Predicting valuable forest habitats using an indicator species for biodiversity

Björklund, Heidi; Parkkinen, Anssi; Hakkari, Tomi; Heikkinen, Risto K.; Virkkala, Raimo; Lensu, Anssi

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108682

Cited by 17 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The decline in long-term occupancy of nest sites in Finland after the 1990s (Hakkarainen et al 2004;Byholm et al 2020), mainly driven by intensive logging of mature forests diminishing nest site availability, in combination with concurrent negative prey population trends (e.g. Tornberg et al 2006), have resulted in a decline of the Finnish Goshawk population (Björklund et al 2020). We created a subset of our dataset (n = 20) where we had specific information on whether or not any logging occurred before breeding dispersal.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female breeding dispersal to higher quality habitats in a philopatric top predator

et al. 2021

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Philopatry and monogamy are conventionally viewed as strategies for improving fitness. Many philopatric and monogamous species have, however, been shown to perform breeding dispersal—an exchange of territory (and often also partner) between two breeding seasons. The adaptiveness of breeding dispersal remains controversial, as data remain scarce and sporadic. For the Northern Goshawk, a typically highly philopatric and monogamous forest raptor, pairs breeding in barren forest landscapes produce fewer fledglings than pairs breeding in more productive landscapes. Using data on Finnish breeding female Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) during 1999–2016, we tested the hypotheses that: (1) breeding dispersal is more likely at barren territories, (2) dispersing females move to less barren territories, and (3) breeding dispersal improves the survival of young. About 29% of the female Goshawks in our study performed breeding dispersal, which contrasts to philopatry and suggest that site and partner fidelities show large variation within the species’ breeding range. We found no evidence that territorial landscape barrenness (proxy on habitat quality) affects the probability of breeding dispersal. However, females that dispersed upgraded to less barren territories. Nevertheless, there were no subsequent effects of breeding dispersal on reproductive performance, suggesting no obvious difference in the capability of rearing young at either site. Although dispersal events were directed to less barren habitats, we suggest that female dispersal is not driven by the pursue for more prospersous habitats, rather that those females are forced to move, for whatever reason. In addition to other observed reasons such as female–female competition for mates and loss of the original mate, intense logging of mature forests lowering local food availability and restricting nest site availability were likely a partial cause of increased breeding dispersal.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female breeding dispersal to higher quality habitats in a philopatric top predator

et al. 2021

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“…The breeding success of the northern goshawk has also been shown to be highest in nest sites with a high proportion of old spruce forests in a 200‐m radius from the nest. In a study carried out in southern Finland, habitat suitability of goshawks increased with increasing volume of Norway spruce with small quantities of broad‐leaved trees (Björklund et al, 2020 ). These forests are subject to considerable logging pressure because about 10% of the predicted suitable habitats of goshawks was clear‐cut within a period of a few years within the studied region (Björklund et al, 2020 ; see also Byholm et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a study carried out in southern Finland, habitat suitability of goshawks increased with increasing volume of Norway spruce with small quantities of broad‐leaved trees (Björklund et al, 2020 ). These forests are subject to considerable logging pressure because about 10% of the predicted suitable habitats of goshawks was clear‐cut within a period of a few years within the studied region (Björklund et al, 2020 ; see also Byholm et al, 2020 ). It is very likely that clear‐cutting of suitable goshawk forests will also negatively affect other forest species with conservation importance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In most parts of species’ ranges, less than 5% of (all) forests are protected, yet they host about 17%, on average, of the high suitability habitats for the species. Particularly species preferring old‐growth spruce forests, the northern goshawk (Björklund et al, 2020 ) and the Eurasian three‐toed woodpecker (Lõhmus et al, 2010 ; Roberge, Angelstam, et al, 2008 ) had a high percentage of their high‐suitability habitats (relative likelihood >0.8) inside currently existing PAs (32% and 26%, respectively).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, previous studies have shown that certain birds of prey and woodpecker species are useful indicators of overall biodiversity values in forests (Burgas et al, 2014 ; Martikainen et al, 1998 ; Roberge, Mikusiński, et al, 2008 ; Roberge & Angelstam, 2006 ), this indicator status being based on a preference for mature or old‐growth forest conditions by these species or their ecological impacts, such as woodpeckers providing cavities for secondary cavity‐nesters (Martin & Eadie, 1999 ; Virkkala, 2006 ). Here, we develop SDMs for six indicator hawk and woodpecker species based on data on their nest sites to derive maps of sites most suitable for nesting, as such predictions can provide particularly useful indications of important locations for biodiversity‐friendly forest management and conservation planning (Björklund et al, 2020 ; Burgas et al, 2014 ; Martikainen et al, 1998 ; Pakkala et al, 2014 ; Roberge, Mikusiński, et al, 2008 ; Roberge & Angelstam, 2006 ; Virkkala et al, 1993 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Developing fine‐grained nationwide predictions of valuable forests using biodiversity indicator bird species

