Birds of Gunung Leuser National Park, Northern Sumatra – Part 2

Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP) in northern Sumatra has over 85% of Sumatra5 resident breeding bird species and important populations of globally threatened mammals such as Sumatran orangutan Pongo abelii and Sumatran rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis. Information is here presented on a number of important bird records from GLNP from March 1995 to December 2000. These records include: 23 new species for the park, seven globally threatened species, and several species for which there are few previous records for Sumatra. An appendix lists the 413 species recorded in GLNP comprising records from previous publications (van Marle &: Voous 1988; Holmes 1996; Wind 1996a) and the new records included here

Ganzen en ganzenschade in Nederland : Overzicht van kennis en kennishiaten voor effectief beleid

Dit rapport geeft een samenvatting van de belangrijkste ontwikkeling in aantallen ganzen, de aard en het volume van de geregistreerde ganzenschade in Nederland en het aantal ganzen dat in Nederland in het kader van het provinciale beleid aan de populatie wordt onttrokken. Tevens doet het een eerste verkennende analyse naar de relatie tussen aantallen en schade op grond van gegevens uit de provincie Friesland. Daarnaast wordt een meer algemeen overzicht geven van problemen die door ganzen kunnen worden veroorzaakt en welke factoren van belang zijn bij de interpretatie van de gesignaleerde ontwikkelingen. De uitkomst van deze kennissynthese dient enerzijds als bouwsteen ter voorbereiding van het advies van de Maatschappelijke Adviesraad Faunaschade over de ganzenaanpak en anderzijds als nadere onderbouwing van voorstellen om tot een kwaliteitsverbetering in de schaderegistratie en registratie van afschot en vangsten te komen. Deze zijn belangrijk geworden nu er ook op flyway-schaal, onder de vlag van het European Goose Management Platform en AEWA beleid wordt ontwikkeld om het conflict tussen ganzen en landbouw op internationale schaal aan te pakken.---This report summarises all available information regarding trends in goose numbers, phenology and breeding success in The Netherlands and the development of crop damages; and puts these in an international context. Besides, for the first time a national overview of the number of geese that is killed under derogation is presented on the level of the 12 provinces, which are responsible for goose management. Also goose numbers and developments in damage are analysed for the province of Friesland, along with a more general review about the aspects that may confound comparison of goose numbers and crop damage statistics. The results presented in this report serve as input for a national advisory committee, which has been installed to advise the provinces on their management policies regarding conflicts caused by breeding and wintering geese

Raptor research during the COVID-19 pandemic provides invaluable opportunities for conservation biology

Authors acknowledge financial support from: the Dean Amadon Grant of the Raptor Research Foundation (to PS); the Raptor Research and Conservation Foundation, Mumbai, and the University of Oxford's Global Challenges Research Fund through the Ind-Ox initiative (KCD00141-AT13.01) (both to NK), and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF9881) and the National Geographic Society (NGS-82515R-20) (both to CR).Research is underway around the world to examine how a wide range of animal species have responded to reduced levels of human activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this perspective article, we argue that raptors are particularly well-suited for investigating potential ‘anthropause’ effects, and that the resulting insights will provide much-needed impetus for global conservation efforts. Lockdowns likely alter many of the extrinsic factors that normally limit raptor populations. These environmental changes are in turn expected to influence – mediated by behavioral and physiological responses – the intrinsic (demographic) factors that ultimately determine raptor population levels and distributions. Using this framework, we identify a range of research opportunities and conservation challenges that have arisen during the pandemic. The COVID-19 anthropause allows raptor researchers to address fundamental and applied research objectives in a large-scale, quasi-experimental, well-replicated manner. Importantly, it will be possible to separate the effects of human disturbance and anthropogenic landscape modifications. We explain how high-quality datasets, accumulated for a diverse range of raptor species before, during, and after COVID-19 lockdowns, can be leveraged for powerful comparative analyses that attempt to identify drivers of particular response types. To facilitate and coordinate global collaboration, we are hereby launching the ‘Global Anthropause Raptor Research Network’ (GARRN). We invite the international raptor research community to join this inclusive and diverse group, to tackle ambitious analyses across geographic regions, ecosystems, species, and gradients of lockdown perturbation. Under the most tragic of circumstances, the COVID-19 anthropause has afforded an invaluable opportunity to significantly boost global raptor conservation.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Awareness of environmental legislation as a deterrent for wildlife crime : A case with Masaai pastoralists, poison use and the Kenya Wildlife Act

