Habitat Degradation and Conservation Status Assessment of Gallinaceous Birds in the Trans‐Himalayas, China

Abstract

: The greatest concentration of Chinese Galliformes occurs in the Trans‐Himalayas. We selected 4 northwestern Yunnan counties (Lijiang, Shangri‐la, Deqin, and Weixi) in the Trans‐Himalayas to assess the conservation status of 9 gallinaceous forest birds. We developed maps depicting recent forest cover and modeled habitat availability of each gallinaceous forest bird based on 3 factors that restrict its distribution: geographic location, elevation range, and forest coverage. The conservation status of 4 species was inadequate, because <10% of their respective potential habitats were within existing nature reserves. To predict the historic habitats of the species we studied, we also delineated a forest map from the late 1950s. We calculated the loss and fragmentation of potential habitats within the past 40 years as degree of habitat degradation. Our results showed that all 9 species became reduced and fragmented of their potential habitats from the late 1950s to 2002. Assessing habitat degradation and conservation status of wild species could help identify the threatened species with poor protection and degraded habitats, thereby warranting more attention in future conservation strategies. To protect those threatened species, it is urgent that the government should design new nature reserves to fill the conservation gaps, and enlarge and strengthen the management of existing natural reserves to reduce effects of human activities on their habitats.

Effectiveness of Nature Reserve System for Conserving Tropical Forests: A Statistical Evaluation of Hainan Island, China

“…However, these studies did not reveal the impact of habitat loss and could have been misleading in terms of historical context [10], [11]. For instance, if a particular habitat takes up 10% of an existing PA system, but 70% of that habitat’s original cover had already been lost at the time of observation, it would be more accurate to say that only 3% of its previous distribution was protected.…”

Current nature reserve management in China and effective conservation of threatened pheasant species

“…Galliformes are one of the most threatened groups of birds due to their high site fidelity and low dispersal ability (WPA and IUCN/SSC Re-introduction Specialist Group 2009), making them sensitive to habitat degradation (Wang et al 2008). In China, most galliform species are endangered, vulnerable, or rare, and habitat degradation or habitat loss have been considered the main reasons for such a population decline (Zheng and Wang 1998).…”

The relative effectiveness of protected areas, a logging ban, and sacred areas for old-growth forest protection in southwest China

“…Our study area retains high levels of forest cover (>60%), but old-growth forests, the primary conservation target in the region, are only a fraction of that overall forest cover. Among all land cover types, old-growth forests have the highest levels of endemic and culturally useful species, and is crucial habitat for the endangered snub-nosed monkey and several threatened pheasant species (Ma et al, 2007;Wang et al, 2008). From the 1950s through the 1980s, the region's old-growth forests were heavily exploited by government logging companies.…”