Bird community responses to reduced-impact logging in a certified forestry concession in lowland Bolivia

Abstract

We studied bird community composition and abundance within the logged and unlogged forest areas of a certified forestry concession in lowland Bolivia. The logged forest was harvested using reduced-impact logging techniques between one and four years previously. We used canonical correspondence analysis to describe the relationship between selected environmental variables and bird species abundance data, and the Indicator Value procedure to test for associations between bird species and the logged and unlogged habitats. Approximately one-third of birds were restricted to either the logged or unlogged areas, with 20% of all species only encountered in, or significantly more abundant in, the unlogged areas of the concession. The majority of birds found in significantly higher abundance in the unlogged areas of the concession were associated with forest habitats dominated by large trees, or a high diversity of trees, providing dense canopy cover and deep leaf litter, with an understorey dominated by ferns. Over 40% of bird species that were significantly associated with the unlogged areas of the concession are of conservation concern. In contrast, the majority of birds associated with the logged areas of the concession are known to be relatively resilient to human disturbance. The majority of species which exhibited significant lower abundances in the logged areas of the concession belonged to insectivorous or frugivorous feeding guilds. We discuss whether current management practices within this certified concession are sustainable and how our results can be used to guide future research and inform better practice. Show more