Endangered species and forest connectivity across Liberia and neighboring countries

This presentation was given as part of the GIS Day@KU symposium on November 15, 2017. For more information about GIS Day@KU activities, please see http://gis.ku.edu/gisday/2017/PLATINUM SPONSORS: KU Department of Geography and Atmospheric Science KU Institute for Policy & Social Research GOLD SPONSORS: KU Libraries State of Kansas Data Access & Support Center (DASC) SILVER SPONSORS: Bartlett & West Kansas Applied Remote Sensing Program KU Center for Global and International Studies BRONZE SPONSORS: Boundles

Completeness of Digital Accessible Knowledge of the Birds of Western Africa and Priorities for Survey and Inventory

This poster was presented on April 12, 2018, at the American Ornithological Society (AOS) Annual Meeting held in Tucson, Arizona.Primary biodiversity data are widely used to model ecological niches and geographic distributions of species, assess the status of global biodiversity, and inform conservation decisions. However, these data are often unavailable for some taxa or unevenly distributed across regions and landscapes. This study aims to identify current gaps in the current knowledge of West African birds that can guide future avian surveys and inventories across the region, and to inform conservation decisions. We examined Digital Accessible Knowledge (DAK) of the birds of Western Africa, available online from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and eBird up to 2016. The data were standardized and cleaned carefully, and inventory completeness indices were calculated at 0.5 degrees, 0.3 degrees and 0.1 degrees spatial resolutions across the region. Well-known sites were identified as those grid squares with completeness indices above 80% and >200 associated DAK records. We identified 81 well-known pixels at 0.1 degrees, 73 at 0.3 degrees, and 63 at 0.5 degrees. Well-known sites were notably clustered around accessible areas (e.g., cities). Countries holding more well-known sites were Ghana, Cameroon, Gambia, and Ivory Coast. Our results show the biases and gaps in West African bird data, and identify areas to be prioritized in future surveys and inventories

the case of Agelastes meleagrides, a western African forest endemic

The data analyzed during the current study are available in the following databases: the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF; https ://www.gbif.org). Data from surveys in Sapo National Park in Liberia and Gola Rainforest National Park in Sierra Leone are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Environmental datasets are available at https ://terra .nasa.gov/data and http://www.worldclim.org.Background:Understanding geographic distributions of species is a crucial step in spatial planning for biodiversity conservation, particularly as regards changes in response to global climate change. This information is especially important for species of global conservation concern that are susceptible to the effects of habitat loss and climate change. In this study, we used ecological niche modeling to assess the current and future geographic distributional potential of White‑breasted Guineafowl (Agelastes meleagrides) (Vulnerable) across West Africa.Methods:We used primary occurrence data obtained from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and national parks in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and two independent environmental datasets (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer normalized difference vegetation index at 250 m spatial resolution, and Worldclim climate data at 2.5′ spatial resolution for two representative concentration pathway emissions scenarios and 27 general circulation models for 2050) to build ecological niche models in Maxent.Results:From the projections, White‑breasted Guineafowl showed a broader potential distribution across the region compared to the current IUCN range estimate for the species. Suitable areas were concentrated in the Gola rainforests in northwestern Liberia and southeastern Sierra Leone, the Tai‑Sapo corridor in southeastern Liberia and southwest‑ern Côte d’Ivoire, and the Nimba Mountains in northern Liberia, southeastern Guinea, and northwestern Côte d’Ivoire. Future climate‑driven projections anticipated minimal range shifts in response to climate change.Conclusions:By combining remotely sensed data and climatic data, our results suggest that forest cover, rather than climate is the major driver of the species’ current distribution. Thus, conservation efforts should prioritize forest protec‑tion and mitigation of other anthropogenic threats (e.g. hunting pressure) affecting the species.Conservation InternationalGlobal Environment Facility-funded Grant # GEF-581

Inventory statistics meet big data: complications for estimating numbers of species

