Batch-produced, GIS-informed range maps for birds based on provenanced, crowd-sourced data inform conservation assessments.
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2021-01
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Accurate maps of species ranges are essential to inform conservation, but time-consuming to produce and update. Given the pace of change of knowledge about species distributions and shifts in ranges under climate change and land use, a need exists for timely mapping approaches that enable batch processing employing widely available data. We develop a systematic approach of batch-processing range maps and derived Area of Habitat maps for terrestrial bird species with published ranges below 125,000 km2 in Central and South America. (Area of Habitat is the habitat available to a species within its range.) We combine existing range maps with the rapidly expanding crowd-sourced eBird data of presences and absences from frequently surveyed locations, plus readily accessible, high resolution satellite data on forest cover and elevation to map the Area of Habitat available to each species. Users can interrogate the maps produced to see details of the observations that contributed to the ranges. Previous estimates of Areas of Habitat were constrained within the published ranges and thus were, by definition, smaller-typically about 30%. This reflects how little habitat within suitable elevation ranges exists within the published ranges. Our results show that on average, Areas of Habitat are 12% larger than published ranges, reflecting the often-considerable extent that eBird records expand the known distributions of species. Interestingly, there are substantial differences between threatened and non-threatened species. Some 40% of Critically Endangered, 43% of Endangered, and 55% of Vulnerable species have Areas of Habitat larger than their published ranges, compared with 31% for Near Threatened and Least Concern species. The important finding for conservation is that threatened species are generally more widespread than previously estimated.
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Huang, Ryan M, Wilderson Medina, Thomas M Brooks, Stuart HM Butchart, John W Fitzpatrick, Claudia Hermes, Clinton N Jenkins, Alison Johnston, et al. (2021). Batch-produced, GIS-informed range maps for birds based on provenanced, crowd-sourced data inform conservation assessments. PloS one, 16(11). p. e0259299. 10.1371/journal.pone.0259299 Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/30693.
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Binbin Li
Dr. Binbin Li is the Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences at the Environmental Research Center at Duke Kunshan University. She holds a secondary appointment with the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. She focuses on the synergy between biodiversity conservation and sustainable development under climate change. She has produced more than 40 peer-reviewed publications in the last six years and published in top journals, including Science, Science Advances, PNAS, Current Biology, Lancet and Conservation Biology. Her work has been widely reported by major media including BBC, CNN, China Daily and others. She has served as PI for more than 10 projects in recent years and secured more than 8.5 million RMB in funding. Dr. Li has been awarded EC50 by Explorers Club, one of the world’s most inspiring explorers. She has received the Outstanding Young Talent by National Natural Science Foundation of China, one of the top talent awards in China to recognize her leading role in scholarship. She serves as the co-chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) WCPA-protected planet specialist group, and serves on the IUCN Species Survival Commission, World Commission on Protected Areas and the Commission on Prevention of Viral Spillover convened by Lancet and PPATS. Dr. Li also serves on the advisory board of State Forestry and Grassland Administration and Giant Panda National Park. She is the editor-in-chief of Integrative Conservation and associate editor of Frontiers of Ecology and Evolution. She also serves on the editorial board of Conservation Biology, Global Ecology and Conservation, Biodiversity Science and National Parks. Dr. Li is engaged in science communication and nature education. She has been awarded nature photographer of the Year in the Chinese National Geography China Wildlife Image and Video Competition in 2022. She is the founder of the China Anti-bird Collision Action Alliance, the largest citizen science project in China. She is also the board director of SilverLining Conservation Center, which aims to increase the capacity of storytelling for conservation practitioners and to change public behaviors using media instruments.
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