Illegal wildlife crime is a global phenomenon, accelerating the ongoing biodiversity crisis. In the Old World, and particularly in Africa, illegal use of poisons to eliminate carnivores is the main driver of the continental vulture crisis. Knowledge about the underlying source and drivers of this threat is lacking for most areas, including Kenya, a global vulture and biodiversity hotspot. An extensive questionnaire survey of over 1300 respondents was run, using a specialized questioning technique and quantitative analytical approaches. Results show that, while pastoralists have a positive attitude towards vultures, over 20% of them use poisons to eliminate predators. Poisoning was largely driven by livestock losses to predators, and by negative attitude towards predators. Poisoning was less prevalent among respondents aware of the Kenya Wildlife Act. Overall, we suggest that a combination of top-down, e.g. legislation, and bottom-up (such as corrals or compensation) along with awareness campaigns may help reduce poisoning on the ground.Peer reviewe

How to improve the accuracy of height data from bird tracking devices?:An assessment of high-frequency GPS tracking and barometric altimetry in field conditions

Background: In the context of rapid development of wind energy infrastructure, information on the flight height of birds is vital to assess their collision risk with wind turbines. GPS tags potentially represent a powerful tool to collect flight height data, yet GPS positions are associated with substantial vertical error. Here, we assessed to what extent high-frequency GPS tracking with fix intervals of 2–3 s (GPS remaining turned on between fixes), or barometric altimetry using air pressure loggers integrated in GPS tags, improved the accuracy of height data compared to standard low-frequency GPS tracking (fix interval ≥ 5 min; GPS turned off between fixes). Results: Using data from 10 GPS tag models from three manufacturers in a field setting (194 tags deployed on free-living raptors), we estimated vertical accuracy based on periods when the birds were stationary on the ground (true height above ground was approximately zero), and the difference between GPS and barometric height in flight. In GPS height data, vertical accuracy was mainly driven by noise (little bias), while in barometric data, it was mostly affected by bias (little noise). In high-frequency GPS data, vertical accuracy was improved compared to low-frequency data in each tag model (mean absolute error (AE) reduced by 72% on average; range of mean AE 2–7 vs. 7–30 m). In barometric data, vertical accuracy did not differ between high- and low-frequency modes, with a bias of − 15 to − 5 m and mean AE of 7–15 m in stationary positions. However, the median difference between GPS and barometric data was smaller in flight positions than in stationary positions, suggesting that the bias in barometric height data was smaller in flight. Finally, simulations showed that the remaining vertical error in barometric and high-frequency GPS data had little effect on flight height distributions and the proportion of positions within the collision risk height range, as opposed to the extensive noise found in low-frequency GPS data in some tag models. Conclusions: Barometric altimetry may provide more accurate height data than standard low-frequency GPS tracking, but it involves the risk of a systematic error. Currently, high-frequency GPS tracking provides highest vertical accuracy and may thus substantially advance the study of wind turbine collision risk in birds.</p

Quantifying the scale and socioeconomic drivers of bird hunting in Central African forest communities

Global biodiversity is threatened by unsustainable exploitation for subsistence and commerce, and tropical forests are facing a hunting crisis. In Central African forests, hunting pressure has been quantified by monitoring changes in the abundance of affected species and by studying wild meat consumption, trade and hunter behaviour. However, a proportion of offtake is also discarded as bycatch or consumed by hunters when working, which can be overlooked by these methods. For example, remains of hornbills and raptors are found regularly in hunting camps but relatively few birds are consumed in households or traded in markets. Hornbill and raptor populations are sensitive to small increases in mortality because of their low intrinsic population growth rates, however, the scale and socioeconomic drivers of the cryptic hunting pressure affecting these species have not been quantified. We used direct and indirect questioning and mixed-effects models to quantify the socioeconomic predictors, scale and seasonality of illegal bird hunting and consumption in Littoral Region, Cameroon. We predicted that younger, unemployed men with low educational attainment (i.e. hunters) would consume birds more often than other demographics, and that relative offtake would be higher than expected based on results from village and market-based studies. We found that birds were primarily hunted and consumed by unemployed men during the dry season but, in contrast to expectations, we found that hunting prevalence increased with educational attainment. Within unemployed men educated to primary level (240 of 675 respondents in 19 villages), we estimated an average of 29 hornbills and eight raptors (compared with 19 pangolins) were consumed per month during the study period (Feb&ndash;Jun 2015) in a catchment of c.1135 km2. We conclude that large forest birds face greater hunting pressure than previously recognised, and birds are a regular source of protein for men during unemployment. Offtake levels may be unsustainable for some raptors and hornbills based on life history traits but in the absence of sufficient baseline ecological and population data we recommend that a social-ecological modeling approach is used in future to quantify hunting sustainability