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.We point out complications inherent in biodiversity inventory metrics when applied to large-scale datasets. The number of units of inventory effort (e.g., days of inventory effort) in which a species is detected saturates, such that crucial numbers of detections of rare species approach zero. Any rare errors can then come to dominate species richness estimates, creating upward biases in estimates of species numbers. We document the problem via simulations of sampling from virtual biotas, illustrate its potential using a large empirical dataset (bird records from Cape May, NJ, USA), and outline the circumstances under which these problems may be expected to emerge

An experimental evaluation of the effects of geolocator design and attachment method on between-year survival on Whinchats Saxicola rubetra

Data from location logging tags have revolutionised our understanding of migration ecology, but methods of tagging that do not compromise survival need to be identified. We compared resighting rates for 156 geolocator-tagged and 316 colour ringed-only whinchats on their African wintering grounds after migration to and from eastern Europe in two separate years. We experimentally varied both light stalk length (0, 5 and 10 mm) and harness material (elastic or non-elastic nylon braid tied on, leg-loop ‘Rappole’ harnesses) in the second year using a reasonably balanced design (all tags in the first year used an elastic harness and 10 mm light stalk). Tags weighed 0.63 g (0.01 SE), representing 4.1% of average body mass. There was no overall significant reduction in between-year resighting rate (our proxy for survival) comparing tagged and untagged birds in either year. When comparing within tagged birds, however, using a tied harness significantly reduced resighting rate by 53% on average compared to using an elastic harness (in all models), but stalk length effects were not statistically significant in any model considered. There was no strong evidence that the fit (relative tightness) or added tag mass affected survival, although tied tags were fitted more tightly later in the study, and birds fitted with tied tags later may have had lower survival. Overall, on a precautionary principle, deploying tags with non-elastic tied harnesses should be avoided because the necessary fit, so as not to reduce survival, is time-consuming to achieve and does not necessarily improve with experience. Geolocator tags of the recommended percentage of body mass fitted with elastic leg-loop harnesses and with short light stalks can be used without survival effects in small long-distance migrant birds.PostprintPeer reviewe

Spring migration strategies of Whinchat Saxicola rubetra when successfully crossing potential barriers of the Sahara and the Mediterranean Sea

This work was supported by Chris Goodwin, A.P. Leventis Conservation Foundation, AP Leventis Ornithological Research Institute, the British Ornithologists’ Union and the Linnean Society.The flexibility for migrant land birds to be able to travel long distances rapidly without stop-overs, and thus to cross wide inhospitable areas such as deserts and oceans, is likely to be a major determinant of their survival during migration. We measured variation in flight distance, speed, and duration of major stop-overs (more than two days), using geolocator tracks of 35 Whinchats Saxicola rubetra that migrated successfully from central Nigeria to Eastern Europe in spring, and how these measures changed, or depended on age, when crossing the barriers of the Sahara or the Mediterranean Sea. Thirty-one percent of Whinchats crossed at least the Sahara and the Mediterranean before a major stop-over; 17% travelled over 4,751 km on average without any major stop-overs. Flight distance and speed during, and duration of major stop-overs after, crossing the Mediterranean Sea were indistinguishable from migration over Continental Europe. Speed during a migration leg was lowest crossing Continental Europe and fastest, with longer duration major stop-overs afterwards, when crossing the Sahara, but there was much individual variation, and start date of migration was also a good predictor of stop-over duration. As the distance travelled during a leg increased, so major stop-over duration afterwards increased (1 day for every 1000km), but the speed of travel during the leg had no effect. There were no differences in any migration characteristics with age, other than an earlier start date for adult birds. The results suggest that adaptive shortening or even dropping of daily stop-overs may occur often, allowing rapid, long-distance migration at the cost of major stop-overs afterwards, but such behaviour is not restricted to or always found when crossing barriers, even for birds on their first spring migration. The results may highlight the importance of stop-over sites rather than barrier width as the likely key component to successful migration. Individual variation in spring migration may indicate that small passerine migrants like Whinchats may be resilient to future changes in the extent of barriers they encounter, although this may not be true of first autumn migrations or if stop-over sites are lost.PostprintPeer reviewe

