|
Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
© www.toothandclaw.org.uk
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
© www.toothandclaw.org.uk
Eagle Owl (Bubo
bubo)
© www.toothandclaw.org.uk
Golden Eagle (Aquila
chrysaetos)
© www.toothandclaw.org.uk
Common Buzzard
(Buteo buteo)
© www.toothandclaw.org.uk
|
What
is the aim of the review?
To systematically collate and synthesise
published and unpublished evidence in order to examine the
impacts of human recreational activities on nest-occupancy
rates and reproductive success of breeding raptors.
Who's in the review team?
At what stage is the review?
This review is now complete.
What
is the rationale?
The risk of impact of recreational human activities to wild
ranging breeding birds of prey is a topic commonly addressed
in environmental impact assessments (EIAs) owing to the
dramatic increase of these activities worldwide during the
last few decades. However, typically environmental impact
studies fail to provide proper evidence of the impact (or
absence of impact) of these activities on breeding success
and breeding-site fidelity of individual raptor pairs, and
especially of the population and meta-population consequences
of human activities. Faced with this uncertainty, managers
often use the precautionary principle to limit or ban these
activities. However, scientific information available on
this topic has never been properly synthesized so that decisions
taken by managers can be based on evidence.
The environmental authorities
(Conselleria de Medio Ambiente) of the regional government
of Comunidad Valenciana (Generalitat Valenciana) in Eastern
Spain identified the need for a systematic review to assess
the potential effects of human recreational activities on
breeding raptors. The specific question was formulated through
discussion between the environmental authorities and the
researchers at the population ecology group of IMEDEA, the
Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (CSIC-UIB)
as well as the Centre for Evidence-Based Conservation.
How
were the results obtained?
Seven electronic databases were searched using 19 sets of
specific keywords. Unpublished information was sought by
means of web-based search engines and by writing to individual
experts and institutions involved in raptor study and protection.
A total of 3887 articles were detected by our specific searches.
The final number of articles considered for data extraction
was 52. 24 studies provided comparable information on the
effect of paved roads on nest location that could be used
in a meta-analysis.
What
did the review find?
To read more about this review, its findings, and the implications for conservationists and researchers, please see the Summary or Full Report.
Comments?
If you would like to comment on any aspect of this review, please email us. Your feedback is appreciated. |
