Counteracting wetland overgrowth increases breeding and staging bird abundances.

ABSTRACT: Human actions have led to loss and degradation of wetlands, impairing their suitability as habitat especially for waterbirds. Such negative effects may be mitigated through habitat management. To date scientific evidence regarding the impacts of these actions remains scarce. We studied guild specific abundances of breeding and staging birds in response to habitat management on 15 Finnish wetlands. In this study management actions comprised several means of vegetation removal to thwart overgrowth. Management cost efficiency was assessed by examining the association between site-specific costs and bird abundances. Several bird guilds exhibited positive connections with both habitat management as well as with invested funds. Most importantly, however, red-listed species and species with speci

SUBMITTER: Lehikoinen P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5269664 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature