Co‐developing guidance for conservation: An example for seabirds in the North‐East Atlantic in the face of climate change impacts

Conservation guidance—an authoritative source of information and recommendations explicitly supporting decision-making and action regarding nature conservation—represents an important tool to communicate evidence-based advice to conservation actors. Given the rapidly increasing pressure that climate change poses to biodiversity, producing accessible, well-informed guidance on how to best manage the impacts and risks of changing climatic conditions is particularly urgent. Guidance documents should ideally be produced with multistage input from stakeholders who are likely to use and implement such advice; however, this step can be complicated and costly, and remains largely unformalized. Moreover, there is currently little direct evidence synthesized for actions that specifically target climate change and guidance remains largely absent. Here, we introduce a process for co-developing guidance for species conservation in the face of climate change, using seabirds in the North-East Atlantic as a case study. Specifically, we collated evidence on climate change vulnerability and possible conservation actions using literature synthesis, stakeholder surveys, and ecological modeling. This evidence base was then discussed, refined, and expanded using structured stakeholder workshops. We summarize the knowledge gained through stakeholder engagement and provide recommendations for future international efforts to co-produce conservation guidance for managing wildlife, in the context of a rapidly changing climate.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Co-developing guidance for conservation: an example for seabirds in the North-East Atlantic in the face of climate change impacts

Conservation guidance—an authoritative source of information and recommendations explicitly supporting decision-making and action regarding nature conservation—represents an important tool to communicate evidence-based advice to conservation actors. Given the rapidly increasing pressure that climate change poses to biodiversity, producing accessible, well-informed guidance on how to best manage the impacts and risks of changing climatic conditions is particularly urgent. Guidance documents should ideally be produced with multistage input from stakeholders who are likely to use and implement such advice; however, this step can be complicated and costly, and remains largely unformalized. Moreover, there is currently little direct evidence synthesized for actions that specifically target climate change and guidance remains largely absent. Here, we introduce a process for co-developing guidance for species conservation in the face of climate change, using seabirds in the North-East Atlantic as a case study. Specifically, we collated evidence on climate change vulnerability and possible conservation actions using literature synthesis, stakeholder surveys, and ecological modeling. This evidence base was then discussed, refined, and expanded using structured stakeholder workshops. We summarize the knowledge gained through stakeholder engagement and provide recommendations for future international efforts to co-produce conservation guidance for managing wildlife, in the context of a rapidly changing climate

Substantial decline of Northern European peatland bird populations : Consequences of drainage

Northern European peatlands are important habitats for biological conservation because they support rich biodiversity and unique species compositions. However, historical management of peatland habitats has had negative consequences for biodiversity and their degradation remains a major conservation concern. Despite increasing awareness of the conservation value of peatlands, the statuses and ecological requirements of peat land species have remained largely understudied. Here, we first analysed temporal trends of Northern European peatland birds to document the status of their populations using bird data from five different countries. Second, we used Finnish monitoring data to assess habitat preferences of peatland bird species, hence helping to target conservation to the most relevant habitat types. There was a general decline of 40% in Northern European peatland bird population sizes in 1981-2014 (speed of decline 1.5%/year) largely driven by Finland, where populations declined almost 50% (2.0% annual decline). In Sweden and Norway, peatland bird populations declined by 20% during 1997-2014 (1.0% annual decline). In contrast, southern populations in Estonia and Latvia, where the majority of open peatlands are protected, showed a 40% increase during 1981-2014 (1.0% annual increase). The most important habitat characteristics preferred by common peatland species in Finland were openness and low tree height, while wetness proved to be an important feature for waders. Drainage of peatlands had clear negative effects on the densities of many species, with the only exception of rustic bunting, which specializes on edge habitats. Our findings call for more effective conservation actions in Northern European peatland habitats, especially in Finland where peatland drainage represents a major threat to biodiversity.Peer reviewe

