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Summary 1.Woodland management should consider biodiversity conservation world-wide. Landowners in some European Mediterranean regions receive subsidies to thin dense maquis. This practice eliminates most shrubs and saplings while the tallest trees are pruned to produce more open woodland stands. We investigated the impact of this practice on the conservation status of bird communities. 2. We designed a large-scale 'natural experiment' that included 21 paired thinned and unthinned maquis stands in central Spain. Every stand was sampled by means of five point counts, each consisting of a 50-m radius plot, in two consecutive years and in winter and spring. The vegetation structure was characterized after bird censuses in 10-m radius plots that coincided with the centres of the bird point counts. Data analyses were based on repeated-measures  s. 3. Thinning was responsible for a significant increase in species richness, but did not have any effect on total bird density. The average body mass of species in thinned stands was significantly larger than in unthinned, more densely vegetated, stands. The density of ground searchers was indistinguishable in thinned and unthinned stands, whereas the density of foliage gleaners was higher in unthinned stands. The winter density of granivorous species was marginally higher in thinned stands, whereas insectivorous and frugivorous species were marginally more abundant in unthinned stands. 4. Thinned areas were occupied by higher densities of bird species whose European conservation status is of high concern. Winter density of gamebirds was also higher in thinned stands. 5. Synthesis and applications . This is the first time that a large-scale experimental manipulation of habitat structure and vegetation volume has demonstrated the predicted allometric effect of habitat structural complexity on the average body mass of a bird community. Thinning of dense Mediterranean woodland enhanced habitat heterogeneity and suitability for several bird species and increased species richness. It was also beneficial for species of conservation concern and for non-threatened gamebirds. However, some unthinned patches should be preserved to provide refuge for the few species that are impacted by thinning.

Understanding the abundance, geographicdistribution, and conservation status of terrestrial mam­mals is vital to promote effective wildlife management in protected areas. Located in the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena hotspot of western Ecuador, Machalilla National Park contains high levels of biodiversity and endemism but suffers from habitat loss and degradation. This study provides an updated inventory of medium-sized to large mammals in the park and assesses changes in species richness over the past 20 years. Surveying 70% of Machalilla’s 562-km2 terrestrial area with 60 camera trap points, we detected 18 species of mammals belonging to 13 families. Richness of terrestrial species has declined in recent decades, due to the disappearance of keystone species like Jaguar (Panthera onca), White-lipped Peccary (Tayassu pecari), and possibly the Sechuran Fox (Lycalopex sechurae). We recommend specific man­agement improvements to ensure conservation of the unique ecosystems and biodiversity of Machalilla, the only national park in Ecuador containing dry forest.

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