Birds As Useful Indicators of High Nature Value Farmlands : Using Species Distribution Models As a Tool for Monitoring the Health of Agro-ecosystems

This Book Helps To Establish A Simple Framework To Identify And Use Bird Species As A Bioindicator For High Nature Value (hnv) Farmlands. This Book Focuses On Suitable Methods For Monitoring The Hnv Areas, And Presents The Results Of Several Case Studies. The Chapters Put Forward Ways To Integrate Ecosystems Assessment, Geographical Information Systems (gis) And Strategies For Conservation Of Local Biodiversity. An Innovative Framework Focuses On The Use Of Species Distribution Models (sdms) In Order To Explore The Importance Of Each Characteristic Of Hnv Farmlands. Furthermore, The Book Examines The Relationships Among Bird Species Richness, Land Use Diversity And Landscape Metrics At A Local Scale In The Farmlands.--publisher's Website. Introduction / Federico Morelli, Yanina Benedetti, Piotr Tryjanowski -- Spread Of The Concept Of Hnv Farmland In Europe: A Systematic Review / Yanina Benedetti -- Identifying Hnv Areas Using Geographic Information Systems And Landscape Metrics / Petra Šímová -- Suitable Methods For Monitoring Hnv Farmland Using Bird Species / Piotr Tryjanowski, Federico Morelli -- Case Study 1. Bird As Indicators Of Hnv: Case Study In Farmlands From Central Italy / Federico Morelli, Leszek Jerzak, Piotr Tryjanowski -- Case Study 2. Birds As Indicators Of Hnv: Case Study In Portuguese Cork Oak Montados / João E. Rabaça, Luísa Catarino, Pedro Pereira, António Luís, Carlos Godinho -- Case Study 3. Using Indicator Species Analysis Indval To Identify Bird Indicators Of Hnv In Farmlands From Western Poland / Piotr Tryjanowski, Federico Morelli -- Discussions And Final Considerations / Federico Morelli, Piotr Tryjanowski. Federico Morelli, Piotr Tryjanowski, Editors. Includes Bibliographical References At The End Of Each Chapter. Acknowledgments 5 Contents 6 About the Editors 7 Chapter 1: Introduction 8 1.1 The Decline of Biodiversity in the Agro-ecosystems 8 1.2 Differences Between Western and Eastern Europe Agriculture - The Role of History 9 1.3 Conservation Tools: From the Protected Areas Approach and Nature2000 Network to the High Nature Value Areas in Europe 11 1.3.1 A Concept of Protected Areas Application to Successful Conservation 12 1.3.2 Theories for Fragmented Space 13 1.3.3 Applying Ecological Terminology for Agricultural Landscapes of Whole Europe? 15 1.4 HNV Farming Definition 17 1.5 Approaches to Characterize HNV Farming 19 1.5.1 Land Cover Approach 19 1.5.2 Farm System Approach 20 1.5.3 Species Approach 22 1.6 The HNV as Support for Biodiversity and Public Goods 22 1.7 This Book in Few Words 25 References 27 Chapter 2: Spread of the Concept of HNV Farmland in Europe: A Systematic Review 34 2.1 Introduction 34 2.2 Methods 35 2.3 Results 36 2.4 Discussion 38 Bibliography 41 Chapter 3: Identifying HNV Areas Using Geographic Information Systems and Landscape Metrics 43 3.1 Introduction 43 3.2 Simple Metrics for Identification of HNV Farmland 46 3.3 Input Data for Calculation of Landscape Metrics 48 3.4 Landscape Metrics Case Study: An Example of Using Landscape Metrics to Identify HNV Farmland 52 References 56 Chapter 4: Suitable Methods for Monitoring HNV Farmland Using Bird Species 58 4.1 Bird Count Methods for Farmland Systems: Single-Habitat and Multi-habitat Species 58 4.2 The Concept of Bioindicators or Environmental Surrogates and Common Measures of Diversity in Bird Communities 61 4.2.1 The Concept of Bioindicators 61 4.2.2 Common Diversity Metrics Useful for Bird Communities 63 4.3 Species Distribution Models and Other Useful Statistical Tools 65 4.3.1 SDMs in a Nutshell 65 4.4 Other Useful Tools 66 4.4.1 MRT-Multiregression Tree Analysis 66 4.4.2 Indicator Species Analysis 67 References 69 Part I: Case Studies 74 Chapter 5: Case Study 1. Bird as Indicators of HNV: Case Study in Farmlands from Central Italy 75 5.1 Methodology 76 5.1.1 Study Area 