Autumn migration of the migrant hawker (Aeshna mixta) at the Baltic coast

Abstract Background Migratory insects are important for the provision of ecosystem services both at the origin and destination sites but – apart from some iconic species – the migration routes of many insect species have not been assessed. Coastlines serve as a funnel where migrating animals including insects accumulate. Migratory behaviour and captures of dragonflies in bird traps suggest autumn migration of dragonflies along coastlines while the origin and regularity of this migration remain unclear. Methods Dragonfly species were caught at the bird observatory Kabli at the Baltic coast in Estonia in 2009, 2010 and 2015. For the 2015 data set, we used a stable hydrogen (H) approach to trace the potential natal origin of the migrant hawker (Aeshna mixta). Results 1079 (2009), 701 (2010) and 88 (2015) A. mixta individuals were caught during the study periods (35, 37 and 11 days in 2009, 2010 and 2015, respectively). The migration period lasted from end of August to end of September. Based on the results from our stable isotope analysis, we identified two populations of A. mixta: One (range of isotope signatures of non-exchangeable H [δ2Hn wing]: −78‰ to −112‰) had a local likely origin while the other (δ2Hn wing: −113‰ to −147‰) migrated from northerly directions even in headwind from the South. The former showed an even sex ratio whereas the actively migrating population was dominated by males. Conclusions Our results suggest a regular southbound autumn migration of A. mixta along the Baltic coast. However, nearly half of the sampled individuals originated from the surroundings suggesting either no, partial or “leap-frog” migration. Contrary to our expectation, A. mixta did not select favourable wind conditions but continued the southbound autumn migration in the flight boundary layer even in case of headwinds. The dominance of males might indicate migration as a result of competition for resources. Further repeated, large-scale studies along the Baltic coast are necessary to pinpoint the migratory pattern and the reason for migration of A. mixta. Such studies should also comprise locations north of the known species range of A. mixta because of the rapid climate-change induced range expansion

From northern Europe to Ethiopia : Long-distance migration of Common Cranes (Grus grus)

The majority of Common Cranes (Grus grus) breeding in northern Europe are short- to medium-distance migrants that overwinter in southern Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East. However, some individuals migrate longer distances to as far as Ethiopia. Using data from 18 satellite-tracked juvenile Common Cranes, we assessed (1) the length and landscape composition of the migratory routes used and (2) the behaviour of neighbouring Finnish and Estonian (500 km apart in the north-south direction) sub-populations. Our results show that Common Cranes mainly use the East European flyway to reach the wintering grounds in Ethiopia, yet some individual cranes may alternatively use the Baltic-Hungarian migration route. Neither duration nor the number of stopovers used influenced the flight distances of the cranes. Further, 7-19 days of refuelling enabled the cranes to cover long flight distances, from 2,420 to 5,110 km in 6-15 days, without the need for settling down at potential stopovers on the route. Contrary to our expectations, the main refuelling sites of the Finnish breeding population were further south (in southern Ukraine) than those of the Estonian population (in Belarus). Despite the longer flight distances, Finnish cranes used three main migration stages, while cranes breeding at more southern sites generally used mainly four stages. Our findings demonstrate that large-sized social migrants such as the Common Crane may have spatially segregated, flexible migration patterns that involve only a few carefully selected stopovers during long-distance migration

The Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus): an iconic focal species for knowledge-based integrative management and conservation of Baltic forests

Biodiversity loss was a central argument for redefining sustainable forest management in the 1990s, but threatened species remain poorly addressed in forestry governance. Management history of the Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) population in the Baltic States reveals a high potential of socially valued threatened species for developing the missing forestry–conservation interfaces. We review the history of the Baltic Capercaillie population since the 19th century, showing how its status transformed, both ecologically and socially, from a famous hunting target to the most widely protected forest species in the region. Compilation of recent national survey data confirms that at least 3450 lekking males currently survive in 961 leks; they are distributed between six large and about twenty small populations. During the 20th century, lek sizes decreased and local extirpations spread from South-Baltic mosaic lands to northern forests. As a social response, innovative management initiatives have repeatedly enabled periods of population stability and local recoveries. The most recent developments in Capercaillie conservation combine elements from the historically separated nature conservation, forestry and game-management approaches. The consistency of such social responses despite political upheavals suggests that iconic species can culturally stabilize long-term sustainable developmentLietuvos agrarinių ir miškų mokslų centrasVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŠvietimo akademij