The effectiveness of a Mesoamerican 'paper park' in conserving cloud forest avifauna

Martin, Thomas Edward and Blackburn, George Alan (2009) The effectiveness of a Mesoamerican 'paper park' in conserving cloud forest avifauna. Biodiversity and Conservation, 18 (14). pp. 3841-3859. ISSN 0960-3115

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Abstract

Mesoamerican cloud forests are important centres of biodiversity, but are under severe pressure from anthropogenic activities. Protected areas have been established to conserve remaining areas of this habitat, but it is debatable how effective these under-resourced 'paper parks' are in preserving biodiversity. This study investigates this issue utilising species-level data, examining composition of avifaunal communities within an undermanaged cloud forest park. Research was conducted in the Parque Nacional Cusuco, North-West Honduras. Results indicate that overall avian species richness is greater in the less heavily protected buffer zone than the nominally inviolate core zone. However, core zone areas are shown to be effective in preserving threatened and range-restricted species. Results therefore demonstrate that buffer zone forest has a comparably reduced conservation value, but the overall park system appears to be effective in conserving the core zone. These findings should be taken into account when considering extensions to protected area networks in Mesoamerica.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Biodiversity and Conservation
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/core/keywords/environmentalscience/environmentalchange
Subjects:
?? avifaunabiodiversitycloud forest protected areasenvironmental changeecologyecology, evolution, behavior and systematicsnature and landscape conservationge environmental sciences ??
ID Code:
55710
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
12 Jul 2012 13:51
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
15 Jul 2024 12:58