Two studies, led by the RSPB’s Centre for Conservation Science and the BTO and published yesterday, have highlighted the importance of protected sites in the UK, especially those with the highest levels of protection, for threatened and specialist bird species.
One paper, published yesterday in the journal Animal Conservation was authored by the RSPB Centre for Conservation Science and the BTO. The authors used data from the annual BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) to test whether there was a link between bird abundance and site legal protection. They looked specifically at the most threatened birds (those species which were Red- or Amber- on the UK Birds of Conservation Concern at the time of the analysis) and specialist bird species, based on an index of community specialism.
The authors found that abundances of threatened species and of the index of specialist species were higher where more of the survey site and importantly in a 5km buffer zone around it are within a protected area. This applied to many species for which sites were not originally identified.
They found an even greater effect with those that have the highest levels of protection – afforded by the UK Habitats and Species Regulations (Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), compared to sites identified as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This suggests that protected areas benefit more species than those for which they are identified, and that these gains ‘spill over’ beyond their boundaries and into the wider countryside.
Lapwing are one of the Red-listed species used in the analysis © Jake Stephen (rspb-images.com)
An independent study by the BTO, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, combines data from three BTO-led citizen science schemes. This study reported that sites with a greater proportion of protected land are home to higher numbers and more species of bird. This research also reported that breeding success was greater in protected areas for some of the species they benefited most. This potential mechanism, may be part of the explanation for the differing abundances of birds inside and outside protected areas.
The greatest benefits were seen at sites that had been protected because of their importance for birds, showing the value of effective targeting. The impacts were not restricted to the birds for which the sites had been designated, however, but also applied to others, particularly rare, declining and habitat-specialist species.
The findings underline the fundamental role of protected sites in safeguarding nature and supporting its recovery across the wider landscape.
Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) were previously the UK’s contribution to the “Natura 2000” network of protected sites in the European Union, which represents the largest continent-wide coordinated effort to conserve biodiversity through a protected site network. These studies highlight both the value and benefits of this high level of legislative protection upon which the UK continues to rely in order to meet a number of its international commitments for nature.
Taken together, these two papers provide strong arguments for the value of protected areas and show how protecting particular species also delivers positive outcomes for wider biodiversity.
To find out why these papers are significant in the context of the Westminster Government, you can read more about the policy implications in the Green Alliance blog by Kate Jennings, RSPB Head of Site Conservation and Species Policy HERE.
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