Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T09:45:24.291Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Guiding local-scale management to improve the conservation of endangered populations: the example of Bonelli’s Eagle Aquila fasciata

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2020

ÀLEX ROLLAN ,
ANTONIO HERNÁNDEZ-MATÍAS ,
RAFEL BOSCH ,
ALBERT TINTÓ ,
ROGER PUIG-GIRONÈS ,
CARLES CASTELL  and
JOAN REAL
ÀLEX ROLLAN
Affiliation:
Equip de Biologia de la Conservació. Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals & Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
ANTONIO HERNÁNDEZ-MATÍAS*
Affiliation:
Equip de Biologia de la Conservació. Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals & Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Departament de Ciències Ambientals, University of Girona. C. Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69, 17003Girona, Catalonia, Spain.
RAFEL BOSCH
Affiliation:
Equip de Biologia de la Conservació. Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals & Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Taller d’Ecologia de la Conservació. Trav. de Trafalgar 15, 08191 Rubí, Catalonia, Spain.
ALBERT TINTÓ
Affiliation:
Equip de Biologia de la Conservació. Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals & Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
ROGER PUIG-GIRONÈS
Affiliation:
Equip de Biologia de la Conservació. Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals & Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Departament de Ciències Ambientals, University of Girona. C. Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69, 17003Girona, Catalonia, Spain.
CARLES CASTELL
Affiliation:
Diputació de Barcelona. C. Comte d’Urgell 187, 08036 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
JOAN REAL
Affiliation:
Equip de Biologia de la Conservació. Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals & Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
*
*Author for correspondence; email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Understanding the environmental drivers of demographic processes is a prerequisite for providing the evidence-based conservation guidance and management actions required to address management goals at population level. Human activities, to which most species are not adapted, are having an ever-increasing impact on the environment. Most policies and strategies focus on broad-scale conservation actions and disregard the fact that this type of action may not be adequate at local scale. In addition, even though the main conservation targets are well known, managers and practitioners lack an explicit framework in which to identify the varying requirements of site-specific conservation actions. Our aim was to provide an accurate tool for prioritizing specific local-scale conservation actions for endangered territorial birds. In this study we describe our proposed framework using a population of the endangered Bonelli’s Eagle Aquila fasciata as a case study. We identified the most relevant environmental drivers linked to demographic parameters (occupation, productivity and survival) at local scale shaping the dynamics of the Bonelli’s Eagle population in Catalonia (Spain). This information will be useful for designing specific local-scale conservation actions in eagles’ territories with low demographic parameter values. This is a good example of how applied research and achievable conservation practices are applicable to other Bonelli’s eagle populations and to those of other endangered raptors.

Keywords

Bonelli’s EagleRaptorsLocally-guided conservation actionsEndangered speciesEnvironmental stressorsDemographic parameters
Type
Research Article
Information
Bird Conservation International , Volume 31 , Issue 3 , September 2021 , pp. 395 - 409
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of BirdLife International

