Gilad Bino

Accurate prediction of bird species richness patterns in an urban environment using Landsat-derived NDVI and spectral unmixing

Urban landscapes are expanding rapidly and are reshaping the distribution of many animal and plant species. With these changes, the need to understand and to include urban biodiversity patterns in research and management programmes is becoming vital. Recent studies have shown that remote sensing tools can be useful in studies examining biodiversity patterns in natural landscapes. The present study aimed to explore whether remote sensing tools can be applied in biodiversity research in an urban landscape. More specifically, the study examined whether the Landsat‐derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and linear spectral unmixing of urban land cover can predict bird richness in the city of Jerusalem. Bird richness was sampled in 40 1‐ha sites over a range of urban environments in 329 surveys. NDVI and the per cent cover of built‐up area were strongly and negatively correlated with each other, and were both very successful in explaining the number of bird species in the study sites. Mean NDVI in each site was positively correlated with the site bird species richness. A hump‐shaped relationship between NDVI and species richness was observed (when calculated over increasing spatial scales), with a maximum value (Pearsons R = 0.87, p<0.001, n = 40) at a scale of 15 ha. We suggest that remote sensing approaches may provide planners and conservation biologists with an efficient and cost‐effective method to study and estimate biodiversity across urban environments that range between densely built‐up areas, residential neighbourhoods, urban parks and the peri‐urban environment. †The two first authors contributed equally to this paper and are listed alphabetically.

Maximizing colonial waterbirds' breeding events using identified ecological thresholds and environmental flow management

Global wetland biodiversity loss continues unabated, driven by increased demand for freshwater. A key strategy for conservation management of freshwater systems is to maintain the quantity and quality of the natural water regimes, including the frequency and timing of flows. Formalizing an ecological model depicting the key ecological components and the underlying processes of cause and effect is required for successful conservation management. Models linking hydrology with ecological responses can prove to be an invaluable tool for robust decision-making of environmental flows. Here, we explored alternative water management strategies and identified maximal strategies for successful long-term management of colonial waterbirds in the Macquarie Marshes, Australia. We modeled fluctuations in breeding abundances of 10 colonial waterbird species over the past quarter century (1986-2010). Clear relationships existed between flows and breeding, both in frequencies and total abundances, with a strong linear relationship for flows > 200 GL. Thresholds emerged for triggering breeding events in all 10 species, but these varied among species. Three species displayed a sharp threshold response between 100 GL and 250 GL. These had a breeding probability of 0.5 when flows were > 180 GL and a 0.9 probability of breeding with flows > 350 GL. The remaining species had a probability greater than 0.5 of breeding with flows > 400 GL. Using developed models, we examined the effects of five environmental flow management strategies on the variability of flows and subsequent likelihood of breeding. Management to different target volumes of environmental flows affected overall and specific breeding probabilities. The likelihood of breeding for all 10 colonial waterbirds increased from a regulated historical mean (+/-SD) of 0.36 +/- 0.09 to 0.53 +/- 0.14, an improvement of 47.5% +/- 18.7%. Management of complex ecosystems depends on good understanding of the responses of organisms to the main drivers of change. Considerable opportunity exists for implementing similar frameworks for other ecosystem attributes, following understanding of their responses to the flow regime, achieving a more complete model of the entire ecosystem.

Late autumn trophic flexibility of the golden jackalCanis aureus

The feeding habits of the golden jackal Canis aureus (Linnaeus, 1758) were compared using scat analysis in Hungary (temperate climate agricultural area), Greece (Mediterranean marshland), and Israel (Mediterranean agricultural area). Samples (84, 70 and 64 scats, respectively) were collected during late autumn, a period with capital importance to the long term survival of young jackals, during which they become independent. Predation of wild-living prey species was highest in Hungary, consisting primarily of small mammals (biomass estimation: 51.5%, mainly rodents), contrary to Israel and Greece, where scavenging on domestic animals dominated the diet of jackals (74%, mainly poultry and 62.6%, mainly goats, respectively). The highest consumption of wild ungulates (mainly wild boar) was found in Greece (15.7%), and plants in Hungary (39%). Bird consumption was low in all three areas. Reptiles, amphibians and fish occurred only in the diet of jackals in Greece and Israel, whereas invertebrates were eaten more frequently in Hungary. Jackal dietary composition was extremely variable between regions, strongly associated with human presence. These results illustrate the golden jackal as having a very variable diet, resulting from opportunistic feeding habits.

