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Content with tag human disturbances .

The use of roads in protected areas and its effects on avian scavenger guild

The expansion of road networks and the increase in traffic have emerged in recent years as key threats to the conservation of biodiversity. This is particularly concerning in many protected areas because the increase of recreational activities requiring the use of vehicles. Effects of roads and traffic within guild scenarios and ecological processes remain however poorly known. This study examined how road proximity and traffic intensity influence patterns of resource use in an Old-World...

Unmanned aircraft systems as a new source of disturbance for wildlife

The use of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS; also known as “drones”) for professional and personal-leisure use is increasing enormously. UAS operate at low altitudes (<500 m) and in any terrain, thus they are susceptible to interact with local fauna, generating a new type of anthropogenic disturbance that has not been systematically evaluated. This review address this gap gathering the existent literature about animals’ responses to UAS flights and a pooled analysis of the data was...

Natural expansion versus reintroduction in the spanish imperial eagles

Many threatened species in Europe have been expanding their distributions during recent decades owing to protection measures. Range expansion has come about via two processes, natural expansion from existing range and reintroductions to new ranges. Reintroductions may prove to be a better way to establish populations because individuals are less subject to competitive relationships lowering breeding success than individuals expanding from existing populations. Whether this is true, however,...

The spatial distribution of an insular cliff-nesting raptor community

The specific spatial distribution and habitat association are major issues in ecology and conservation. Nesting sites of five cliff-nesting raptors (Egyptian vulture [a locally extinct species], common buzzard, osprey, common kestrel, Barbary falcon), and common raven were located and georeferenced on one of the most biodiverse hotspot within the Canary Islands (Teno, Tenerife).