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Nest sites as a key resource for population persistence: A case study modelling nest occupancy under forestry
María V Jiménez-Franco1,2, Julia Martínez-Fernández3, José E Martínez2,4
1Área de Ecología, Departamento de Biología Aplicada, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, Spain.
Plos One
|October 12, 2018
Summary
Protecting raptor nests is crucial for forest biodiversity. Timber harvesting impacts raptor populations, but nest protection measures can prevent extinction and maintain breeding pairs.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Conservation Biology
- Forestry Science
Background:
- Natural nest sites are vital breeding resources, particularly in forest ecosystems where their availability can limit raptor populations.
- Nest structures are long-lived and reusable, making their dynamics critical for biodiversity conservation efforts.
- Forestry practices, such as timber harvesting, can directly impact nest availability and raptor population dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a dynamic model to assess nest site availability and its effect on forest raptor community breeding settlement.
- To analyze the influence of different forestry practices on the dynamics of occupied nests in a Mediterranean forest ecosystem.
- To evaluate the impact of tree age class and nest protection during clearcutting on raptor populations.
Main Methods:
- Development of a dynamic model simulating nest site availability and breeding settlement for booted eagles, common buzzards, and northern goshawks.
- Application of the model to analyze forestry impacts under scenarios of unmanaged forest and clearcutting (40, 50, 60, 70-year-old trees) with and without nest protection.
- Simulation period from 2010 to 2050 to observe long-term population trends.
Main Results:
- Without timber harvesting, the number of breeding pairs remained constant.
- Clearcutting trees aged 70 to 50 years without nest protection led to a gradual decrease in breeding pairs.
- Clearcutting 40-year-old trees resulted in population extinction, while nest protection measures prevented extinction and maximized nest occupancy in most scenarios.
Conclusions:
- Nest sites, occupied or not, are essential resources for increasing forest raptor community occupancy.
- Nest protection strategies effectively mitigate the negative impacts of clearcutting on raptor populations, preventing local extinctions.
- Sustainable forestry practices incorporating nest site conservation are vital for maintaining biodiversity in forest ecosystems.
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