Endemic avifaunal biodiversity and tropical forest loss in Makira, a mountainous Pacific island
| Autor: | Niels Krabbe, Joseph Waihuru, Knud A. Jønsson, Finn Danielsen, Christopher E. Filardi, Patrick Pikacha, Charles Tatahu, Jon Fjeldså, Robert G. Moyle, Michael K. Poulsen, Jan Bach Kristensen, Mikael Kamp Sorensen, Victor Kohaia |
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| Rok vydání: | 2010 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography. 31:100-114 |
| ISSN: | 1467-9493 0129-7619 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/j.1467-9493.2010.00386.x |
| Popis: | Anthropogenic habitat changes and the introduction of pigs, dogs, cats and rats have caused acatastrophic decline in the terrestrial biodiversity of Pacific archipelagos. At present, economicglobalization and an increased demand for timber are promoting industrial logging and plantationexpansion. Commercial logging can be sustainable but in practice it more often leads to landdegradation, especially on small flat islands. On large and mountainous islands, however, moremodest impacts can be expected as the narrowly endemic species tend to inhabit montane forestswhere logging is difficult. In this study we use ornithological data collected at different elevationsto assess the extent to which the avifauna of Makira, a large mountainous island in Melanesia, willbe affected by deforestation of the lowlands, most of which are under timber concessions. Our datasuggest that a majority of the endemic bird species use lowland forest to some extent and that thismay even apply to species hitherto associated with montane forest. If current commercial forestryprogrammes are continued, the forest habitat may be disturbed or lost over large parts of Makira,potentially undermining the natural resource base for the local subsistence economy, exacerbatingclimate change and threatening the integrity of one of the most important areas for biodiversityconservation on earth. Our study highlights the importance of understanding the habitat require-ments of endemic species and the urgency of establishing and effectively managing community-based protected areas in suitable lowland forests of the Pacific.Keywords: biodiversity, forestry, Galathea 3 expedition, montane fauna, Pacific Islands, SolomonIslands |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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