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Gibbons DW, Sandbrook C, Sutherland WJ, Akter R, Bradbury R, Broad S, Clements A, Crick HQP, Elliott J, Gyeltshen N, Heath M, Hughes J, Jenkins RKB, Jones AH, Lopez de la Lama R, Macfarlane NBW, Maunder M, Prasad R, Romero‐Muñoz A, Steiner N, Tremlett J, Trevelyan R, Vijaykumar S, Wedage I, Ockendon N. The relative importance of COVID-19 pandemic impacts on biodiversity conservation globally. Conserv Biol 2022; 36:e13781. [PMID: 34057250 PMCID: PMC8239704 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on almost all aspects of human society and endeavor; the natural world and its conservation have not been spared. Through a process of expert consultation, we identified and categorized, into 19 themes and 70 subthemes, the ways in which biodiversity and its conservation have been or could be affected by the pandemic globally. Nearly 60% of the effects have been broadly negative. Subsequently, we created a compendium of all themes and subthemes, each with explanatory text, and in August 2020 a diverse group of experienced conservationists with expertise from across sectors and geographies assessed each subtheme for its likely impact on biodiversity conservation globally. The 9 subthemes ranked highest all have a negative impact. These were, in rank order, governments sidelining the environment during their economic recovery, reduced wildlife-based tourism income, increased habitat destruction, reduced government funding, increased plastic and other solid waste pollution, weakening of nature-friendly regulations and their enforcement, increased illegal harvest of wild animals, reduced philanthropy, and threats to survival of conservation organizations. In combination, these impacts present a worrying future of increased threats to biodiversity conservation but reduced capacity to counter them. The highest ranking positive impact, at 10, was the beneficial impact of wildlife-trade restrictions. More optimistically, among impacts ranked 11-20, 6 were positive and 4 were negative. We hope our assessment will draw attention to the impacts of the pandemic and, thus, improve the conservation community's ability to respond to such threats in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W. Gibbons
- RSPB Centre for Conservation ScienceThe LodgeBedfordshireUK
- RSPB Centre for Conservation ScienceThe David Attenborough BuildingCambridgeUK
| | | | - William J. Sutherland
- Conservation Science Group, Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Biosecurity Research Initiative at St. Catherine's (BioRISC), St. Catherine's CollegeUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | | | - Richard Bradbury
- RSPB Centre for Conservation ScienceThe LodgeBedfordshireUK
- Conservation Science Group, Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Jonathan Hughes
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring CentreCambridgeUK
| | | | | | - Rocio Lopez de la Lama
- Institute for Resources, Environment and SustainabilityUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | | | | | | | - Alfredo Romero‐Muñoz
- Geography DepartmentHumboldt‐Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
- Fundación CohabitarSucreBolivia
| | - Noa Steiner
- Department of Agricultural EconomicsUniversity of KielKielGermany
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Roos S, Smart J, Gibbons DW, Wilson JD. Corrigendum to 'A review of predation as a limiting factor for bird populations in mesopredator-rich landscapes: a case study of the UK', published in Biological Reviews 93, pp. 1915-1937 (2018). Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:600-603. [PMID: 34821005 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Staffan Roos
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, 2 Lochside View, Edinburgh, EH12 9DH, U.K
| | - Jennifer Smart
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL, U.K.,School of Biological Science, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, U.K
| | - David W Gibbons
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL, U.K
| | - Jeremy D Wilson
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, 2 Lochside View, Edinburgh, EH12 9DH, U.K
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Sutherland WJ, Fleishman E, Clout M, Gibbons DW, Lickorish F, Peck LS, Pretty J, Spalding M, Ockendon N. Ten Years On: A Review of the First Global Conservation Horizon Scan. Trends Ecol Evol 2019; 34:139-153. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Sutherland WJ, Broad S, Butchart SH, Clarke SJ, Collins AM, Dicks LV, Doran H, Esmail N, Fleishman E, Frost N, Gaston KJ, Gibbons DW, Hughes AC, Jiang Z, Kelman R, LeAnstey B, le Roux X, Lickorish FA, Monk KA, Mortimer D, Pearce-Higgins JW, Peck LS, Pettorelli N, Pretty J, Seymour CL, Spalding MD, Wentworth J, Ockendon N. A Horizon Scan of Emerging Issues for Global Conservation in 2019. Trends Ecol Evol 2019; 34:83-94. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Revised: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Roos S, Smart J, Gibbons DW, Wilson JD. A review of predation as a limiting factor for bird populations in mesopredator-rich landscapes: a case study of the UK. