Protected area characteristics that help waterbirds respond to climate warming

Protected area networks help species respond to climate warming. However, the contribution of a site's environmental and conservation-relevant characteristics to these responses is not well understood. We investigated how composition of nonbreeding waterbird communities (97 species) in the European Union Natura 2000 (N2K) network (3018 sites) changed in response to increases in temperature over 25 years in 26 European countries. We measured community reshuffling based on abundance time series collected under the International Waterbird Census relative to N2K sites' conservation targets, funding, designation period, and management plan status. Waterbird community composition in sites explicitly designated to protect them and with management plans changed more quickly in response to climate warming than in other N2K sites. Temporal community changes were not affected by the designation period despite greater exposure to temperature increase inside late-designated N2K sites. Sites funded under the LIFE program had lower climate-driven community changes than sites that did not received LIFE funding. Our findings imply that efficient conservation policy that helps waterbird communities respond to climate warming is associated with sites specifically managed for waterbirds

Population Trend, Phenology and Dispersion of Common Waterfowl Species in Hungary Based on aTen Year Long Time Series of the Hungarian Waterfowl Monitoring

The HUNGARIAN WATERFOWL MONITORING (HWM) takes place at 48 observation units. The current study shows the 25 common waterfowl species, their trend, phenology, and dispersion in Hungary using the data of a ten-year period between the 1996/1997 and 2005/2006 seasons. The six commonest species were: Anas platyrhynchos, Anser albifrons, Anser fabalis, Anser anser, Anas crecca and Fulica atra. During the ten-year period there were 8 species with about 1000 individuals or less (Anser erythropus, Mergus albellus, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Phalacrocorax pygmeus, Netta rufina, Podiceps nigricollis, Cygnus olor, Mergus merganser). We report a heavy increase of Aythya nyroca, Phalacrocorax pygmeus, Netta rufina, Podiceps nigricollis, Anas clypeata, Cygnus olor, Anser albifrons, Podiceps cristatus, Anser anser, Anas strepera and a slight increase of Phalacrocorax pygmeus and Tachybaptus ruficollis. A strong decrease can be seen in Anser erythropus, Aythya fuligula, Anser fabalis, Anas querquedula, Aythya ferina, Anas crecca, Mergus albellus, Anas penelope, Mergus merganser, a slight decrease in the case of Anas platyrhynchos and Bucephala clangula. The 25 species were put into six different groups based on their types of phenology: late summer migrating species, species migrating dominantly in autumn, over wintering species, species passing through Hungary dominantly in spring, spring and late summer migrants, species with a stable population. Eco-geographical differences between Transdanubia and the Great Hungarian Plain explain the differences in the dispersion of species: distribution dominance in Transdanubia, dispersion dominance in the Great Hungarian Plain, even distribution. Our conclusions confirmed some of the earlier results, but in some cases we made conclusions different from the earlier suggestions. It is obvious that changing environmental conditions affect the changes in population parameters of waterfowl species

Protected area characteristics that help waterbirds respond to climate warming

Protected area networks help species respond to climate warming. However, the contribution of a site's environmental and conservation-relevant characteristics to these responses is not well understood. We investigated how composition of nonbreeding waterbird communities (97 species) in the European Union Natura 2000 (N2K) network (3018 sites) changed in response to increases in temperature over 25 years in 26 European countries. We measured community reshuffling based on abundance time series collected under the International Waterbird Census relative to N2K sites’ conservation targets, funding, designation period, and management plan status. Waterbird community composition in sites explicitly designated to protect them and with management plans changed more quickly in response to climate warming than in other N2K sites. Temporal community changes were not affected by the designation period despite greater exposure to temperature increase inside late-designated N2K sites. Sites funded under the LIFE program had lower climate-driven community changes than sites that did not received LIFE funding. Our findings imply that efficient conservation policy that helps waterbird communities respond to climate warming is associated with sites specifically managed for waterbirds

Protected area characteristics that help waterbirds respond to climate warming

Protected area networks help species respond to climate warming. However, the contribution of a site's environmental and conservation-relevant characteristics to these responses is not well understood. We investigated how composition of nonbreeding waterbird communities (97 species) in the European Union Natura 2000 (N2K) network (3018 sites) changed in response to increases in temperature over 25 years in 26 European countries. We measured community reshuffling based on abundance time series collected under the International Waterbird Census relative to N2K sites’ conservation targets, funding, designation period, and management plan status. Waterbird community composition in sites explicitly designated to protect them and with management plans changed more quickly in response to climate warming than in other N2K sites. Temporal community changes were not affected by the designation period despite greater exposure to temperature increase inside late-designated N2K sites. Sites funded under the LIFE program had lower climate-driven community changes than sites that did not received LIFE funding. Our findings imply that efficient conservation policy that helps waterbird communities respond to climate warming is associated with sites specifically managed for waterbirds