Norfolk, Olivia, Jung, Martin, Platts, Philip J. orcid.org/0000-0002-0153-0121 et al. (3 more authors) (2017) Birds in the matrix:The role of agriculture in avian conservation in the Taita Hills, Kenya. African Journal of Ecology. pp. 530-540. ISSN 0141-6707
Abstract
Agricultural conversion of tropical forests is a major driver of biodiversity loss. Slowing rates of deforestation is a conservation priority, but it is also useful to consider how species diversity is retained across the agricultural matrix. Here, we assess how bird diversity varies in relation to land use in the Taita Hills, Kenya. We used point counts to survey birds along a land-use gradient that included primary forest, secondary vegetation, agroforest, timber plantation and cropland. We found that the agricultural matrix supports an abundant and diverse bird community with high levels of species turnover, but that forest specialists are confined predominantly to primary forest, with the matrix dominated by forest visitors. Ordination analyses showed that representation of forest specialists decreases with distance from primary forest. With the exception of forest generalists, bird abundance and diversity are lowest in timber plantations. Contrary to expectation, we found feeding guilds at similar abundances in all land-use types. We conclude that whilst the agricultural matrix, and agroforest in particular, makes a strong contribution to observed bird diversity at the landscape scale, intact primary forest is essential for maintaining this diversity, especially amongst species of conservation concern.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Keywords: | Agroforestry,Eastern Arc Mountains,Forest,Functional diversity,Land-use change,Tropical |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Environment and Geography (York) The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Biology (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 17 Apr 2018 15:00 |
Last Modified: | 21 Jan 2025 17:26 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.12383 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/aje.12383 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:129736 |
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