Long-term monitoring of bird communities in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala.

Part I: Introduction and Methods.

Summary: The goals of this long-term bird monitoring in different altitudinal zones in Alta Verapaz are:

• Contribute to the knowledge about the ecology of bird species and populations.
• Documentation of the human impact on bird populations.
• Identification of critical areas for conservation.
• Contribute to developing awareness towards nature and conservation among the local people.

For this bird monitoring local people are trained for conducting scientific bird counts year round.
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Project General Description:

Monitoring sites: The bird monitoring is currently carried out in two areas:

• Ik’bolay region including the southeastern part of the National Park "Laguna Lachuá" and it's buffer zone.
• Sacranix mountain range (see map)

Ik’bolay: Lowland rainforest. The local avifauna was basically studied from 1998-2000 (Avendaño 2001 see summary) and in 2001/02 (Eisermann 2001).

Sacranix: Low-altitude cloud forest. The local avifauna was basically studied from 2001-2002 (Eisermann 2001, Eisermann 2005).

Yalijux: High-altitude cloud forest. A third bird monitoring team is currently being trained in the Reserva Chelemhá. The local avifauna was basically studied in 1997/98 (neighboring Caquipec Mountain) and in 2002/02 (Reserva Chelemhá) (Eisermann 1999 see summary, Eisermann & Schulz 2002, Renner 2003, Renner et al. 2006).

Training of local census takers:

The bird counts are carried out by local people, who dedicate most of their time to agriculture for subsistence. The most interested persons in conducting a scientific field work were specially prepared in a training course over several months.
The most important step was the selection of the future census takers among the local population. All inhabitants of the chosen Maya Q’eqchi’ villages were invited to participate in a process of selection. The key to success was finding the persons who were most interested in the subject. During a one-week workshop the most talented and interested persons were found, through intensive bird observations and several exams on the knowledge of bird voices and identification skills with bird identification books.

The goal of the first weeks of the training was to get to know as many local bird species as possible. During excursions from before sunrise to the afternoon birds were observed, identified and notes were written down. In the afternoons the knowledge of bird calls and songs was improved with records from the location.

The next step was learning the method of point counts (see next paragraph). The whole process of training was always accompanied by explanations about the usefulness and need of the bird monitoring - counting birds is indeed something strange in a life dedicated to agricultural subsistence.

Sampling method:

• Point counts (Bibby et al. 1992).
• Counts on days with optimal weather conditions (no rain, little or no wind).
• Count duration: 10 min.
• Counting radius: 360°
• Minimum distance between points: 200 m.
• Counting hours: 05:30 to 9:00
• Counts are conducted by a team of 2 or 3 persons.
• The following data are registered for each individual or group of birds: species, group size, kind of detection (song, call, perching, moving, flying), distance between the bird and the observer, height in the vegetation (for seen individuals).
• Repetition of point counts several times each year.

Additional data of casual observations on the breeding biology are collected: breeding dates, locations, number of eggs.

Data analysis:

Following features are analyzed from the data of monthly point counts:

• Composition of the bird community and, in the future, trends in change of relative abundance.
• Density of the most abundant species.

Population density is estimated using the distance-sampling method (Buckland et al. 1993). Data are computed with the software Distance 3.5 (Thomas et al. 1998). The basic idea of this method is the decreasing detection probability with increasing distance. The way how this detection probability decreases depends on several factors, e.g. species, observer skills, habitat, weather. With the mentioned software a detection function is fit to the data (see graphic) and density is computed.

Habitat data:
A forest cover map was elaborated for the Sacranix mountain based on a Landsat ETM image.

An inventory of plant diversity is currently carried out as part of the bird habitat assessment. Dr. Harald Förther (Germany) has collected plant specimens in the area since 1998.

Vegetation structure was measured on all point counts at the monitoring site of Sierra Sacranix and Ik’bolay region.

For descriptions of the bird monitoring in different sites see also Monitoring in the Ik’bolay region, Monitoring in the Sacranix mountain and Monitoring in the Yalijux mountain

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Background: Historically, various strategies have been proposed and applied in order to protect the size and function of natural areas worldwide. In the 1980s the concept of integrated conservation and development programs sprang up. This concept addresses the sustainable use of land and natural resources in order to meet conservation aims (e.g. Shaffer & Saterson 1987), while also supporting the local human population’s needs through the same programs. This concept is popular in conservation work in the tropics and many organizations are currently applying it to their work in Guatemala.

