Responses of Vertebrate Wildlife to Oil and Natural Gas Development: Patterns and Frontiers

Abstract

Purpose of Review Anthropogenic activities can lead to the loss, fragmentation, and alteration of wildlife habitats. I reviewed the recent literature (2014–2019) focused on the responses of avian, mammalian, and herpetofaunal species to oil and natural gas development, a widespread and still-expanding land use worldwide. My primary goals were to identify any generalities in species’ responses to development and summarize remaining gaps in knowledge. To do so, I evaluated the directionality of a wide variety of responses in relation to taxon, location, development type, development metric, habitat type, and spatiotemporal aspects. Recent Findings Studies (n = 70) were restricted to the USA and Canada, and taxonomically biased towards birds and mammals. Longer studies, but not those incorporating multiple spatial scales, were more likely to detect significant responses. Negative responses of all types were present in relatively low frequencies across all taxa, locations, development types, and development metrics but were context-dependent. The directionality of responses by the same species often varied across studies or development metrics. Summary The state of knowledge about wildlife responses to oil and natural gas development has developed considerably, though many biases and gaps remain. Studies outside of North America and that focus on herpetofauna are lacking. Tests of mechanistic hypotheses for effects, long-term studies, assessment of response thresholds, and experimental designs that isolate the effects of different stimuli associated with development, remain critical. Moreover, tests of the efficacy of habitat mitigation efforts have been rare. Finally, investigations of the demographic effects of development across the full annual cycle were absent for non-game species and are critical for the estimation of population-level effects.

Congruence among multiple indices of habitat preference for species facing human‐induced rapid environmental change: A case study using the Brewer's sparrow

“…If the pattern of suboptimal breeding site selection we identified for Brewer's sparrows is generalizable to other ecosystems affected by energy development, there may be cumulative consequences for the population trajectories of sensitive species. Indeed, energy development, specifically oil and natural gas, has emerged as a primary conservation challenge not only in sagebrush steppe (Knick et al., 2011) but a host of terrestrial ecosystems (Bernath‐Plaisted & Koper, 2016; Chalfoun, 2021; Northrup & Wittemeyer, 2012). Construction of roads, well pads and pipelines for oil and natural gas development has contributed to both the direct loss and fragmentation of habitat (Butt et al., 2013; Copeland et al., 2011; Finn & Knick, 2011).…”

A meta‐analysis investigating the effects of energy infrastructure proximity on grouse demography and space use

“…Nonetheless, decision‐making surrounding grouse conservation should be informed by best available science from previous studies in a body of evidence approach. Several methods have been used to synthesize results from multiple studies to reach generalizations about potential effects of energy infrastructure on grouse responses, including vote counting (a method where the direction of the effect is counted but an effect size is not analyzed; Robb et al 2008, Chalfoun 2021) and meta‐analyses. Qualitative reviews in the form of vote counting (Walters et al 2014, Coppes et al 2019), meta‐analyses (Hovick et al 2014), and research syntheses (Knick and Connelly 2011, Naugle et al 2011, Sandercock et al 2011) suggest that energy infrastructure adversely effects grouse populations.…”