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bates, D., Maechler, M., Bolker, B. and Walker, S. (2015) Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using lme4. J. Stat. Softw. 67: 1–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BirdLife International (2017) European birds of conservation concern: populations, trends and national responsibilities. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International.Google Scholar
Bosch, R., Real, J., Tintó, A., Zozaya, E. and Castell, C. (2010) Home-ranges and patterns of spatial use in territorial Bonelli’s Eagles Aquila fasciata . Ibis 152: 105–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burnham, K. P. and Anderson, D. R. (2002) Model selection and multimodel inference: A practical information-theoretic approach. New York, USA: Springer.Google Scholar
Carrascal, L. M. and Seoane, J. (2008) Factors affecting large-scale distribution of the Bonelli’s Eagle Aquil fasciata in Spain. Ecol. Res. 24: 565–573.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carrete, M., Sánchez-Zapata, J. A., Martínez, J. E., Sánchez, M. A. and Calvo, J. F. (2002) Factors influencing the decline of a Bonelli’s Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus population in southeastern Spain: demography, habitat or competition? Biodivers. Conserv. 11: 975–985.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carrete, M., Sánchez‐Zapata, J. A., Calvo, J. F. and Lande, R. (2005) Demography and habitat availability in territorial occupancy of two competing species. Oikos 108: 125–136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chevallier, C., Hernández‐Matías, A., Real, J., Vincent‐Martin, N., Ravayrol, A. and Besnard, A. (2015) Retrofitting of power lines effectively reduces mortality by electrocution in large birds: an example with the endangered Bonelli’s eagle. J. Appl. Ecol. 52: 1465–1473.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Christie, A. P., Amano, T., Martin, P. A., Petrovan, S. O., Shackelford, G. E., Simmons, B. I., Smith, R. K., Williams, D. R., Wordley, C. F. R. and Sutherland, W. J. (2020) Poor availability of context-specific evidence hampers decision-making in conservation. Biol. Conserv. in press. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108666.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crutzen, P. J. (2006) The “anthropocene”. Pp. 13–18 in: Ehlers, E. and Krafft, T., eds. Earth system science in the Anthropocene. Berlin, Germany: Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fabian, Y., Bollmann, K., Brang, P., Heiri, C., Olschewski, R., Rigling, A., Stofer, S. and Holderegger, R. (2019) How to close the science-practice gap in nature conservation? Information sources used by practitioners. Biol. Conserv. 235: 93–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Faraway, J. J. (2016) Extending the linear model with R: generalized linear, mixed effects and nonparametric regression models. New York, NY: Chapman and Hall.Google Scholar
Ferreira, C. and Alves, P. C. (2009) Influence of habitat management on the abundance and diet of wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus) populations in Mediterranean ecosystems. Eur. J. Wildl. Res. 55: 487496.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fielding, A. H. and Bell, J. F. (1997) A review of methods for the assessment of prediction errors in conservation presence/absence models. Environ. Conserv. 24: 38–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frederiksen, M., Lebreton, J. D., Pradel, R., Choquet, R. and Gimenez, O. (2014) Identifying links between vital rates and environment: a toolbox for the applied ecologist. J. Appl. Ecol. 51: 71–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gil-Sánchez, J. M., Moleón, M., Otero, M. and Bautista, J. (2004) A nine-year study of successful breeding in a Bonelli’s Eagle population in southeast Spain: a basis for conservation. Biol. Conserv. 118: 685–694.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Groom, M. J., Meffe, G. K. and Carroll, C. R. (2006) Principles of conservation biology. Sunderland, UK: Sinauer Associates, Inc. Google Scholar