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 93:1915-1937. [PMID: 29790246 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Revised: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The impact of increasing vertebrate predator numbers on bird populations is widely debated among the general public, game managers and conservationists across Europe. However, there are few systematic reviews of whether predation limits the population sizes of European bird species. Views on the impacts of predation are particularly polarised in the UK, probably because the UK has a globally exceptional culture of intensive, high-yield gamebird management where predator removal is the norm. In addition, most apex predators have been exterminated or much depleted in numbers, contributing to a widely held perception that the UK has high numbers of mesopredators. This has resulted in many high-quality studies of mesopredator impacts over several decades. Here we present results from a systematic review of predator trends and abundance, and assess whether predation limits the population sizes of 90 bird species in the UK. Our results confirm that the generalist predators Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) and Crows (Corvus corone and C. cornix) occur at high densities in the UK compared with other European countries. In addition, some avian and mammalian predators have increased numerically in the UK during recent decades. Despite these high and increasing densities of predators, we found little evidence that predation limits populations of pigeons, woodpeckers and passerines, whereas evidence suggests that ground-nesting seabirds, waders and gamebirds can be limited by predation. Using life-history characteristics of prey species, we found that mainly long-lived species with high adult survival and late onset of breeding were limited by predation. Single-brooded species were also more likely to be limited by predation than multi-brooded species. Predators that depredate prey species during all life stages (i.e. from nest to adult stages) limited prey numbers more than predators that depredated only specific life stages (e.g. solely during the nest phase). The Red Fox and non-native mammals (e.g. the American Mink Neovison vison) were frequently identified as numerically limiting their prey species. Our review has identified predator-prey interactions that are particularly likely to result in population declines of prey species. In the short term, traditional predator-management techniques (e.g. lethal control or fencing to reduce predation by a small number of predator species) could be used to protect these vulnerable species. However, as these techniques are costly and time-consuming, we advocate that future research should identify land-use practices and landscape configurations that would reduce predator numbers and predation rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Staffan Roos
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, Edinburgh, EH12 9DH, U.K
| | - Jennifer Smart
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, Sandy, SG19 2DL, U.K.,School of Biological Science, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, U.K
| | | | - Jeremy D Wilson
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, Edinburgh, EH12 9DH, U.K
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Sutherland WJ, Butchart SH, Connor B, Culshaw C, Dicks LV, Dinsdale J, Doran H, Entwistle AC, Fleishman E, Gibbons DW, Jiang Z, Keim B, Roux XL, Lickorish FA, Markillie P, Monk KA, Mortimer D, Pearce-Higgins JW, Peck LS, Pretty J, Seymour CL, Spalding MD, Tonneijck FH, Gleave RA. A 2018 Horizon Scan of Emerging Issues for Global Conservation and Biological Diversity. Trends Ecol Evol 2018; 33:47-58. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2017.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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van der Sluijs JP, Amaral-Rogers V, Belzunces LP, Bijleveld van Lexmond MFIJ, Bonmatin JM, Chagnon M, Downs CA, Furlan L, Gibbons DW, Giorio C, Girolami V, Goulson D, Kreutzweiser DP, Krupke C, Liess M, Long E, McField M, Mineau P, Mitchell EAD, Morrissey CA, Noome DA, Pisa L, Settele J, Simon-Delso N, Stark JD, Tapparo A, Van Dyck H, van Praagh J, Whitehorn PR, Wiemers M. Conclusions of the Worldwide Integrated Assessment on the risks of neonicotinoids and fipronil to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2015; 22:148-54. [PMID: 25296936 PMCID: PMC4284366 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-014-3229-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2014] [Accepted: 06/17/2014] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- J P van der Sluijs
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Copernicus Institute, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands,
