An investigation evaluated Effects of human activities on the behavior and reproductive success of the Eagles Partridge He increased in Southeast Spain, with the help of a long -term data set of 14 years. The results showed a weak behavioral response to human activities.
Weld Perdicher Eagles can develop a tolerance for human activities during the nest era. This behavioral plasticity offers the possibility to harmonize anthropogenic activities with the application of specific conservation measures for this species in Humanized Landscapes.
The findings gave rise toUsers to minimize the harmful effects of human activities and to optimize the management of the preservation of lost eagles In the southeast of Spain. In more general terms, this study emphasizes the value of behavioral ecology studies to guide the preservation.
The lost eagle and people
The growth of human population and the expansion of our activities, in particular recreational activities in the open air, exert increasing pressure on biodiversity. The Raptors, often sensitive to human discomfort, can see their behavioral patterns, see attention to their nests and even changed their reproductive success. So, so, The search for a balance between human activities and the preservation of endangered species has become a crucial challenge.
In this context, a scientific work led by the University of Murcia, in which two researchers of the Research group in ecology and wild fauna management from the Hunting Resources Research Institute (IREC – CSIC, UCLM, JCCM) and other independent researchers, has evaluated how human activities the behavioral response and the reproductive success of the Perdicera Eagle (Aquila))A kind classified as “vulnerable” in Spain.
The study was conducted in southeastern Spain, in particular in the Murcia region, and used data collected for 14 years (2008-2021) that corresponds to the monitoring of 283 reproductionagings in 36 areas and 2714 observations of human activities less than 1 km of the nests, less than 1 km of the nests, Including hiking, ecotourism, traditional activities, mountain bikes, air activities, hunting activities, vehicle parking, vehicle traffic and infrastructure works.
In any case, Registered the presence of the eagle and its response, And the data was then analyzed by advanced statistical models, taking into account variables such as the type of activity, the distance to the nest, the characteristics of the nesting place and the frequency of the activities.
What has been investigated?
In general, The research results showed that a weak behavioral response from the eagle will forgive human activities, with a greater chance of reaction by reducing the distance to the nest. Air activities, hunting and working caused reactions to larger distances, while more common activities such as walking, cycling and vehicles, were tolerated unless they took place less than 200-300 meters from the nest.
Weld Activities linked to bird observation, a form of nature tourism that is usually associated with ecotourismThey had a greater chance of generating reaction when they occurred to the nest (less than 300 m), possibly because observers usually go directly in the direction of nesting Roquedos and continue to observe the nest.
The graphic images on the left show the chance of the eagle response to various human activities, depending on the distance to the nest (a: walking; b: ecotoerism; c: traditional activities; D: air vehicles; e: vehicle parking; f: vehicle transit; g: bicycles; H: Hunting; I: works with infrastructure). The correct graph shows the chance of reaction of each activity depending on the typology (1: walking; 2: ecotourism; 3: traditional activities; 4: air vehicles; 5: Vehicle parking; 6: Vehicle transit; 7: Cycling; 8: Hunting; 9: Working with infrastructure).
The environmental characteristics of the nesting place Selected by the Perdicera Adulter do not predict the chance of reaction. On the other hand, and contrary to what was expected, a negative relationship was found between the chance of reaction and the frequency of human activities, which suggests These eagles develop a degree of habituation or tolerance for repeated discomfort.
With regard to reproductive success, the study revealed a positive relationship with the frequency of human activities. Despite the clear decrease in human activities during imprisonment by COVID-19 and the subsequent increase, the reproductive success did not varied significantly between periods before, during and after imprisonment.
The interpretation of these results suggests that The perdicera adel can tolerate to a certain extent. The fact that reproductive success increases with the frequency of human activities, although it appears to be contraindic, suggests that the quality of the territory (for example the availability of dams) can be a more important predictor of reproductive success.
These findings have important implications for the management of the preservation of the perdicera offsperer. The tolerance that is observed at more than 200 meters from the nest suggests that if they do not imply direct approaches or long -term arrests near the nest, these activities would not be harmful during the breeding season.
However, It would be advisable to take measures, such as the closing of paths on less than 200 m of active nests and the control of ecotourism and noisy activities At large distances (less than 300-600 m, depending on the activity).
In general, this research work suggests that The lost eagle can be more resilient for human discomfort than was thoughtAt least during the breeding season and in environments with characteristics comparable to those of the study area. This underlines the importance of baseing conservation measures on empirical studies and adapted to the specificities of any species and geographical areas.