Hernández-Matías, A., Real, J., Pradel, R., Ravayrol, A., Vincent-Martin, N., Bosca, F. and Cheylan, G. (2010) Determinants of territorial recruitment in Bonelli’s eagle (Aquila fasciata) populations. The Auk 127: 173–184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hernández-Matías, A., Real, J. and Pradel, R. (2011a) Quick methods for evaluating survival of age-characterizable long-ived territorial birds. J. Wildl. Manage. 75: 856–866.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hernández-Matías, A., Real, J., Pradel, R., Ravayrol, A. and Vincent-Martin, N. (2011b) Effects of age, territoriality and breeding on survival of Bonelli’s Eagle Aquila fasciata . Ibis 153: 846–857.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hernández-Matías, A., Real, J., Moleón, M., Palma, L., Sánchez-Zapata, J. A., Pradel, R., Carrete, M., Gil-Sánchez, J. M., Beja, P., Balbontín, J., Vincent-Martin, N., Ravayrol, A., Benítez, J. R., Arroyo, B., Fernández, C., Ferreiro, E. and García, J. (2013) From local monitoring to a broad‐scale viability assessment: A case study for the Bonelli’s Eagle in western Europe. Ecol. Monogr. 83: 239–261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hernández-Matías, A., Real, J., Parés, F. and Pradel, R. (2015) Electrocution threatens the viability of populations of the endangered Bonelli’s eagle (Aquila fasciata) in Southern Europe. Biol. Conserv. 191: 110–116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hernández-Matías, A., Mañosa, S., Rollan, À., Bosch, R., Tintó, A. and Real, J. (2020) Using multi-scale spatial prioritization criteria to optimize non-natural mortality mitigation of target species. Glob. Ecol. Conserv. 23: e01082.Google Scholar
León-Ortega, M., Jiménez-Franco, M. V., Martínez, J. E. and Calvo, J. F. (2017) Factors influencing territorial occupancy and reproductive success in a Eurasian Eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) population. PLoS ONE 12(4): e0175597.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lescroël, A, Dugger, K. M, Ballard, G. and Ainley, D. G. (2009) Effects of individual quality, reproductive success and environmental variability on survival of a long‐lived seabird. J. Anim. Ecol. 78: 798–806.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
López-López, P., García-Ripollés, C., Aguilar, J. M., Garcia-López, F. and Verdejo, J. (2006) Modelling breeding habitat preferences of Bonelli’s Eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus) in relation to topography, disturbance, climate and land use at different spatial scales. J. Ornithol. 147: 97–106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manel, S., Williams, H. C. and Ormerod, S. J. (2001) Evaluating presence-absence models in ecology: the need to account for prevalence. J. Appl. Ecol. 38: 921–931.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Margalida, A., Jiménez, J., Martínez, J. M., Sesé, J. A., García‐Ferré, D., Llamas, A., Razin, M., Colomer, M., and Arroyo, B. (2020) An assessment of population size and demographic drivers of the Bearded Vulture using integrated population models. Ecol. Monogr. 0(0), 2020, e01414.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martinez, J. A., Calvo, J. F., Martinez, J. E., Zuberogoitia, I., Zabala, J. and Redpath, S. M. (2008) Breeding performance, age effects and territory occupancy in a Bonelli’s Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus population. Ibis 150: 223–233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martínez-Miranzo, B., Banda, E., Gardiazábal, A., Ferreiro, E. and Aguirre, J. I. (2016) Differential spatial use and spatial fidelity by breeders in Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata). J. Ornithol. 157: 971–979.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McAlpine, C. A., Rhodes, J. R., Bowen, M. E., Lunney, D., Callaghan, J. G., Mitchell, D. L. and Possingham, H. P. (2008) Can multiscale models of species’ distribution be generalized from region to region? A case study of the koala. J. Appl. Ecol. 45: 558–567.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moleón, M., Almaraz, P. and Sánchez-Zaplana, J. A. (2008) An emerging infectious disease triggering large-scale hyperpredation. PLoS ONE 3(6): e2307.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Muñoz, A. R., Real, R., Barbosa, A. M. and Vargas, J. M. (2005) Modelling the distribution of Bonelli’s eagle in Spain: implications for conservation planning. Divers. Distrib. 11: 477–486.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Noss, R. F. (1990) Indicators for monitoring biodiversity: A hierarchical approach. Conserv. Biol. 4: 355–364.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oosten, H. H., Van Turnhout, C., Hallmann, C. A., Majoor, F., Roodbergen, M., Schekkerman, H., Versluijs, R., Waasdorp, S. and Siepel, H. (2015) Site‐specific dynamics in remnant populations of Northern Wheatears Oenanthe oenanthe in the Netherlands. Ibis 157: 91–102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Orta, J., Kirwan, G. M., Christie, D. A., Boesman, P., Marks, J. S., Garcia, E. F. J. (2019) Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata). In del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D. A. and de Juana, E., eds. Handbook of the birds of the world alive . Barcelona, Spain: Lynx Edicions. (Retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/53165 on 21 January 2019).Google Scholar