Typically integrated conservation and development projects face two key challenges in their target areas: (1) ecological conservation and (2) economic prosperity for the local human population. Since there is no ‘recipe’ which guarantees the successful execution of conservation programs, the optimal ‘cocktail’ of activities must be tailored individually to each place, habitat, and local population. Unfortunately, funding for custom-tailored programs like this is very limited. Kremen et al. (1994) demonstrated a worldwide inefficiency in the use of finances for tropical conservation projects. Only 5 out of 36 projects, which were evaluated, were found to actually measure positive contributions to conservation goals. The major cause of these inefficiencies, it was found, was a lack of adequate instruments for properly evaluating project impacts. While the project funding is often used to evaluate the human development components of these projects, the actual contribution to environmental conservation cannot be measured with the same indicators and methods and is thus frequently left out. To successfully measure the conservation aspect of integrated conservation projects, separate evaluation instruments are necessary, which can measure the influence of the project on specific areas to be protected. In Guatemala, the targeted areas to be protected are generally tropical primary forests. With this in mind, it is important to be able to monitor both forest coverage and ecological function in these areas in order to evaluate the true success of conservation activities in Guatemala.

While forest coverage monitoring can be documented quite simply with satellite photos, a group of indicators also needs to be selected for monitoring the ecological function of these forest ecosystems. Since a study of all biotic and abiotic elements of a forest ecosystem is not justifiable simply for monitoring and evaluation efforts, other indicators of ecological functionality must be selected. Due to the semi-advanced study of the species in the Neotropics, their high mobility and ability to react quickly to changes in their environment, and the facility with which species and audiovisual counts in the field are possible, birds make an ideal monitoring subject and impact indicator for long-term biomonitoring. Bird communities are already being used as indicators for habitat quality in other regions of the world (Canterbury et al. 2000).

With birds targeted as a species for study to monitor forest health, the next question is why studies need to be long-term? Why are short-term studies, which are common in conservation research (due to financial constraints), not sufficient? Two short examples: Eisermann (1999) conducted between 1997 and 1998 a study on the avifauna of a cloud forest area in the Sierra de Caquipec. The analysis of bird counts along line transects, stratified in disturbed and undisturbed forest, has shown a high similarity between both bird communities in species richness, diversity and total abundance. Analysis of species density, however, revealed statistical significant differences for some species (Eisermann & Schulz in prep). The results of studies were similar in a lowland rainforest, where primary forest and cardamom cultivations were compared (Eisermann 2001 unpub.). In the cardamom areas the canopy trees of the primary forest were conserved but the undergrowth was completely removed and replaced by cardamom. It would be hasty to conclude from these results, that the human influence on the forest is very low and therefore acceptable from the conservationist’s point of view. In both examples the human influence began only 20 and 40 years ago.

Unfortunately, ecological research in Guatemala is very young. As a result, there is a lack of basic data regarding large, totally pristine forested areas. It is possible that some bird populations, which were recorded in lower density in the altered habitats, do not have a long-term chance of survival and will go extinct locally within a relatively short time (100 years). If this is the case, it could be said that a dramatic loss of species richness would occur as a result of successive increases in human use of primary forests. Forest use by humans might be compatible up to a certain grade of fragmentation and habitat alteration. To find this threshold, long-term studies are necessary. Only continuous observation and analysis can measure the clear reaction of bird populations to changes in their environment (e.g. human influences). Moreover, only long-term observations can identify rare events in the dynamics of populations (see e.g. Cody 1996), and it is precisely these events which can have a key importance in the understanding of the reactions of bird populations to human impact, which is very important for the efficient management of integrated development and conservation projects. To the Top

Evaluation: The bird monitoring program was evaluated in August 2004 by Steven Latta (PRBO).

Coordinator: Knut Eisermann (Engineer for nature conservation and landscape use),

Support this long-term bird monitoring program!
Unfortunately, funding long-term studies is an ongoing problem in environmental conservation work. While initial studies are often supported by institutions within larger projects of one or two years, long-term funding is insecure. In the face of this funding fact, the importance of long-term studies must not be underestimated. One has only to think of distribution maps of European birds for an example of work which is only possible with the honorary and long-term collaboration of many ornithologists. Guatemala is far away from such favorable conditions as there are just a few active ornithologists. As such, monitoring programs are necessary in order to identify and quantify the human impact on the more and more fragmented forest ecosystems. As it has been proven, bio-monitoring programs are useful tools for conservationists in that they provide fundamental information to conservation organizations regarding where work should be carried out and which programs are most effective. This helps conservationists to more efficiently use donor money.

