Use of avian GPS tracking to mitigate human fatalities from bird strikes caused by large soaring birds

Dublin Hareport: The movement ecology and airfield interactions of resident, airside hares, at an international airport

Understanding how animals move and use space within an environment is vital for the development and implementation of effective management actions. Within airfield environments, animal movement can present a substantial risk to aircraft, resulting in wildlife-aircraft collisions (strikes) if animals enter into the manoeuvring areas of the airfield, namely the runways, taxiways and areas that connect the two (hereafter collectively referred to as 'tarmacked areas'). However, reliable ecological data to inform management decisions can be difficult to obtain in such environments, due to access restrictions. Here, we present the first GPS data describing the movement ecology and spatial use of mammals on an airfield - Irish hare (Lepus timidus hibernicus), at Dublin International Airport - through the deployment of five GPS collars. A total of 4571 tarmacked area interactions were recorded between December 2021 and August 2022, with all five hares engaging with tarmacked areas. Between December and August, the highest number of interactions were recorded for the month of April (n = 1073), followed by March (n = 703). There was a mean of 4.3 (range: 0-65) interactions with tarmacked areas, per hare, per day throughout the study period. Hares most frequently engaged with tarmacked areas between 05:00 and 07:59, with some seasonal variation. The greatest cumulative distance moved per month was observed in May (505 km) and April (503 km). We identified that the average home range size of collared hares was 2.8 km2 (±SD 0.1 km2), based on 95% Kernel Utilisation Distribution. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the hares incorporate tarmacked area habitat types into their home ranges with up to 13% of one individual's movements incorporating these areas. Our study demonstrates the suitability of GPS tracking devices for studying the movement ecology of high-risk mammal species at airfields in order to inform airside management practices.

Apex scavengers from different European populations converge at threatened savannah landscapes

Over millennia, human intervention has transformed European habitats mainly through extensive livestock grazing. “Dehesas/Montados” are an Iberian savannah-like ecosystem dominated by oak-trees, bushes and grass species that are subject to agricultural and extensive livestock uses. They are a good example of how large-scale, low intensive transformations can maintain high biodiversity levels as well as socio-economic and cultural values. However, the role that these human-modified habitats can play for individuals or species living beyond their borders is unknown. Here, using a dataset of 106 adult GPS-tagged Eurasian griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) monitored over seven years, we show how individuals breeding in western European populations from Northern, Central, and Southern Spain, and Southern France made long-range forays (LRFs) of up to 800 km to converge in the threatened Iberian “dehesas” to forage. There, extensive livestock and wild ungulates provide large amounts of carcasses, which are available to scavengers from traditional exploitations and rewilding processes. Our results highlight that maintaining Iberian “dehesas” is critical not only for local biodiversity but also for long-term conservation and the ecosystem services provided by avian scavengers across the continent.

Oliver Tambo International Airport, South Africa: Land-Use Conflicts Between Airports and Wildlife Habitats

Airports stimulate tourism and trade and are a vital link in any country’s tourism infrastructure and economy. Large airports such as South Africa’s busiest airport, the OR Tambo International Airport, in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, are usually located on the periphery of cities, usually on land that forms part of the peri-urban economy, reserved perhaps for farming or left undeveloped. As a result, such land often becomes a wildlife haven within the more “urbanized” or developed areas. Unfortunately, this places wildlife, especially birds on a collision course with aircraft. So much so that bird and other animal strikes cost the aviation industry millions of US dollars annually. Therefore, it is essential to reduce the number of wildlife strikes, not only lower the risk of damage to aircraft, increase passenger safety and reduce operational delays, but also prevent a decline in local wildlife populations. Thus, this paper argues that South Africa must improve its management of land-use close to airports to minimize the potential for wildlife strikes. In that regard, this study catalogs the different habitats and land-use types surrounding OR Tambo International Airport, identifying potential bird hazard zones using kernel density analysis. This identifies which areas pose the highest risk of bird strikes. Although land-use and land zoning by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recommends a 13 km buffer zone around airports, this study shows that land-use in the buffer zone must also take potential bird strikes into account. Thus, airport operators need to work with land-use planning authorities and neighboring stakeholders to do so.