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Simon-Delso N, Amaral-Rogers V, Belzunces LP, Bonmatin JM, Chagnon M, Downs C, Furlan L, Gibbons DW, Giorio C, Girolami V, Goulson D, Kreutzweiser DP, Krupke CH, Liess M, Long E, McField M, Mineau P, Mitchell EAD, Morrissey CA, Noome DA, Pisa L, Settele J, Stark JD, Tapparo A, Van Dyck H, Van Praagh J, Van der Sluijs JP, Whitehorn PR, Wiemers M. Systemic insecticides (neonicotinoids and fipronil): trends, uses, mode of action and metabolites. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2015; 22:5-34. [PMID: 25233913 PMCID: PMC4284386 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-014-3470-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 907] [Impact Index Per Article: 100.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2014] [Accepted: 08/15/2014] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Since their discovery in the late 1980s, neonicotinoid pesticides have become the most widely used class of insecticides worldwide, with large-scale applications ranging from plant protection (crops, vegetables, fruits), veterinary products, and biocides to invertebrate pest control in fish farming. In this review, we address the phenyl-pyrazole fipronil together with neonicotinoids because of similarities in their toxicity, physicochemical profiles, and presence in the environment. Neonicotinoids and fipronil currently account for approximately one third of the world insecticide market; the annual world production of the archetype neonicotinoid, imidacloprid, was estimated to be ca. 20,000 tonnes active substance in 2010. There were several reasons for the initial success of neonicotinoids and fipronil: (1) there was no known pesticide resistance in target pests, mainly because of their recent development, (2) their physicochemical properties included many advantages over previous generations of insecticides (i.e., organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids, etc.), and (3) they shared an assumed reduced operator and consumer risk. Due to their systemic nature, they are taken up by the roots or leaves and translocated to all parts of the plant, which, in turn, makes them effectively toxic to herbivorous insects. The toxicity persists for a variable period of time-depending on the plant, its growth stage, and the amount of pesticide applied. A wide variety of applications are available, including the most common prophylactic non-Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) application by seed coating. As a result of their extensive use and physicochemical properties, these substances can be found in all environmental compartments including soil, water, and air. Neonicotinoids and fipronil operate by disrupting neural transmission in the central nervous system of invertebrates. Neonicotinoids mimic the action of neurotransmitters, while fipronil inhibits neuronal receptors. In doing so, they continuously stimulate neurons leading ultimately to death of target invertebrates. Like virtually all insecticides, they can also have lethal and sublethal impacts on non-target organisms, including insect predators and vertebrates. Furthermore, a range of synergistic effects with other stressors have been documented. Here, we review extensively their metabolic pathways, showing how they form both compound-specific and common metabolites which can themselves be toxic. These may result in prolonged toxicity. Considering their wide commercial expansion, mode of action, the systemic properties in plants, persistence and environmental fate, coupled with limited information about the toxicity profiles of these compounds and their metabolites, neonicotinoids and fipronil may entail significant risks to the environment. A global evaluation of the potential collateral effects of their use is therefore timely. The present paper and subsequent chapters in this review of the global literature explore these risks and show a growing body of evidence that persistent, low concentrations of these insecticides pose serious risks of undesirable environmental impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Simon-Delso
- Environmental Sciences, Copernicus Institute, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands,
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Sutherland WJ, Aveling R, Brooks TM, Clout M, Dicks LV, Fellman L, Fleishman E, Gibbons DW, Keim B, Lickorish F, Monk KA, Mortimer D, Peck LS, Pretty J, Rockström J, Rodríguez JP, Smith RK, Spalding MD, Tonneijck FH, Watkinson AR. A horizon scan of global conservation issues for 2014. Trends Ecol Evol 2013; 29:15-22. [PMID: 24332318 PMCID: PMC3884124 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2013.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2013] [Revised: 11/08/2013] [Accepted: 11/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
This is the fifth in our annual series of horizon scans published in TREE. We identify 15 issues that we considered insufficiently known by the conservation community. These cover a wide range of issues. Four relate to climate change, two to invasives and two to disease spread. This exercise has been influential in the past.
