SummaryNetworks of protected areas (PAs) where human activities are allowed at different degrees are fundamental to ensure the long-term conservation of biological diversity and ecological processes. However, studies aimed at assessing their effectiveness, focusing on several species simultaneously are scarce. We assessed the effectiveness of the system of protected areas (PAs) of Lombardy, Northern Italy, in conserving bird populations by comparing the changes from 1992 to 2013 in the occurrence of 54 breeding bird species censused in areas classified in different protection categories, namely Nature Reserves (NRs), areas designed predominantly for the protection of nature; Regional Parks (RPs), naturally valuable areas where human activities, including intensive agriculture, are allowed; and non-protected areas (NPAs). Overall, occurrence of common birds increased in Lombardy in the last 20 years and farmland and long-distance migrants (LDMs), which suffered sharp declines at a continental scale, showed stable and increasing trends, respectively. These trends were, however, the balance between those of species whose occurrence markedly increased, and those of species that dramatically declined. Species occurred more often in PAs than in NPAs, while temporal trends in occurrence were significantly more positive in RPs than in both NRs and NPAs. Hence, PAs seemed effective in preserving common bird communities. Occurrence of woodland and short-distance migrant species was higher in PAs than in NPAs, while occurrence of farmland species and LDMs was similar in all protection categories. PAs of Lombardy appear therefore effective only in protecting some categories of birds. Farmland and LDM birds would benefit more from ecologically sustainable land-use policies aiming at improving agro-ecosystem biodiversity than from protected areas.
Colonial waterbirds, a major biodiversity element occurring in the core of ultra-anthropized Europe, are ideal indicators of the wellness of inland wetlands. Nonetheless, there is a critical knowledge gap in their trend and population status. We present an uninterrupted 47 years-long dataset of the breeding populations of 12 species of colonial waterbirds (Ardeidae, Phalacrocoracidae, Plataleidae, Threskiornitidae) throughout a 58,000 km2 agricultural region in the higher Po basin (NW Italy). A trained team of collaborators censused with standardized field techniques the number of nests of each species at 419 colonies in the 1972–2018 period, summing up a total of 236,316 records. Data cleaning and standardization were performed for each census year, ensuring robust and consistent data. This dataset is among the largest ever collected for a guild of European vertebrates. It has already been used to describe the factors influencing population trends, and still offers opportunities to explore a wide range of key ecological processes such as biological invasions, global change consequences and biodiversity impact of agricultural practices.
Birds are among the most important biological components of wetlands. They play a key role in their ecology and are an important cultural resource for the public, in part because some species can be legally hunted. The conservation of waterbirds is especially important in terms of land use planning, in light of their ecological, cultural, and economic value. Here we summarize the results of wintering waterbirds censuses carried out in Lombardy between 2002 and 2013, using the standardized International Waterbird Census methodology. Our goals were to identify priority sites for waterbirds; estimate population sizes; define demographic trends; and provide a technical framework for making administrative and legislative decisions on the management and conservation of wetlands and their bird species. Lombardy hosts substantial numbers of wintering waterbirds, and many of its wetlands qualify as areas of conservation interest under Ramsar Convention criteria, as they host >1% of the Italian population of one or more species. Trends for the 20 species of highest conservation or hunting interest showed stable or increasing populations in most cases, with the exception of Black-necked Grebe, Common Pochard, and Eurasian Coot, which instead decreased in 2002-2013. The favourable population trends for most species suggest that the ecological status of Lombardy’s wetlands is essentially stable, but it could be improved by simple measures to improve the natural value of the shorelines and bottoms of major lakes and flooded gravel pits. Hunting was one of the main factors affecting the distribution and abundance of wintering waterbirds, which concentrate in protected areas - over 50% of all birds, rising to over 70% for species of conservation interest concentrate there, despite the fact that protected areas only account for 43% of sites surveyed. Overall, protected areas hosted bird densities that were almost seven times higher than those managed primarily for hunting, while mixed-use areas hosted intermediate densities of birds. The presence of protected and unprotected areas within the same wetland mitigates the effects of hunting on bird populations and species diversity, and may help maintain adequate conditions for their conservation.
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