The African Bird Atlas Project: a description of the project and BirdMap data-collection protocol

Brooks, Michael; Rose, Sanjo; Altwegg, Res; Lee, Alan T. K.; Nel, Henk; Ottosson, Ulf; Retief, Ernst F; Reynolds, Chevonne; Ryan, Peter G.; Shema, Sidney; Tende, Talatu; Underhill, Les G.; Thomson, Robert L.

doi:10.2989/00306525.2022.2125097

Cited by 531 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Among the new species recorded were secretive species such as the African Swamphen Porphyrio madagascariensis (which is usually a locally common resident if there is thick cover, even in degraded wetlands in urban areas), and Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus (recorded in the GGHNP in SABAP2, but only up to 2.5% of SABAP2 record for the two park pentads); both are common wetland species. Baillon’s Crake Zapornia pusilla is generally uncommon (Lee and Hammer 2022; Brooks et al 2022), and its presence is a potential indicator of the value of this wetland for such secretive residents; it was recorded in nearby Bethlehem and Memel in SABAP2, so our record is a valuable additional record for the eastern Free State.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Passive acoustic monitoring detects new records of globally threatened birds in a high-elevation wetland (Free State, South Africa)

Mosikidi,

Le Maitre,

Steenhuisen

et al. 2023

Bird Conservation International

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Summary Wetlands act as islands of high biodiversity within the ecological landscape and provide crucial ecosystem services to society. Anthropogenic activities are driving wetland degradation and it has become increasingly rare to find wetlands that do not show signs of biodiversity loss or alteration. The exacerbated loss of biodiversity in wetlands has a negative impact on the local economy and ecosystem services provided by these systems. We responded to the South African National Biodiversity Assessment (NBA) call to document wetland biodiversity against the backdrop of sustained wetland degradation in southern Africa. We monitored the soundscape of a high-elevation wetland in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park (GGHNP) from June 2019 to December 2020 across 24 localities using a rolling grid layout. We detected 35.9% of the avian species previously recorded from ad hoc sightings in the GGHNP of which 68.1% are wetland obligate species. We contributed an additional 10.2% new species records to the avian diversity of the GGHNP, including 24 species that are considered threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Our remote monitoring technique enabled the first ever continuous monitoring using remote acoustic equipment for a high-elevation wetland in South Africa, thus providing a valuable contribution to the NBA call.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Passive acoustic monitoring detects new records of globally threatened birds in a high-elevation wetland (Free State, South Africa)

Mosikidi,

Le Maitre,

Steenhuisen

et al. 2023

Bird Conservation International

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“…The rst and second Southern African Bird Atlas Projects are citizen science projects (SABAP1, 1987-1992, and SABAP2, 2007-present) which provide overviews of avian distribution across southern Africa (Brooks et al 2022). Spatial records in this database show changes in species' distributions (range), and by comparing reporting rates (the proportion of checklists reporting a species -a proxy for relative abundance) between these projects we can estimate population change.…”

Section: Sabap1 Vs Sabap2 Comparisons In Reporting Rate With Associat...mentioning

confidence: 99%

An improved conservation status of Southern Bald Ibis Geronticus calvus as informed by a diversity of citizen science projects suggests positive impacts of conservation attention

Lee¹,

Pienaar²,

Chetty

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The Southern Bald Ibis is endemic to South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini, occurring across high and mid- altitude mesic grasslands and has been of conservation concern in the seventies, resulting in a range of monitoring, research and conservation actions. We examine a range of data sources to determine the conservation status of this species, employing a variety of statistical and analysis pathways. We compare trends in reporting rates from Southern African Bird Atlas Projects (SABAP), examine trends in numbers of nests reported through colony monitoring, and explore contributions made to the ‘Threatened species cause’ from the BirdLasser mobile app. Using the BirdLasser data, we find the species is widely reported across the range outside of sites with known colonies and roosts, suggesting a large proportion of the population is not available for counting during the breeding season. Using insights from the SABAP data and occupancy modelling, combined with group counts from BirdLasser data, we suggest the population is likely > 10 000 individuals. None of the trend analysis statistics we used revealed a decrease in population size for the period 1987–2021. We note that certain colonies are still being abandoned, but this is now at a lower rate (< 10% of colonies). After dramatic declines from the early part of the last century, this suggests the declines are now being curtailed, and there is some evidence the species may be recolonizing lost range. However, we note that this species is being negatively impacted by loss of grasslands to alien vegetation, and will likely be negatively impacted by climate change and other developments. While it is difficult to infer causality with conservation attention, the reversal in the fortunes of the species is encouraging for those involved in the long conservation journey of this species. Continued monitoring of this charismatic species is required in addition to ongoing habitat management to ensure declines are conclusively reversed.

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“…Detection/non-detection data (Bird atlas data) Detection/non-detection data for the Cape Rock-jumper were obtained from a citizen science project conducted in southern Africa to monitor the distributions of bird species, namely the South African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP, Brooks et al, 2022). SABAP were collected in two phases: between 1987 and 1992 (SABAP1), and since June 2007 (SABAP2, still ongoing in 2023).…”

Section: Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Is climate change causing the range contraction of Cape Rock‐jumpers (Chaetops frenatus)?

Duckworth,

Garcia,

Scholtz

et al. 2023

Austral Ecology

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Species distribution models often suggest strong links between climate and species' distribution boundaries and project large distribution shifts in response to climate change. However, attributing distribution shifts to climate change requires more than correlative models. One idea is to examine correlates of the processes that cause distribution shifts, namely colonization and local extinction, by using dynamic occupancy models. The Cape Rock‐jumper (Chaetops frenatus) has disappeared over most of its distribution where temperatures are the highest. We used dynamic occupancy models to analyse Cape Rock‐jumper distribution with respect to climate (mean temperature and precipitation over the warmest annual quarter), vegetation (proportion of natural vegetation, fynbos) and land‐use type (protected areas). Detection/non‐detection data were collected over two phases of the Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP): 1987–1991 (SABAP1) and 2008–2014 (SABAP2). The model described the contraction of the Cape Rock‐jumper's distribution between SABAP1 and SABAP2 well. Occupancy probability during SABAP1 increased with the proportion of fynbos and protected area per grid cell, and decreased with increases in mean temperature and precipitation over the warmest annual quarter. Mean extinction probability increased with mean temperature and precipitation over the warmest annual quarter, although the associated confidence intervals were wide. Nonetheless, our results showed a clear correlation between climate and the distribution boundaries of the Cape Rock‐jumper, and in particular, the species' aversion for higher temperatures. The data were less conclusive on whether the observed range contraction was linked to climate change or not. Examining the processes underlying distribution shifts requires large datasets and should lead to a better understanding of the drivers of these shifts.

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The African Bird Atlas Project: a description of the project and BirdMap data-collection protocol

Cited by 531 publications

References 29 publications

Passive acoustic monitoring detects new records of globally threatened birds in a high-elevation wetland (Free State, South Africa)

Passive acoustic monitoring detects new records of globally threatened birds in a high-elevation wetland (Free State, South Africa)

An improved conservation status of Southern Bald Ibis Geronticus calvus as informed by a diversity of citizen science projects suggests positive impacts of conservation attention

Is climate change causing the range contraction of Cape Rock‐jumpers (Chaetops frenatus)?

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