76 5.1.2 Species and Environmental Data 77 5.1.3 Data Analysis 79 5.2 Results 81 5.2.1 Farmland Classification and Description 81 5.2.2 Bird Indicators of HNV Farmland 82 5.2.3 Relative Importance of HNV Farmland Characteristics for Bird Distribution 82 5.3 Discussion 85 5.3.1 Utility of the Proposed Methodology 87 References 88 Chapter 6: Case Study 2. Birds as Indicators of HNV: Case Study in Portuguese Cork Oak Montados 93 6.1 Methodology 94 6.1.1 Study Area 94 6.1.2 Bird Census 96 6.1.3 HNV Features and Explanatory Variables 98 6.1.4 Data Analysis 100 6.2 Results 101 6.2.1 Environmental Variables 102 6.2.2 Bird Guilds 102 6.2.3 Modelling of Bird Guilds 105 6.3 Discussion 105 6.4 Conclusion 108 References 108 Chapter 7: Case Study 3. Using Indicator Species AnalysisIndVal to Identify Bird Indicators of HNV in Farmlands from Western P... 111 7.1 Methodology 112 7.1.1 Study Area 112 7.1.2 Species and Environmental Data 112 7.1.3 Data Analysis 113 7.2 Results 114 7.2.1 Farmland Classification and Description 114 7.2.2 Bird Indicators of HNV Farmland 114 7.3 Discussion 114 References 116 Chapter 8: Discussion and Final Considerations 119 8.1 Model Issues and Limitations: Transferability or Adaptability of Models? 119 8.1.1 Spatial Autocorrelation Issues 120 8.1.2 Overfitting Risks in Models with Many Covariates 120 8.1.3 Selection of Bird Indicators in Different HNV Types 121 8.1.4 Spatial and Time Scales and Adaptability of Models 121 8.2 Potentialities Related to the Use of a Few Common Species as Indicators for Monitoring Programmes: A Citizen Science Appro... 122 References 122 Introduction -- 1.1. Decline of the biodiversity in agro ecosystems in the last decades (Morelli, Tryjanowski) -- 1.2. Differences between Western and Eastern Europe agriculture - the role of history (Tryjanowski) -- 1.3. Conservation tools -- 1.4. A systematic literature review of HNV farmland and requirements for future researches: there is a long way ahead (Benedetti) -- 1.5. The HNV as support for biodiversity (Morelli) -- 2. Methodology and tools for study and monitoring HNV.-2.1. Identifying HNV areas using Geographic Information Systems - GIS -- 2.2. Suitable frameworks to monitoring the HNV farmland using bird species.-2.3. Different ways to study the biodiversity: from species richness to the role of species in the community and functional diversity approach (Morelli) .-2.4. The concept of bioindicators (focal species, umbrella species, etc.) (Morelli) .-2.5. Species Distribution Models develop and assessment (Morelli) -- 3. Case studies -- 3.1. Case study in farmlands from Central Italy (Morelli, Jerzak, Tryjanowski -- 3.2. Case study in Montado system from Portugal (Catarino, Godinho, Pereira, Luís, Rabaça) -- 4. Discussion and final considerations -- 4.1. Models issues and limitations (the alternative of multi-model inference (MMI) approach when working on models with many covariates, etc.) (Morelli, Tryjanowski) -- 4.2. Transferability or adaptability of models? (Morelli, Tryjanowski) -- 4.3. Potentialities related to the use of few common species as indicators for monitoring programs: citizen science approach (Benedetti) -- 4.4. Conservation guidelines and final suggestions (Tryjanowski, Morelli). Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction....Pages 1-26 Spread of the Concept of HNV Farmland in Europe: A Systematic Review....Pages 27-35 Identifying HNV Areas Using Geographic Information Systems and Landscape Metrics....Pages 37-51 Suitable Methods for Monitoring HNV Farmland Using Bird Species....Pages 53-68 Front Matter....Pages 69-69 Case Study 1. Bird as Indicators of HNV: Case Study in Farmlands from Central Italy....Pages 71-88 Case Study 2. Birds as Indicators of HNV: Case Study in Portuguese Cork Oak Montados ....Pages 89-106 Case Study 3. Using Indicator Species Analysis IndVal to Identify Bird Indicators of HNV in Farmlands from Western Poland....Pages 107-114 Discussion and Final Considerations....Pages 115-120