any A-road.</p

Proportion of nests on suitable arable land which occur within 500m of the nearest settlement.

<p>Proportion of nests on suitable arable land which occur within 500m of the nearest settlement.</p

Nest density in relation to distance from settlements.

<p>Average density of stone curlew nests on (a) arable land and (b) semi-natural grassland and SSSI on suitable soils at different distance bands from the nearest settlement in each of the periods 1988-92 (circles), 1993-96 (squares), 1997-2000 (diamonds) and 2002-06 (triangles).</p

Stone curlew population trends 1988-2006. (a) nests per year and (b) nest density (km^-2) on suitable arable land (solid) and semi-natural grassland/SSSI (dashed).

<p>Stone curlew population trends 1988-2006. (a) nests per year and (b) nest density (km^-2) on suitable arable land (solid) and semi-natural grassland/SSSI (dashed).</p

New and noteworthy observations on the Paraguayan avifauna

Volume: 117Start Page: 275End Page: 29