More than 20 per cent of Alberta’s boreal forest has been directly
altered by human activities, leading to a corresponding decrease in
terrestrial bird populations, a report released Wednesday reveals.
The
study, conducted by the University of Alberta’s Biodiversity Monitoring
Institute, explores the relationship between development and the
abundance of common bird species in the boreal forest, an ecological
zone that represents 58 per cent of the province’s land area and covers a
vast expanse of the north, including Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray and
the oilsands region.
The report shows that as of 2010, 21 per cent
of the boreal forest had been affected by a variety of activities,
including agriculture, forestry and energy production, resulting in bird
populations 80 per cent of what would be expected if there was no
development.
The abundance of 74 landbirds was assessed, with
numbers generally highest for species that adapt readily to human
development, such as barn swallows and house wrens, which were four and
six times more common than would be expected. Species closely associated
with old-growth forest were less abundant than anticipated, including
the brown creeper, golden-crowned kinglet and black-throated green
warbler. Read more>>>
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