Primary Biodiversity Data Gaps Assessment and Data Use for Decision-making: A West African Experience

Primary biodiversity data, data documenting presences of particular species at particular sites at a point in time, available in standard digital formats, provide the basis for many quantitative studies that can inform effective and reliable national, regional, and global biodiversity conservation decisions. However, these datasets are often unavailable, incomplete, or unevenly distributed across regions and landscapes. We assessed the survey completeness and gaps in current knowledge of birds of West Africa, using digital, accessible primary biodiversity data, obtained from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and eBird. Additionally, using ecological niche modeling approaches, we modeled the current and potential future geographic distributions of a diverse suite of range-restricted and ecologically important bird species, and used the resulting models to identify priority areas for conservation and future surveys (Fig. 1). The survey completeness and gap analyses revealed marked spatial, seasonal, and temporal (historical) gaps and biases in the coverage of bird records across the region (Fig. 1). Well-surveyed sites were clustered around points of access such as major cities, roads, and national reserves or parks, mainly in Ghana, The Gambia, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, and Cameroon (Fig. 1). For our distributional analysis, we found broad present-day potential distributions with respect to climate. Future potential distributions, taking into account climate change processes, tended to be still-broader and more inclusive than present-day distributions, so climate-change-driven range losses and gains were minimal. Our models identified Liberia, southeastern Sierra Leone, southwestern Côte d’Ivoire, and southwestern Ghana to have high climate suitability in the present and in the future for most species. These results illustrate the spatial and temporal biases and gaps in West African bird data, and emphasize the need to promote high-quality biodiversity data mobilization and publication in West Africa and by extension the developing world. To address these biases at the regional level, research institutions and individuals need to engage in more systematic planning and biodiversity research, taking into account the potential for spatial, temporal, and seasonal biases

Status of globally threatened birds of Sapo National Park, Liberia

Sapo National Park was the first established and is the largest national park in Liberia and contains the secondlargest area of primary tropical rainforest in West Africa. However, little is known about the distribution, population density, and ecology of threatened birds occurring in the park. In this study, we assessed the population status and distribution of birds of global conservation concern occurring in the park. Between April and June 2014, we surveyed 17 line transects of 2 km each in and around Sapo National Park, using Distance Sampling. We recorded eight of the 13 globally threatened birds in Liberia, including Gola Malimbe Malimbus ballmanni (Endangered), Timneh Parrot Psittacus timneh (Endangered) and Yellow-bearded Greenbul Criniger olivaceus (Vulnerable). The results of this study provide the first baseline information on the status of these species in the park and also show the importance of Sapo National Park in the conservation of not only birds but also biodiversity in general in Liberia and West Africa.Keywords: bird density, birds, conservation, globally threatened birds, Liberia, Sapo National Par

Conservation status of the Endangered Pygmy Hippopotamus choeropsis liberiensis in Sapo National Park

Sapo National Park (SNP), Liberia’s largest protected area is globally recognized as a biodiversity hotspot and a stronghold for many threatened species in the Upper Guinea Rainforest, including the Endangered pygmy hippopotamus Choeropsis liberiensis. However, little is known about the current status (distribution, population density, and threats) of the pygmy hippopotamus in SNP. To address this data gap, this study surveyed 62 transects of 2 km each across the SNP and set up camera traps in the south-western part of the park where the first footage of this species was recorded in 2011. Pygmy hippopotamus signs were recorded on 11 transects with an estimate of about 22 individuals. Out of 24 camera traps, pygmy hippopotamus were captured by four cameras in 178 images. The distribution map showed high concentration of the species in the south-western part of SNP compared to other areas. In addition, hunting signs including trails, camps and gun shells were recorded and increasing mining activity was also observed in this part of the park. While this study reconfirms the presence of the species, the presence of anthropogenic threats in the areas where the species is present, plus anecdotal evidence from local communities about the killing of the animal suggests that they face huge existential threats. Findings from this study will provide baseline information for future research and will inform management practices aimed at more effectively managing SNP as an important habitat for pygmy hippopotamus.peerReviewe