Pearce, J. and Ferrier, S. (2000) Evaluating the predictive performance of habitat models developed using logistic regression. Ecol. Model. 133: 225–245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Penteriani, V., Balbontin, J. and Ferrer, M. (2003) Simultaneous effects of age and territory quality on fecundity in Bonelli’s Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus . Ibis 145: E77–E82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pullin, A. S. and Knight, T. M. (2003) Support for decision making in conservation practice: an evidence-based approach. J. Nat. Conserv. 11: 83–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Quinn, G. P. and Keough, M. J. (2002) Experimental design and data analysis for biologists. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Development Core Team, R (2017) R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing.Google Scholar
Real, J. (2004) Aguila azor-perdicera, Hieraaetus fasciatus . Pp. 154–157 in Madroño, A., Gonzàlez, C. and Atienza, J., eds. Libro Rojo de las Aves de España. Madrid, Spain: Dirección General para la Biodiversidad-SEO/Birdlife.Google Scholar
Real, J., Grande, J. M., Mañosa, S. and Sánchez-Zapata, J. A. (2001) Causes of death in different areas for Bonelli’s Eagle Hieraetus fasciatus in Spain. Bird Stud. 48: 221–228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Real, J., Bosch, R., Tintó, A. and Hernández-Matías, A. (2016) Identifying key habitats for the conservation of Bonelli’s Eagle Aquila fasciata using radiotracking. Ibis 158: 556–568.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Resano-Mayor, J., Real, J., Moleón, M., Sánchez-Zapata, J. A., Palma, L. and Hernández-Matías, A. (2016) Diet–demography relationships in a long‐lived predator: from territories to populations. Oikos 125: 262–270.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rollan, À. and Real, J. (2010) Effect of wildfires and post-fire forest treatments on rabbit abundance. Eur. J. Wildl. Res. 57: 201–209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rollan, À., Real, J., Bosch, R., Tintó, A. and Hernandez-Matias, A. (2010) Modelling the risk of collision with power lines in Bonelli’s Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus and its conservation implications. Bird Conserv. Internatn. 20: 279–294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rollan, À., Hernández-Matías, A. and Real, J. (2016) Guidelines for the conservation of Bonelli’s eagle populations. Barcelona, Spain: Universitat de Barcelona.Google Scholar
Sandercock, B. K. (2006) Estimation of demographic parameters from live-encounter data: a summary review. J. Wildl. Manage. 70: 1504–1520.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmidt, B. R., Schaub, M. and Anholt, B. R. (2002) Why you should use capture-recapture methods when estimating survival and breeding probabilities: on bias, temporary emigration, overdispersion, and common toads. Amphib. Reptil. 23: 375–388.Google Scholar
Sergio, F., Newton, I., Marchesi, L. and Pedrini, P. (2006a) Ecologically justified charisma: preservation of top predators delivers biodiversity conservation. J. Appl. Ecol. 43: 1049–1055.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sergio, F., Pedrini, P., Rozzolli, F. and Marchesi, L. (2006b) Adaptive range selection by golden eagles in a changing landscape: A multiple modelling approach. Biol. Conserv. 133: 32–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sergio, F., Caro, T., Brown, D., Clucas, B., Hunter, J., Ketchum, J., McHugh, K. and Hiraldo, F. (2008) Top predators as conservation tools: ecological rationale, assumptions, and efficacy. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Evol. Syst. 39: 1–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sutherland, W. J., Pullin, A. S., Dolman, P. M. and Knight, T. M. (2004) The need for evidence-based conservation. Trends Ecol. Evol. 19: 305–308.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Swets, J. A. (1988) Measuring the accuracy of diagnostic systems. Science 240: 1285–1293.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilson, K. A., Cabeza, M. and Klein, C. J. (2009) Fundamental concepts of spatial conservation prioritization. Pp. 16–27 in Moilanen, A., Wilson, K. A. and Possingham, H. P., eds. Spatial conservation prioritisation: quantitative methods and computational tools. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Rollan et al. supplementary material

Rollan et al. supplementary material

Download Rollan et al. supplementary material(File)
File 49.1 KB