Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/2440/97165
Citations | ||
Scopus | Web of Science® | Altmetric |
---|---|---|
?
|
?
|
Type: | Journal article |
Title: | Yet another empty forest: considering the conservation value of a recently established tropical nature reserve |
Author: | Sreekar, R. Zhang, K. Xu, J. Harrison, R. |
Citation: | PLoS One, 2015; 10(2):e0117920-1-e0117920-18 |
Publisher: | Public Library of Science |
Issue Date: | 2015 |
ISSN: | 1932-6203 1932-6203 |
Editor: | Machado, R. |
Statement of Responsibility: | Rachakonda Sreekar, Kai Zhang, Jianchu Xu, Rhett D. Harrison |
Abstract: | The primary approach used to conserve tropical biodiversity is in the establishment of protected areas. However, many tropical nature reserves are performing poorly and interventions in the broader landscape may be essential for conserving biodiversity both within reserves and at large. Between October 2010 and 2012, we conducted bird surveys in and around a recently established nature reserve in Xishuangbanna, China. We constructed a checklist of observed species, previously recorded species, and species inferred to have occurred in the area from their distributions and habitat requirements. In addition, we assessed variation in community composition and habitat specificity at a landscape-scale. Despite the fact that the landscape supports a large area of natural forest habitat (~50,000 ha), we estimate that >40% of the bird fauna has been extirpated and abundant evidence suggests hunting is the primary cause. A large proportion (52%) of the bigger birds (>20 cm) were extirpated and for large birds there was a U-shaped relationship between habitat breadth and extirpation probability. Habitat specificity was low and bird communities were dominated by widespread species of limited conservation concern. We question whether extending tropical protected area networks will deliver desired conservation gains, unless much greater effort is channeled into addressing the hunting problem both within existing protected areas and in the broader landscape. |
Keywords: | Animals Birds Conservation of Natural Resources Ecosystem Biodiversity Tropical Climate Population Density China Forests |
Rights: | © 2015 Sreekar et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited |
DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pone.0117920 |
Published version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0117920 |
Appears in Collections: | Aurora harvest 7 Ecology, Evolution and Landscape Science publications |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
---|---|---|---|---|
hdl_97165.pdf | Published version | 1.66 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.