Policy considerations for managing wetlands under a changing climate

Drawing on the experience and lessons of wetland researchers and managers in Australia and New Zealand, we examined the implications of climate change for wetland policy and management, and identified potential adaptation responses and the information needed to support these. First, we considered wetland vulnerability to climate change, focusing on wetland exposure and sensitivity. We then outlined the existing policy context for dealing with climate change, with an emphasis on the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. We then considered how the objectives and targets for wetland management can be set in the face of climate change, how management can be adapted to climate change given the uncertainties involved, and how we can monitor and evaluate wetland condition in the face of climate change. We concluded with a set of principles to guide adaptation of wetland conservation and management policy to climate change.

A commentary on 'Long-term ecological trends of flow-dependent ecosystems in a major regulated river basin', by Matthew J. Colloff, Peter Caley, Neil Saintilan, Carmel A. Pollino and Neville D. Crossman

Colloff et al. in Marine and Freshwater Research (http:dx.doi.org/10.1071/MF14067) examined time-series data for flow-dependent vegetation, invertebrates, fish, frogs, reptiles and waterbirds in the Murray–Darling Basin, 1905–2013. They concluded that temporal patterns fluctuated, declining during droughts and recovering after floods. They suggested that major changes in land use in the late 19th century permanently modified these freshwater ecosystems, irretrievably degrading them before major water diversions. Restoring water to the environment might then be interpreted as not addressing biotic declines. We argue that their conclusions are inadequately supported, although data quality remains patchy and they neglected the influence of hydrology and the timing and extent of water resource development. We are critical of the lack of adequate model specification and the omission of statistical power analyses. We show that declines of native flow-dependent flora and fauna have continued through the 20th and early 21st centuries, in response to multiple factors, including long-term changes in flow regimes. We argue that flow-regime changes have been critical, but not in isolation. So, returning water to the environment is a prerequisite for sustained recovery but governments need to improve monitoring and analyses to adequately determine effectiveness of management of the rivers and wetlands of the Murray–Darling Basin.

Australia's wetlands – learning from the past to manage for the future

Australia has diverse wetlands with multiple threats. We reviewed knowledge about the extent of wetlands, representativeness, impacts and threats to integrity and options for effective conservation. Natural Australian wetlands cover an estimated 33 266 245 ha (4.4%), with 55% palustrine (floodplains and swamps), followed by 31% lakes, 10% estuarine systems, and 5% rivers and creeks. The Lake Eyre (1.1%), Murray–Darling (0.73%), Tanami–Timor Sea Coast (0.71%) and the Carpentaria Coast (0.55%) drainage divisions have more wetlands, also reflected in the distributions among states and territories. Ramsar sites and wetlands in protected areas were generally biased towards the southern continent. Overall representation of mapped wetlands was good for lacustrine (40.6%) and estuarine (34.4%), fair for riverine (16.8%), but inadequate for palustrine (10.8%) wetlands. Within drainage divisions, representation varied considerably, with shortfalls from the Aichi target of 17%. Agriculture, urbanisation, pollution and invasive species have degraded or destroyed wetlands, particularly in the developed south-east, south-west and north-east of the continent. Water resource developments, primarily the building of dams, diversion of water and development of floodplains, seriously threaten Australian wetlands, with all threats exacerbated by climate change impacts of rising sea levels and high temperatures. Management and policy for wetlands is dependent on data on distribution, type and extent of wetlands, a key national constraint. Some States are well advanced (e.g. Queensland) and others lack any comprehensive data on the distribution of wetlands. Mitigation of increasing development (e.g. northern Australia) will be critical for conservation, along with increased representativeness in protected areas and restoration, particularly with environmental flows.

Prioritizing Wetlands for Waterbirds in a Boom and Bust System: Waterbird Refugia and Breeding in the Murray-Darling Basin