Priority areas for vulture conservation in the Horn of Africa largely fall outside the protected area network

Vulture populations are in severe decline across Africa and prioritization of geographic areas for their conservation is urgently needed. To do so, we compiled three independent datasets on vulture occurrence from road-surveys, GPS-tracking, and citizen science (eBird), and used maximum entropy to build ensemble species distribution models (SDMs). We then identified spatial vulture conservation priorities in Ethiopia, a stronghold for vultures in Africa, while accounting for uncertainty in our predictions. We were able to build robust distribution models for five vulture species across the entirety of Ethiopia, including three Critically Endangered, one Endangered, and one Near Threatened species. We show that priorities occur in the highlands of Ethiopia, which provide particularly important habitat for Bearded Gypaetus barbatus, Hooded Necrosyrtes monachus, Ruppell's Gyps ruppelli and White-backed Gyps africanus Vultures, as well as the lowlands of north-eastern Ethiopia, which are particularly valuable for the Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus. One-third of the core distribution of the Egyptian Vulture was protected, followed by the White-backed Vulture at one-sixth, and all other species at one-tenth. Overall, only about one-fifth of vulture priority areas were protected. Given that there is limited protection of priority areas and that vultures range widely, we argue that measures of broad spatial and legislative scope will be necessary to address drivers of vulture declines, including poisoning, energy infrastructure, and climate change, while considering the local social context and aiding sustainable development.Peer reviewe

Breeding performance of the grasshopper buzzard (<i>Butastur rufipennis</i>) in a natural and a human-modified West African savanna

Few studies have examined raptor reproduction in response to land-use change in sub-Saharan Africa, hampering conservation efforts to address regional declines. To further our understanding of mechanisms underlying the dramatic declines of West African raptors, we examined the relationship between environmental conditions, nest density, and measures of reproduction in the Grasshopper Buzzard (Butastur rufipennis). Analyses were based on 244 nest sites divided between transformed and natural habitat in northern Cameroon. At the landscape scale, nest density increased with the density of preferred nest trees. Nests were more widely spaced in transformed than in natural habitat. Dispersion was adjusted to differences in availability of small mammals, which was negatively associated with distance to nearest neighbor, and in the area under cultivation, which was positively associated with distance to nearest neighbor. Productivity was positively associated with rainfall, canopy shielding the nest, availability of grasshoppers, and the nest's visibility from ground level; canopy shielding, grass cover, rainfall, and distance to nearest neighbor were positively associated with nest success. In natural habitat, losses of eggs and nestlings to natural predators were greater than in transformed habitats, while losses through human predation were small. Productivity and nest success were unaffected by land use because of the opposing effects of greater predation pressure, closer spacing of nests, and more food in natural habitat than in transformed habitat. Thus transformed habitat may provide adequate breeding habitat for the Grasshopper Buzzard, but declining rainfall and intensifying anthropogenic land use are likely to affect future reproductive output

Estrategia para conservar las poblaciones de buitres del viejo mundo utilizando el enfoque de una salud