Here we want to encourage donations in support of the bird monitoring programs being carried out in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. With a donation you can support the continuation of the bird monitoring programs. The salaries of the local bird census takers and basic expenses (e.g. field sheets) are paid through these donations. Donations of just US$ 250.00 cover the monthly costs of a 3-man-team. With your donation you do not just support the continuation of the monitoring program, but you also help the Mayan Q’eqchi’ people to earn a living as conservationists. This is a great achievement, especially since the indigenous rural population of Guatemala is among the poorest in the world. With the salary of one man, a whole family is fed and his children are able to attend school.

If you want to support this program, please write to:

Continue here: Bird monitoring in the Ik’bolay region

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References

Avendaño, C. (2001) Caracterización de la avifauna del PNLL y su zona de influencia, Cobán, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. Tesis, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala.

Bibby, C. J., N. D. Burgess & D. A. Hill (1992) Bird census techniques. Academic Press, London.

Buckland, S.T., D.R. Anderson, K. P. Burnham, & J. L. Laake (1993) Distance Sampling: Estimating abundance of biological populations. Chapman & Hall, London.

Canterbury, G. E., T. E. Martin, D. R. Petit, L. J. Petit & D. F. Bradford (2000) Bird communities and habitat as ecological indicators of forest condition in regional monitoring. Conservation Biology 14: 544-558.

Cody, M. L. (1996) Introduction to long-term community ecological studies. In Cody, M. L. & J. A. Smallwood (eds.) Long-term studies of vertebrate communities. Academic Press, 1-15.

CONAP (1999) Conociendo el sistema de areas protegidas SIGAP: Estrategía nacional para la conservación y uso sostenible de la biodiversidad. Consejo Nacional de Areas Protegidas (CONAP), Guatemala.

Eisermann, K. (1999) Avifaunistisch-ökologische Untersuchungen in einer Nebelwaldregion Guatemalas als Grundlage für die Entwicklung eines Biomonitoringprogramms. (Investigaciones avfaunisticas y ecológicas en una región de bosque nuboso en Guatemala como base para el desarrollo de un programa de biomonitoreo.) Tesis, Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas, Eberswalde, Alemania.

Eisermann, K. (2005) Noteworthy bird observations in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 125: 3-11.

Eisermann, K. & U. Schulz (2002) Ermittlung von Vogel-Zielarten für ein Regenwaldschutzprojekt. (Ascertainment of bird target species for a rain forest conservation project.) Beiträge für Forstwirtschaft und Landschaftsökologie 36: 14-17.

Eisermann, K. & U. Schulz (2005) Birds of a high-altitude cloud forest in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. Revista de Biología Tropical 53: 577-594.

Eisermann, K. (2001) Investigación de la avifauna de las regiones: planicie del río Ik’bolay, Sierra Guaxac, Sierra Sacranix. Reporte inédito, Proyecto Eco-Quetzal, Cobán, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala.

Eisermann, K. & C. Avendaño (in prep.) Experiences in the training of local people for a bird monitoring program in a neotropical lowland rainforest.

Kremen, C., A. M. Mehrenlender & D. D. Murphy (1994) Ecological monitoring: a vital need for integrated conservacion and development programs in the tropics. Conservacion Biology 8: 388-397.

Renner, S. (2003): Structure and diversity of cloud forest bird communities in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, and implications for conservation. Dissertation, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany.

Renner, S. C., M. Waltert & M. Mühlenberg (2006) Comparison of bird communities in primary vs. young secondary tropical montane cloud forest in Guatemala. Biodiversity and Conservation 15: 1545-1575. Shaffer, M. L. & K. A. Saterson (1987) The biological diversity program of the U.S: Agency for International Development. Conservation Biology 1: 280-286.

Thomas, L., J. L. Laake, J. F. Derry, S. T. Buckland, D. L. Borchers, D. R. Anderson, K. P. Burnham, S. Strindberg, S. L. Hedley, M. L. Burt, F. F. C. Marques, J. H. Pollard & R. M. Fewster (1998) Distance 3.5. Release 6. Research Unit for Wildlife Population Assessment, University of St. Andrews, UK.

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