Using drone imagery to obtain population data of colony-nesting seabirds to support Canada’s transition to the global Key Biodiversity Areas program
Identifying of global or national biodiversity ‘hotspots’ has proven important for focusing and prioritizing conservation efforts worldwide. Canada has nearly 600 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) identified by quantitative criteria to help guide avian conservation and management. Marine...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Pensoft Publishers
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Nature Conservation |
| Online Access: | https://natureconservation.pensoft.net/article/96366/download/pdf/ |
| _version_ | 1797903939851517952 |
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| author | Lindsay A. R. Lalach David W. Bradley Douglas F. Bertram Louise K. Blight |
| author_facet | Lindsay A. R. Lalach David W. Bradley Douglas F. Bertram Louise K. Blight |
| author_sort | Lindsay A. R. Lalach |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Identifying of global or national biodiversity ‘hotspots’ has proven important for focusing and prioritizing conservation efforts worldwide. Canada has nearly 600 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) identified by quantitative criteria to help guide avian conservation and management. Marine IBAs capture critical waterbird habitats such as nesting colonies, foraging sites, and staging areas. However, due to their remote locations, many lack recent population counts. Canada has begun transitioning IBAs into the global Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) program; KBAs identify areas that are important for the persistence of biodiversity and encompass a wider scope of unique, rare, or vulnerable taxa. Assessing whether IBAs qualify as KBAs requires current data – as will future efforts to manage these biologically important sites. We conducted a pilot study in the Chain Islets and Great Chain Island IBA, in British Columbia, to assess the effectiveness of using drones to census surface-nesting seabirds in an IBA context. This IBA was originally designated for supporting a globally significant breeding colony of Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens). Total nest counts derived from orthomosaic imagery (1012 nesting pairs) show that this site now falls below the Global and National IBA designation criterion threshold, a finding consistent with regional declines in the species. Our trial successfully demonstrates a flexible and low cost approach to obtaining population data at an ecologically sensitive KBA site. We explore how drones will be a useful tool to assess and monitor species and habitats within remote, data-deficient IBAs, particularly during the transition to KBAs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T09:40:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-641694cb5cf940bcb0ff67ba90d1be08 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1314-3301 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T09:40:48Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Pensoft Publishers |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Conservation |
| spelling | doaj.art-641694cb5cf940bcb0ff67ba90d1be082023-02-17T09:11:04ZengPensoft PublishersNature Conservation1314-33012023-02-015115516610.3897/natureconservation.51.9636696366Using drone imagery to obtain population data of colony-nesting seabirds to support Canada’s transition to the global Key Biodiversity Areas programLindsay A. R. Lalach0David W. Bradley1Douglas F. Bertram2Louise K. Blight3Birds CanadaBirds CanadaInstitute of Ocean Sciences, Environment Canada Wildlife Research DivisionProcellaria Research & ConsultingIdentifying of global or national biodiversity ‘hotspots’ has proven important for focusing and prioritizing conservation efforts worldwide. Canada has nearly 600 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) identified by quantitative criteria to help guide avian conservation and management. Marine IBAs capture critical waterbird habitats such as nesting colonies, foraging sites, and staging areas. However, due to their remote locations, many lack recent population counts. Canada has begun transitioning IBAs into the global Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) program; KBAs identify areas that are important for the persistence of biodiversity and encompass a wider scope of unique, rare, or vulnerable taxa. Assessing whether IBAs qualify as KBAs requires current data – as will future efforts to manage these biologically important sites. We conducted a pilot study in the Chain Islets and Great Chain Island IBA, in British Columbia, to assess the effectiveness of using drones to census surface-nesting seabirds in an IBA context. This IBA was originally designated for supporting a globally significant breeding colony of Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens). Total nest counts derived from orthomosaic imagery (1012 nesting pairs) show that this site now falls below the Global and National IBA designation criterion threshold, a finding consistent with regional declines in the species. Our trial successfully demonstrates a flexible and low cost approach to obtaining population data at an ecologically sensitive KBA site. We explore how drones will be a useful tool to assess and monitor species and habitats within remote, data-deficient IBAs, particularly during the transition to KBAs.https://natureconservation.pensoft.net/article/96366/download/pdf/ |
| spellingShingle | Lindsay A. R. Lalach David W. Bradley Douglas F. Bertram Louise K. Blight Using drone imagery to obtain population data of colony-nesting seabirds to support Canada’s transition to the global Key Biodiversity Areas program Nature Conservation |
| title | Using drone imagery to obtain population data of colony-nesting seabirds to support Canada’s transition to the global Key Biodiversity Areas program |
| title_full | Using drone imagery to obtain population data of colony-nesting seabirds to support Canada’s transition to the global Key Biodiversity Areas program |
| title_fullStr | Using drone imagery to obtain population data of colony-nesting seabirds to support Canada’s transition to the global Key Biodiversity Areas program |
| title_full_unstemmed | Using drone imagery to obtain population data of colony-nesting seabirds to support Canada’s transition to the global Key Biodiversity Areas program |
| title_short | Using drone imagery to obtain population data of colony-nesting seabirds to support Canada’s transition to the global Key Biodiversity Areas program |
| title_sort | using drone imagery to obtain population data of colony nesting seabirds to support canada s transition to the global key biodiversity areas program |
| url | https://natureconservation.pensoft.net/article/96366/download/pdf/ |
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