This paper presents the output of our fifth annual horizon-scanning exercise, which aims to identify topics that increasingly may affect conservation of biological diversity, but have yet to be widely considered. A team of professional horizon scanners, researchers, practitioners, and a journalist identified 15 topics which were identified via an iterative, Delphi-like process. The 15 topics include a carbon market induced financial crash, rapid geographic expansion of macroalgal cultivation, genetic control of invasive species, probiotic therapy for amphibians, and an emerging snake fungal disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J Sutherland
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, Cambridge University, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK.
| | - Rosalind Aveling
- Fauna & Flora International, 4th Floor, Jupiter House, Station Road, Cambridge, CB1 2JD, UK
| | - Thomas M Brooks
- International Union for Conservation of Nature, 28 rue Mauverney, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland
| | - Mick Clout
- Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, PB 92019, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Lynn V Dicks
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, Cambridge University, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Liz Fellman
- Natural Environment Research Council, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1EU, UK
| | - Erica Fleishman
- John Muir Institute of the Environment, The Barn, One Shields Avenue, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - David W Gibbons
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, SG19 2DL, UK
| | - Brandon Keim
- WIRED, 520 3rd Street, Third Floor at Bryant Street, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA
| | - Fiona Lickorish
- Centre for Environmental Risks and Futures, Cranfield University, Cranfield, MK43 0AL, UK
| | - Kathryn A Monk
- Natural Resources Wales, Cambria House, 29 Newport Road, Cardiff, CF24 0TP, UK
| | - Diana Mortimer
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Monkstone House, City Road, Peterborough, PE1 1JY, UK
| | - Lloyd S Peck
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
| | - Jules Pretty
- Essex Sustainability Institute and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Johan Rockström
- Stockholm Resilience Center, Stockholm University, Kräftriket 2B, SE-106 19, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jon Paul Rodríguez
- Center for Ecology, Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Investigation (Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas - IVIC), Apdo. 20632, Caracas 1020-A, Venezuela
| | - Rebecca K Smith
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, Cambridge University, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Mark D Spalding
- Global Marine Team, The Nature Conservancy, Department of Zoology, Cambridge University, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Femke H Tonneijck
- Wetlands International, PO Box 471, 6700 AL Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Andrew R Watkinson
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
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Sutherland WJ, Bardsley S, Clout M, Depledge MH, Dicks LV, Fellman L, Fleishman E, Gibbons DW, Keim B, Lickorish F, Margerison C, Monk KA, Norris K, Peck LS, Prior SV, Scharlemann JPW, Spalding MD, Watkinson AR. A horizon scan of global conservation issues for 2013. Trends Ecol Evol 2013; 28:16-22. [PMID: 23219597 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2012.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2012] [Revised: 10/26/2012] [Accepted: 10/29/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Sutherland WJ, Aveling R, Bennun L, Chapman E, Clout M, Côté IM, Depledge MH, Dicks LV, Dobson AP, Fellman L, Fleishman E, Gibbons DW, Keim B, Lickorish F, Lindenmayer DB, Monk KA, Norris K, Peck LS, Prior SV, Scharlemann JP, Spalding M, Watkinson AR. A horizon scan of global conservation issues for 2012. Trends Ecol Evol 2012; 27:12-18. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2011.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2011] [Accepted: 10/31/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Sutherland WJ, Clout M, Côté IM, Daszak P, Depledge MH, Fellman L, Fleishman E, Garthwaite R, Gibbons DW, De Lurio J, Impey AJ, Lickorish F, Lindenmayer D, Madgwick J, Margerison C, Maynard T, Peck LS, Pretty J, Prior S, Redford KH, Scharlemann JP, Spalding M, Watkinson AR. A horizon scan of global conservation issues for 2010. Trends Ecol Evol 2010; 25:1-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2009.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 204] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2009] [Revised: 10/12/2009] [Accepted: 10/12/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Abstract
The spread of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza into Asia, Europe, and Africa has resulted in enormous impacts on the poultry industry and presents an important threat to human health. The pathways by which the virus has and will spread between countries have been debated extensively, but have yet to be analyzed comprehensively and quantitatively. We integrated data on phylogenetic relationships of virus isolates, migratory bird movements, and trade in poultry and wild birds to determine the pathway for 52 individual introduction events into countries and predict future spread. We show that 9 of 21 of H5N1 introductions to countries in Asia were most likely through poultry, and 3 of 21 were most likely through migrating birds. In contrast, spread to most (20/23) countries in Europe was most likely through migratory birds. Spread in Africa was likely partly by poultry (2/8 introductions) and partly by migrating birds (3/8). Our analyses predict that H5N1 is more likely to be introduced into the Western Hemisphere through infected poultry and into the mainland United States by subsequent movement of migrating birds from neighboring countries, rather than from eastern Siberia. These results highlight the potential synergism between trade and wild animal movement in the emergence and pandemic spread of pathogens and demonstrate the value of predictive models for disease control.
