How does landscape context influence the re-colonisation of rainforest restoration sites by birds?
2011
Freeman, A.N.D. | C.P. Catterall | K. Freebody | J. Kanowski
The richness and abundance of rainforest-dependent bird species has been found to increase significantly with restoration site age. However, bird communities in sites of similar age planting vary considerably and age of a site is clearly not the only factor determining its bird community. We examined the landscape context of sixteen established restoration sites and its influence on their re-colonisation by rainforest birds on the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland. The number of rainforest-dependent bird species using the sites did not correlate with the size of the revegetated area, size of adjacent rainforest patch or width of patch. However, it correlated positively with the amount of rainforest in close proximity «200m) to the sites. It appears that in this landscape, spatial context - the degree of habitat connectivity and amount of nearby remnant rainforest - is the major determinant of the number of rainforest¬dependent bird species using established rainforest restoration sites. This may be because the potential for a species to re-colonise a site relates to its degree of habitat specialisation, use of rainforest edges and movement patterns. Maintaining and restoring habitat connectivity is crucial to the success of restoration in providing habitat for rainforest-dependent birds.
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