Dryland rivers have considerable flow variability, producing complex ecosystems, processes, and communities of organisms that vary over space and time. They are also among the more vulnerable of the world’s ecosystems. A key strategy for conservation of dryland rivers is identifying and maintaining key sites for biodiversity conservation, particularly protecting the quantity and quality of flow and flooding regimes. Extreme variability considerably challenges freshwater conservation planning. We systematically prioritised wetlands for waterbirds (simultaneously for 52 species), across about 13.5% of the Murray-Darling Basin (1,061,469 km2), using a 30-year record of systematic aerial surveys of waterbird populations. Nine key wetlands in this area, primarily lakes, floodplains, and swamps, consistently contributed to a representation target (80%) of total abundances of all 52 waterbird species. The long temporal span of our data included dramatic availability (i.e., booms) and scarcity (i.e., busts) of water, providing a unique opportunity to test prioritisation at extremes of variation. These extremes represented periods when waterbirds were breeding or concentrating on refugia, varying wetland prioritisation. In dry years, important wetlands for waterbirds were riverine and lacustrine (12 wetlands) but this changed in wet years to lacustrine and palustrine (8 wetlands). Such variation in ecosystem condition substantially changes the relative importance of individual wetlands for waterbirds during boom and bust phases. Incorporating this variability is necessary for effective conservation of Murray-Darling Basin waterbirds, with considerable generality for other similarly variable systems around the world.

Upland habitat loss as a threat to Pantanal wetlands

The fate of Pantanal, one of the worlds largest, most pristine and diverse wetlands, stands in the balance. The most recent (2014) and comprehensive land-cover change assessment of the upper Paraguay River Basin (UPRB), comprising both lowlands (Pantanal floodplain) and their surrounding upland savannas (Cerrado plateaus), shows the extent of decline of native vegetation (Fig. 1). Around 80% of the Pantanal floodplain native vegetation remains (Fig. 1), and over 60% of its Cerrado plateaus have been converted into pasture and croplands (SOS-Pantanal et al. 2015). The most worrying aspect is the fast rate of land clearing during the last 30 years (Supporting Information). In fact, the Cerrado is experiencing higher native vegetation conversion rates than Amazon and Atlantic Forest ecosystems in recent years but is still largely unprotected (Overbeck et al. 2015).

Life history and dynamics of a platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) population: four decades of mark-recapture surveys.

Knowledge of the life-history and population dynamics of Australia’s iconic and evolutionarily distinct platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) remains poor. We marked-recaptured 812 unique platypuses (total 1,622 captures), over four decades (1973–2014) in the Shoalhaven River, Australia. Strong sex-age differences were observed in life-history, including morphology and longevity. Apparent survival of adult females (Φ = 0.76) were higher than adult males (Φ = 0.57), as in juveniles: females Φ = 0.27, males Φ = 0.13. Females were highly likely to remain in the same pool (adult: P = 0.85, juvenile: P = 0.88), while residency rates were lower for males (adult: P = 0.74, juvenile: P = 0.46). We combined survival, movement and life-histories to develop population viability models and test the impact of a range of life-history parameters. While using estimated apparent survival produced unviable populations (mean population growth rate r = −0.23, extinction within 20 years), considering residency rates to adjust survival estimates, indicated more stable populations (r = 0.004, p = 0.04 of 100-year extinction). Further sensitivity analyses highlighted adult female survival and overall success of dispersal as most affecting viability. Findings provide robust life-history and viability estimates for a difficult study species. These could support developing large-scale population dynamics models required to underpin a much needed national risk assessment for the platypus, already declining in parts of its current distribution.

Identifying minimal sets of survey techniques for multi-species monitoring across landscapes: an approach utilising species distribution models

Monitoring for species occupancy is often carried out at local scales, reflecting specific targets, available logistics, and funding. Problematically, conservation planning and management operate at broader scales and use information inventories with good scale coverage. Translating information between local and landscape scales is commonly treated in an ad hoc manner, but conservation decision-making can benefit from quantifying spatial-knowledge relationships. Fauna occupancy monitoring, in particular, suffers from this issue of scale, as there are many different survey methods employed for different purposes. Rather than ignoring how informative these methods are when predicting regional distributions, we describe a statistical approach that identifies survey combinations that provide the greatest additive value in mammal detection across different scales. We identified minimal sets of survey methods for 53 terrestrial mammal species across a large area in Australia (New South Wales (NSW), 800,000 km2) and for each of the 18 bioregions it encompasses. Utility of survey methods varied considerably at a landscape scale. Unplanned opportunistic sightings were the single largest source of species information (35%). The utility of other survey methods varied spatially; some were retained in minimal sets for many bioregions, while others were spatially restricted or unimportant. Predator scats, Elliot and pitfall trapping, spotlighting, and diurnal herpetofauna surveys were the most frequently included survey methods at a landscape scale. Use of our approach can guide identification of efficient combinations of survey methods, maximising detection and returns for monitoring. Findings and methodologies are easily transferable and are globally applicable across any taxa. They provide guidelines for managing scarce resources for regional ‎monitoring programs, and improving regional strategic ‎conservation planning.