Page 161 - A bird’s-eye view of recreation - Rogier Pouwels

situation. The species population model was adapted to the local situation using site- specific bird data and the local knowledge of managers on the habitat preferences of the Skylark. The models predicted that creating a disturbance free zone in the centre of the area, containing optimal habitat patches for the Skylark, would result in a large increase in the total population from 33 to 82 breeding pairs. However, creating the disturbance free zone would reduce the total length of the path network visitors could use by 20%. This case study showed that being able to compare the impact of alternative management actions on the interaction between outdoor recreation and bird conservation will help managers and stakeholders to consider which actions provide the best solution in terms of recreation and conservation targets.
In nature areas where conservation targets for birds are not being achieved, managers
need to understand what the impact of outdoor recreation is on these targets and
where management interventions might contribute to achieving the targets. In
Chapter 4 I address the interaction between local management actions and bird conservation targets on a regional scale. I integrated available site-specific monitoring
data on breeding birds with scientific tools and spatially statistical methods to provide
managers with scientific information that links local impacts of outdoor recreation
to regional conservation targets for the Veluwe area in the Netherlands. For three
heathland species, Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus), Stonechat (Saxicola torquata) and
Woodlark (Lullula arborea), dose–impact relationships between visitor densities and
population size were determined. The dose–impact relationships for the three species
showed that population densities already started to decline at low visitor densities. At
high visitor densities, 50 000 visitors per hectare per year, breeding pairs of Nightjar
and Woodlark declined locally by up to 50%. Using the dose–impact relationships
to estimate the regional population of Nightjar, Stonechat and Woodlark in the
Veluwe revealed a reduction of up to 28% due to the impacts of outdoor recreation.
This would bring the Woodlark population size to below the conservation target. The
derived regression models can have added value for managers as the output maps
provide an estimate of the impact of recreation disturbance on bird densities in local
areas. Groups of local managers of nature areas can use these maps to discuss how
they can collaborate in taking actions to achieve regional conservation targets, while S providing opportunities for outdoor recreation at the same time. The results of this
research are already being used by the Province of Gelderland for a new recreation management plan for the area. The province is responsible for the implementation of the conservation targets for the Veluwe.
Summary
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