"Riparian habitat as refuge; avian conservation in disrupted landscapes"

Ian G. Warkentin
Memorial University, Corner Brook, Canada

Monday, 3rd May 2004: 4.00pm - 5.00pm

DBS Conference Room
Blk S3, Level 5, Department of Biological Sciences
The National University of Singapore
Science Drive 4

Visitors may park at Carpark 10
See map

Host: A/P N. Sodhi

About the talk
Riparian habitat occupies only a small percentage of the landscape, yet makes a disproportionate contribution to ecosystem functioning and regional biodiversity. In areas where the adjacent land has been converted from native cover (for agricultural, forestry, or other purposes), retaining undisturbed riparian buffer strips has been promoted as a means to protect water quality, maintain aquatic ecosystems and conserve local biodiversity. The latter value has yet to be conclusively demonstrated. In a series of studies ranging from tropical rainforests in Chiapas, México to boreal forests in Newfoundland, Canada, I examined the value of riparian habitat in disrupted landscapes for avian conservation. Issues addressed in this research included the ability of riparian buffer strips to support populations of forest-dependent species when the surrounding forests were cleared for agricultural purposes. In addition, I studied populations of riparian-dependent species to assess potential changes in habitat quality when either the riparian habitat itself was disrupted by cattle grazing, or the adjacent forests were harvested in commercial timber operations. Results indicate that buffer strips can ameliorate the impact of some activities in the surrounding habitat, but it appears that they may not be the panacea for which wildlife managers have been searching.

About the speaker
Ian Warkentin is an Associate Professor in the Environmental Science Unit at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College as well as an Honorary Research Associate in the Biology department of Acadia University. He also holds Professorial memberships in various environmental and ornithological societies such as the Raptor Research Foundation, Cooper Ornithological Society and the Society for Conservation Biology. His research focuses on population ecology and the conservation of birds living in human-modified landscapes. His recent projects have examined the impact of habitat degradation and loss on landbird communities (both resident and migrant) in Latin American ecosystems, and more recently in North America and he had also been studying the factors controlling reproductive success of urban-breeding merlins (Falco columbarius) in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

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