Long-term bird population changes in the protected areas of Finland under climate change

Date:
2018/06/12

Time:
14:30

Room:
K301 Felix

Long-term bird population changes in the protected areas of Finland under climate change

(Oral)

Raimo Virkkala
raimo.virkkala@ymparisto.fi

Finnish Environment Institute, Biodiversity Centre, P.O. Box 140, FI-00251 Helsinki, Finland
,
Ari Rajasärkkä
Metsähallitus, National Parks, P.O. Box 81, FI-90101 Oulu, Finland, Finland
,
Juha Pöyry
Finnish Environment Institute, Biodiversity Centre, P.O. Box 140, FI-00251 Helsinki, Finland
,
Risto Heikkinen
Finnish Environment Institute, Biodiversity Centre, P.O. Box 140, FI-00251 Helsinki, Finland
,
Saija Kuusela
Finnish Environment Institute, Biodiversity Centre, P.O. Box 140, FI-00251 Helsinki, Finland
,
Niko Leikola
Finnish Environment Institute, Biodiversity Centre, P.O. Box 140, FI-00251 Helsinki, Finland

DOI: 10.17011/conference/eccb2018/107189

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Long-term bird population changes in the protected areas of Finland under climate change

Climate warming causes poleward shifts of species ranges and populations. Also in Finland both ranges (Ref. 1) and mean weighted densities (2) of species have shifted northwards during the past 40 years. Moreover, climate change and other human influences such as land use and hunting may cause changes in population sizes. Protected area (PA) network is one of the key instruments to maintain biodiversity in a changing climate and alleviate abrupt changes in species distributions and densities (3). In order to analyze the ability of nature reserves to maintain populations we compared the observed changes of bird species in over 250 protected areas in Finland between two time slices, 1981-1999 and 2000-2017. The data are large with over 9,100 km of line transects censused in the first and 10,400 km in the latter period. Between these two periods, the total bird density in protected areas declined by about 10%. The decline in total bird density was the largest in the southern PAs showing an overall northward shift in mean weighted bird density in the PA network. In particular, long-distant migrants overwintering in Africa and in Southeast Asia (e.g. willow warbler Phylloscopus trochilus and rustic bunting Emberiza rustica) and northern species (e.g. brambling Fringilla montifringilla) declined considerably, while many southern species increased. Both decreased and increased species showed a pattern of northward shift in their abundances in the PA network in line with the climate change predictions. Protected areas have been established particularly to preserve old-growth forests and many resident, non-migratory species preferring these habitats either remained stable (e.g. Siberian tit Poecile cinctus, Siberian jay Perisoreus infaustus) or even increased (three-toed woodpecker Picoides tridactylus) in PAs. This shows that by protecting old-growth forests it is possible to enhance preservation of species in these habitats even under changing climate. However, global climate change and direct human influence appear to affect migratory birds considerably, causing the decline of populations and impoverishment of bird communities in the boreal PAs.

Our work is part of three-year project of evaluation of protected area network in the changing climate (SUMI).

References:

(1) Virkkala, R. & Lehikoinen, A. 2017: Birds on the move in the face of climate change: High species turnover in northern Europe. Ecology and Evolution 7:8201-8209.

(2) Virkkala, R. & Lehikoinen, A. 2014: Patterns of climate-induced density shifts of species: poleward shifs faster in northern boreal birds than in southern birds. Global Change Biology 20:2995-3003.

(3) Virkkala, R., Pöyry, J., Heikkinen, R.K., Lehikoinen, A. & Valkama, J. 2014: Protected areas alleviate climate change effects on northern bird species of conservation concern. Ecology and Evolution 4:2991-3003.

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INTRO:
Climate warming causes poleward shifts of bird species ranges and populations. The authors have studied how the protected area network can maintain biodiversity in a changing climate and alleviate abrupt changes in species distributions and densities.
MERITS:
The study question is highly relevant for practical conservation. The data are extensive (40 years) and methods seem appropriate. Inferences are justified and the abstract is well written.
CRITIQUE:
No weaknesses.
DISCUSSION:
No weaknesses.

- - -
INTRO:
This study relies on the comparison of bird communities censused in the protected areas of Finland in the 80-90's and from 2000 to 2017 in order to determine whether some species have suffered from global change. There is an overall decline of the bird populations in protected areas of 10%. The impact on some species is described and the conclusion emphasises the need and use of protected areas and their role for bird conservation, despite climate change that induces a northward shift of bird densities.
MERITS:
The study is based on an important dataset and is able to pinpoint at some specific categories of birds whose populations have declined or increased significantly. It confirms the need of protected areas to preserve old growth forests that appear to be a haven for birds in a period of global change.
CRITIQUE:
We do not see any relevant weakness.
DISCUSSION:
This research helps emphasising the relevance of protected areas which, through the preservation of old forests, participate in the conservation of many species that depend on these (more and more rare) habitats. It may be interesting to compare this data from protected areas with data from non-protected forests.

- - -
INTRO:
This work analyses distribution and density changes of bird species from 250 protected areas in Finland over almost 40 years. All species shift their ranges northward and the total bird density was reduced by 10% between the two periods. Long distance migrants and northern species have the greatest declines, whereas many resident and non-migratory species remain stable or even increase their densities, which helps to set the case for the protection of old growth forests in a changing climate.
MERITS:
It is very important to understand how species respond to climate change in order to know how to successfully conserve them. The authors support their analyses with huge amounts of data. The authors write clearly.
CRITIQUE:
The part about old growth is very promising and made me "thirsty" to know more about that, but I think I did not properly understand why you attribute the protection of old growth forests directly to the good health of some species. How much percentage of the PA is old growth forest?

Although the abstract is written clearly, I believe it could be more appealing to the eye if it were shorter but with almost the same information (at least for a non-specialist in birds like me), for example by removing all or some examples between parenthesis, which account for more than 10% of the abstract character number.
DISCUSSION:
The research will be very important to understand how species respond to climate change. It will also shed some light on the importance of conserving pristine or semi-pristine habitats. I think with these data the authors could also analyse which biological traits correlate with declines in density and/or range shifts.

Long-term bird population changes in the protected areas of Finland under climate change

Date:2018/06/12

Time:14:30

Room:K301 Felix

Long-term bird population changes in the protected areas of Finland under climate change

(Oral)

SEE PEER REVIEW

SEE PEER REVIEW

Date:
2018/06/12

Time:
14:30

Room:
K301 Felix