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Gibbons DW, Bohan DA, Rothery P, Stuart RC, Haughton AJ, Scott RJ, Wilson JD, Perry JN, Clark SJ, Dawson RJG, Firbank LG. Weed seed resources for birds in fields with contrasting conventional and genetically modified herbicide-tolerant crops. Proc Biol Sci 2006; 273:1921-8. [PMID: 16822753 PMCID: PMC1634768 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2006.3522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The UK Farm Scale Evaluations (FSEs) have shown that the use of broad spectrum herbicides on genetically modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) crops can have dramatic effects on weed seed production compared to management of conventional varieties. Here, we use FSE data and information on bird diets to determine how GMHT cropping might change the food resources available to farmland birds. More than 60 fields of each of four crops, spring- and winter-sown oilseed rape, beet and maize, were split, one half being sown with a conventional variety, the other with a GMHT variety. Seed rain from weeds known to be important in the diets of 17 granivorous farmland bird species was measured under the two treatments. In beet and spring oilseed rape, rain of weed seeds important in the diets of 16 bird species was significantly reduced in GMHT compared to conventional halves; for no species did it increase. In winter oilseed rape, rain of weed seeds important in the diets of 10 species was significantly reduced in GMHT halves; for only one species did it increase significantly. By contrast, in maize, rain of weed seeds important in the diets of seven species was significantly greater in GMHT halves; for no species was it reduced. Treatment effects for the total weed seed energy available to each bird species were very similar to those for seed rain alone. Measuring the effects on individual bird species was outside the scope of this study. Despite this, these results suggest that should beet, spring and winter rape crops in the UK be largely replaced by GMHT varieties and managed as in the FSEs, this would markedly reduce important food resources for farmland birds, many of which declined during the last quarter of the twentieth century. By contrast, GMHT maize would be beneficial to farmland birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W Gibbons
- RSPB, UK Headquarters, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK.
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Gregory RD, van Strien A, Vorisek P, Gmelig Meyling AW, Noble DG, Foppen RPB, Gibbons DW. Developing indicators for European birds. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2005; 360:269-88. [PMID: 15814345 PMCID: PMC1569455 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2004.1602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 259] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The global pledge to deliver 'a significant reduction in the current rate of biodiversity loss by 2010' is echoed in a number of regional and national level targets. There is broad consensus, however, that in the absence of conservation action, biodiversity will continue to be lost at a rate unprecedented in the recent era. Remarkably, we lack a basic system to measure progress towards these targets and, in particular, we lack standard measures of biodiversity and procedures to construct and assess summary statistics. Here, we develop a simple classification of biodiversity indicators to assist their development and clarify purpose. We use European birds, as example taxa, to show how robust indicators can be constructed and how they can be interpreted. We have developed statistical methods to calculate supranational, multi-species indices using population data from national annual breeding bird surveys in Europe. Skilled volunteers using standardized field methods undertake data collection where methods and survey designs differ slightly across countries. Survey plots tend to be widely distributed at a national level, covering many bird species and habitats with reasonable representation. National species' indices are calculated using log-linear regression, which allows for plot turnover. Supranational species' indices are constructed by combining the national species' indices weighted by national population sizes of each species. Supranational, multi-species indicators are calculated by averaging the resulting indices. We show that common farmland birds in Europe have declined steeply over the last two decades, whereas woodland birds have not. Evidence elsewhere shows that the main driver of farmland bird declines is increased agricultural intensification. We argue that the farmland bird indicator is a useful surrogate for trends in other elements of biodiversity in this habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard D Gregory
- European Bird Census Council & The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK.
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