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Forest bird diversity and ski‐runs: a case of negative edge effect
Author(s) -
Laiolo Paola,
Rolando Antonio
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
animal conservation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.111
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1469-1795
pISSN - 1367-9430
DOI - 10.1017/s1367943004001611
Subject(s) - ecotone , geography , species richness , habitat , biodiversity , fragmentation (computing) , ecology , agroforestry , forest management , vegetation (pathology) , forestry , environmental science , biology , medicine , pathology
Among tourist activities in the Alps, winter sports have a prominent role because of the large scale of changes they cause at the habitat and landscape level. We have analysed whether ski resorts lead to significant threats to the avian diversity in the coniferous forests of the western Italian Alps, by comparing the bird communities of plots located in (1) the forest interior, (2) forest at the edge of ski‐runs and (3) forest at the edge of pastures (the latter two are anthropogenic elements of forest fragmentation). Ski‐runs produce a negative edge effect in the study forests: plots at their edges present lower bird species richness and Shannon diversity than those located in the forest interior or at the edges of pastures. In particular, birds typical of ecotone habitats seem to favour forest plots set at the edge of pastures. Ski‐run‐edges are linear landscape features that create high contrast edges; conversely, vegetation structure is more complex at the edge of pastures, attracting a rich and diverse avifauna. In the study area, pastures tend to be abandoned whereas winter sport resorts are increasing in extent. Accordingly, there is a need for coordinated management and cooperation between sport‐ and land‐management agencies, in order to preserve native biodiversity while simultaneously managing land for sport activities.

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