One Health brings the powerful interrelationship between human and wildlife health together with ecosystem health. The initial concept of One Health was formulated decades ago and focused on disease transfer from wildlife to human populations. More recently, the concept has been used to associate resilience to disease with the health of the ecosystem and resilience to environmental stressors. The need for a One Health approach is particularly evident in the plight of Old World vultures, which are facing a conservation crisis due to drastic reductions in populations across their entire range. Moreover, vulture conservation exemplifies many contemporary tenets of One Health; vultures are critical to a sustainable and resilient ecosystem, which in turn is essential for the socio-ecological health of human communities. In this review, we examine the complex factors contributing to the demise of Old World vulture populations, using the lens of One Health to conceptualize the primary drivers impacting the health and sustainability of these populations. The One Health concept provides the basis for the development of a framework that incorporates a multidimensional approach and includes human health, wildlife health, environmental and disease-related stressors, disease incidences, societal pressures, and environmental contaminants. Integrating societal needs with management aimed at maintaining healthy vulture populations is key for successfully using a One Health framework to optimize the health of human and wildlife populations and ensure ecosystem health.El enfoque ‘‘Una Salud’’ promueve una poderosa interrelacio´n entre la salud de los humanos y de la fauna salvaje asociados a la salud de los ecosistemas. El concepto inicial de Una Salud fue formulado de´cadas atra´s y se enfocaba en la transferencia de enfermedades de la fauna salvaje a las poblaciones humanas. Ma´s recientemente, el concepto ha sido usado para asociar la resiliencia a las enfermedades con la salud de los ecosistemas y la resiliencia a factores de estre´s ambiental. La necesidad de utilizar el enfoque de Una Salud es particularmente evidente ante la dif´ıcil situacio´n de los buitres del Viejo Mundo, los cuales se enfrentan a una situacio´n de crisis de conservacio´n debido a la reduccio´n dra´stica en sus poblaciones a lo largo de toda su a´rea de distribucio´n. Adema´s, la conservacio´n de los buitres ejemplifica mucho de los principios contempora´neos de Una Salud; los buitres son cr´ıticos para un ecosistema sostenible y resiliente, lo que a su vez es esencial para la salud socio-ecolo´gica de las comunidades humanas. En esta revisio´n, examinamos los factores complejos que contribuyen al descenso de las poblaciones de buitres del Viejo Mundo, usando el enfoque de Una Salud para conceptualizar los factores principales que impactan en la salud y la sostenibilidad de estas poblaciones. El concepto de Una Salud proporciona las bases para el desarrollo de un marco de referencia que incorpora un enfoque multidimensional, incluyendo la salud humana y de la vida silvestre, factores estresantes ambientales y de enfermedades, incidencia de enfermedades, presiones sociales y qu´ımicos ambientales. Integrar las necesidades de la sociedad con la gestio´n destinada a mantener poblaciones saludables de buitres es clave para usar exitosamente el marco de referencia de Una Salud y as´ı optimizar la salud de las poblaciones humanas y de la fauna salvaje asegurando la salud del ecosistema.The National Science Foundationhttps://bioone.org/journals/journal-of-raptor-researcham2022Zoology and Entomolog

Understanding continent-wide variation in vulture ranging behavior to assess feasibility of Vulture Safe Zones in Africa: Challenges and possibilities

Protected areas are intended as tools in reducing threats to wildlife and preserving habitat for their long-term population persistence. Studies on ranging behavior provide insight into the utility of protected areas. Vultures are one of the fastest declining groups of birds globally and are popular subjects for telemetry studies, but continent-wide studies are lacking. To address how vultures use space and identify the areas and location of possible vulture safe zones, we assess home range size and their overlap with protected areas by species, age, breeding status, season, and region using a large continent-wide telemetry datasets that includes 163 individuals of three species of threatened Gyps vulture. Immature vultures of all three species had larger home ranges and used a greater area outside of protected areas than breeding and non-breeding adults. Cape vultures had the smallest home range sizes and the lowest level of overlap with protected areas. Rüppell\u27s vultures had larger home range sizes in the wet season, when poisoning may increase due to human-carnivore conflict. Overall, our study suggests challenges for the creation of Vulture Safe Zones to protect African vultures. At a minimum, areas of 24,000 km2 would be needed to protect the entire range of an adult African White-backed vulture and areas of more than 75,000 km2 for wider-ranging Rüppell\u27s vultures. Vulture Safe Zones in Africa would generally need to be larger than existing protected areas, which would require widespread conservation activities outside of protected areas to be successful