We examined the effects of different intensities of forest management practices on bird communities in the Bialowieza Forest, eastern Poland. Stands managed for more than 100 years (cutting, planting, removal of dead wood) and stands that were partially protected in nature reserves (sporadic sanitary cutting, removal of dead wood until 2008) were compared with unmanaged stands in the Bialowieza National Park by surveying the bird community during three breeding seasons (2010-2012). Surveys were conducted within three forest habitats: spruce-pine (Pino-Quercetum), lime-hornbeam (Tilio-Carpinetum) and ash-alder (Fraxino-Alnetum). Results showed that habitat structure significantly affected the avian community. The basal area of live trees had a positive effect on abundance of birds, while the density of live trees had negative significant effect on bird abundance and species diversity. We also found significantly lower abundance of insectivorous birds and cavity-nesters in managed compared with unmanaged stands. Birds' assembly in the spruce-pine and ash-alder stands were most sensitive to management. These results show that management can be used to sustain bird communities, including species of conservation concern.

Brazil's rich biological and cultural diversity makes it an exceptional location for examining the commerce in live wild birds and its implications for conservation. This paper catalogues the live bird species being traded in Brazil, characterises the trade in these animals, and discusses the implications for avian conservation. In spite of being illegal, capturing and selling birds is still a very common practice in Brazil and involves many actors who make up part of a large commercial network that distributes wild animals to every corner of the country. Our survey revealed that at least 295 bird species are illegally sold as pets in Brazil, with estimates derived from this data pointing to a total of more than 400 species -about 23% of the number of extant bird species in the country. Of the bird species recorded, two were classified as "Critically Endangered", nine as "Endangered", six as "Vulnerable", and 19 as "Near Threatened" according to the most recent IUCN Red List. Most of the species recorded in this study as being widely bought and sold (including on the international market) are not listed by CITES even though many of them are in fact threatened. In light of the widespread illegal trade in wild birds in Brazil and the conservation implications for the species involved, there is an urgent need for actions that can control these activities. Steps should be taken to address the illegal traffic directly and these must include monitoring, law enforcement, effective sentencing (including deterrent sentences), targeting end-users, captive breeding, and education at all levels, taking into account the cultural, economic, social, and ecological aspects of the human populations involved. ResumoA rica diversidade biológica e cultural brasileira faz do país um lugar excepcional para examinar o comércio de aves silvestres e suas implicações para a conservação. O presente trabalho registra as espécies sendo comercializadas no Brasil, caracteriza o comercio destes animais, e discute suas implicações para a conservação de aveifauna. Apesar de ser ilegal, a captura e o comércio de pássaros é uma prática muito comum no país e envolve muitos atores que compoem uma grande rede comercial que distribui animais silvestres para diferentes regiões. Nossa pesquisa revelou que pelo menos 295 espécies diferentes de pássaros são comercializadas ilegalmente no Brasil como animais de estimação, com estimativas apontando para um total de mais que 400 espéciesaproximadamente 23% do número total de espécies de aves nativas do país. Das espécies registradas, duas estão classificadas como "criticamente ameaçada", nove como "ameaçada", seis "vulnerável" e 19 como "quase ameaçada", segundo a edição mais recente da lista vermelha da IUCN. A maioria das espécies registradas, embora amplamente comercializadas (mesmo no mercado internacional) não estão listadas pela CITES, apesar do fato que muitas consideradas ameaçadas. Considerando o disseminado comércio ilegal de aves silvestres no Brasil e as suas implicações para as espécies envolvida...

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The Białowieża Forest is the only place in Europe where the full development cycle of temperate forest can be observed on a large scale, starting from the regeneration phase until the terminal (decay) phase. At present, the terminal phase is not observed in most forests in Europe due to management practices such as logging and removal of dead trees. In this study, we analysed plantdwelling spider communities in three developmental phases (optimal, terminal and regeneration) of a primeval oak-limehornbeam stand in the Białowieża National Park. Spiders were sampled from May to October in 1998 and 1999 using a sweep net. A total of 3693 spider individuals from 13 families were collected, of which 2278 were identified at the species level. In total, 63 spider species were recorded (including species identified based only on juvenile individuals): 33 in the optimal phase, 36 in the terminal phase, and 41 in the regeneration phase. The composition of plant-dwelling spider communities in three developmental phases was similar. Among adult individuals, Linyphia triangularis (Clerck, 1757) was the most numerous species on the plot in the optimal phase, whereas Bathyphantes nigrinus (Westring, 1851) was the most abundant species on the plots in the terminal and regeneration phases of the stand development. Significantly higher species diversity (calculated for the whole study period) was found in the regeneration and optimal phases compared to the terminal phase. We revealed no difference in the abundance, species richness, and species diversity (calculated per sample) between the analysed plots. On the other hand, each of the developmental stages was characterised by a significant proportion of exclusive species, even though they were represented by a few individuals. This suggests that the presence of different forest stages in a given area favours higher species diversity.