Virkkala

Leikola

Kujala

et al. 2022

Ecological Applications

Self Cite

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The use of indicator species in forest conservation and management planning can facilitate enhanced preservation of biodiversity from the negative effects of forestry and other uses of land. However, this requires detailed and spatially comprehensive knowledge of the habitat preferences and distributions of selected focal indicator species. Unfortunately, due to limited resources for field surveys, only a small proportion of the occurrences of focal species is usually known. This shortcoming can be circumvented by using modeling techniques to predict the spatial distribution of suitable sites for the target species. Airborne laser scanning (ALS) and other remote sensing (RS) techniques have the potential to provide useful environmental data covering systematically large areas for these purposes. Here, we focused on six bird of prey and woodpecker species known to be good indicators of boreal forest biodiversity values. We used known nest sites of the six indicator species based on nestling ringing records. Thus, the most suitable nesting sites of these species provide important information for biodiversity‐friendly forest management and conservation planning. We developed fine‐grained, that is, 96 × 96 m grid cell resolution, predictive maps across the whole of Finland of the suitable nesting habitats based on ALS and other RS data and spatial information on the distribution of important forest stands for the six studied biodiversity indicator bird species based on nesting‐habitat suitability modeling, that is, the MaxEnt model. Habitat preferences of the study species, as determined by MaxEnt, were in line with the previous knowledge of species‐habitat relations. The proportion of suitable habitats of these species in protected areas (PAs) was considerable, but our analysis also revealed many potentially high‐quality forest stands outside PAs. However, many of these sites are increasingly threatened by logging because of increased pressures for using forests for bioeconomy and forest industry based on National Forest Strategy. Predicting habitat suitability based on information on the nest sites of indicator species provides a new tool for systematic conservation planning over large areas in boreal forests in Europe, and a corresponding approach would also be feasible and recommendable elsewhere where similar data are available.

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Threatened sustainability: extractivist tendencies in the forest-based bioeconomy in Finland

Holz

2023

Sustain Sci

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Bioeconomy is portrayed by the EU and several national governments as a central element contributing to sustainability strategies and a post-fossil transformation. This paper critically engages with extractivist patterns and tendencies in the forest sector as one of the main bio-based sectors. It argues that despite the official endorsement of circularity and renewability in the forest-based bioeconomy, current developments of modern bioeconomy might threaten sustainability prospects. The Finnish forest-based bioeconomy and one of its well-known showcase projects, the bioproduct mill (BPM) in the municipality of Äänekoski, serve as a case study in this paper. The forest-based bioeconomy in Finland is scrutinized as a potential continuation or consolidation of extractivist patterns, rather than an alternative to these tendencies. The lens of extractivism is applied to identify possible extractivist and unsustainable characteristics of the case study which are discussed along the following dimensions: (A) degree of export orientation and processing, (B) the scale, scope, and speed of extraction, (C) socio-economic and environmental impacts, and (D) subjective relations to nature. The extractivist lens provides analytical value to scrutinizing practices, principles, and dynamics of the contested political field and vision of bioeconomy in the Finnish forest sector. The analysis results in a discussion of latent and manifest social, political, and ecological contradictions within the forest-based bioeconomy in Finland. Based on its analytical lens and the empirical case of the BPM in Äänekoski, it can be concluded that extractivist patterns and tendencies are perpetuated within the Finnish forest-based bioeconomy.

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Predicting valuable forest habitats using an indicator species for biodiversity

Cited by 17 publications

References 36 publications

Female breeding dispersal to higher quality habitats in a philopatric top predator

Female breeding dispersal to higher quality habitats in a philopatric top predator

Developing fine‐grained nationwide predictions of valuable forests using biodiversity indicator bird species

Threatened sustainability: extractivist tendencies in the forest-based bioeconomy in Finland

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