Responses of Woodpeckers to Selective Logging and Forest Fragmentation in Kalimantan – Preliminary Data
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The Balance between Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use of Tropical Rain Forests RESPONSES OF WOODPECKERS TO SELECTIVE LOGGING AND FOREST FRAGMENTATION IN KALIMANTAN – PRELIMINARY DATA Martjan (J.M.) Lammertink ABSTRACT Woodpecker diversity, densities and foraging ecology are being studied in primary forests, logged landscapes (with primary and logged patches) and small forest fragments in West Kalimantan. Woodpecker species richness does not differ between primary forest and logged landscapes, but is lower in small forest fragments. Densities of woodpeckers in primary and logged landscapes do not differ significantly, although differences may become significant when more replica study sites of forest types have been established. Average densities over three primary and three logged sites are lower in logged landscapes for nine out of 13 woodpecker species. Within logged landscapes, eight out of nine woodpecker species are more abundant in primary patches than in logged patches. This preference for primary patches is significant for the Checker-throated Woodpecker Picus mentalis. The Checker-throated Woodpecker is a highly mobile forager of the lower storeys and its density is negatively correlated with the volume of dense foliage between heights of 0 and 15 m. Reduced impact logging should aim to avoid the creation of a dense understorey and to retain moist dead trees under the forest canopy. Primary lowland forest, which is important for conservation, science and tourism, has nearly disappeared in Kalimantan. Laws to protect primary forest reserves should be enforced more effectively. INTRODUCTION Woodpeckers form a nearly cosmopolitan bird family, comprising about 230 species. All woodpeckers share unique characteristics, such as a bill and skull structure specialised for pecking, stiff tail feathers, climbing feet and a long extendable tongue. These features enable woodpeckers to excavate tree cavities and to prey on wood boring or bark dwelling invertebrates. Some woodpeckers are generalists and occur in a wide range of primary and disturbed habitats, while other woodpeckers are narrowly specialised, for instance, in foraging on dead or old trees. In several temperate and subtropical forest ecosystems, woodpecker species occur that are among the vertebrate organisms most sensitive to the effects of forest exploitation. Examples of woodpecker species that are obligate old-growth or primary forest specialists include the White- backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos) and Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos medius) in Europe, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) in North America, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) in Cuba and North America, and the Imperial Woodpecker (Campephilus imperialis) in Mexico (Winkler et al., 1995). The latter two species are now actually extinct as a consequence of the selective logging of all the forests within their respective geographical ranges (Lammertink and Estrada, 1995; Lammertink et al., 1996). 169 The Tropenbos Foundation, Wageningen, the Netherlands The highest diversity of sympatrically occurring woodpecker species in the world is found in the lowland rainforests of Borneo, Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia. In these tropical forests, the woodpecker community encompasses up to 14 or 15 species. Because of this high diversity, one may expect narrow specialisation and thus high sensitivity to forest disturbance by some of these Asian woodpeckers. Figure 1 The Great Slaty Woodpecker (Mulleripicus pulverulentus)is the largest woodpecker in lowland forests of Borneo, where up to 14 or 15 woodpecker species occur sympatrically. This paper is about a study on woodpeckers and forest disturbance that was started in West Kalimantan, in and near Gunung Palung National Park in November 1998. The project not only looks at the effects of logging and forest fragmentation on the diversity and densities of woodpeckers, but also studies the foraging ecology of woodpeckers and changes in forest structure after logging, in order to assess the causes of changes in woodpecker abundance. The study further attempts to elucidate the mechanism that drives niche partitioning within the woodpecker guild. An understanding of niche partitioning in this specialised guild may contribute to the effective use of the woodpecker guild as an indicator group. 170 The Balance between Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use of Tropical Rain Forests In this paper I will address the following questions: 1) What are the differences in diversity and densities of woodpeckers between larger primary forest tracts and logged landscapes (with a mosaic of logged and unlogged patches)? 2) What are the differences in woodpecker densities between primary and logged patches within logged landscapes? 3) Do the microhabitat preferences of a declining woodpecker correlate with changes in forest structure? 4) What are the implications of the habitat requirements of sensitive woodpeckers for forest management? METHODS So far eight research sites have been established: three in primary forest, three in logged forest and two in small forest fragments (Figure 2, Appendix 1). All the sites were originally covered in swamp and lowland forests at altitudes of between 0 and 60 m, except for the primary forest site ‘Pb’, that includes hill forest up to 350 m. Forest fragments have been isolated for at least 50 years and are located several km from the nearest large forest block. Figure 2 Map showing the location of eight study transects in West Kalimantan (see also Appendix 1). Pa, Pb and Pc: primary forest sites L8, L9 and L22: logged sites (numbers indicate years since logging) Fa and Fb: small forest fragments of 90 and 150 ha, respectively 171 The Tropenbos Foundation, Wageningen, the Netherlands At most sites a transect of 4.4 km has so far been surveyed 12 times. It is proposed to establish more research sites with further replicas of the different forest types, and each transect will be surveyed for a total of 12 or 24 days. The aim is to maintain distances of at least 15 km between replicas and to have a spatial mix of different treatments, so that sites are as independent as possible. A transect is walked with a standard speed of 50 m per five minutes (or 600 m per hour) and all bird observations, either sightings or bird calls, are entered on a map from which the perpendicular distance to the transect is taken. From this data set, densities are assessed using a variable belt width method (Emlen, 1971) or, when 60 or more observations are available, using the DISTANCE program. Not only woodpeckers, but all birds are surveyed, with special attention being paid to groups that previous research had found to be possibly sensitive to the effects of logging, such as trogons, wren-babblers, broadbills and pittas (Lambert, 1992; Johns, 1996). In this presentation, we will address only the responses of woodpeckers. When a foraging woodpecker is encountered on a transect, the general bird inventory is suspended and a detailed protocol is completed in of the first minute of the foraging behaviour of the woodpecker., 28 forest structure plots have been studied along seven of the eight transects (Zekveld, 1999) to assess differences in availability of structural elements for foraging woodpeckers. RESULTS The transects that were cut in logged areas pass through a mosaic of logged and unlogged patches. Of the total transect lengths in logged landscapes, 5%, 22% and 52%, respectively, remains unlogged.The unlogged patches consist in general of swamp forest and the logged patches of dry lowland forest. Table 1 Woodpecker species present in primary forests, logged landscapes (with primary and logged patches), and small forest fragments. Numbers after L indicate years since logging. Woodpecker species Primary landscapes Logged landscapes Forest fragments Pa Pb Pc L9 L8 L22 Fa Fb 90 ha 150 ha Picus puniceus x x x x x x x Blythipicus rubiginosus x x x x x x x Dinopium rafflesii x x x x x Reinwardtipicus validus x x x x x x Sasia abnormis x x x x x Celeus brachyurus x x x x x Picus mentalis x x x x x x Hemicircus concretus x x x x x Dryocopus javensis x x x x Mulleripicus pulverulentus x x x x x Meiglyptes tukki x x x x x Meiglyptes tristis x x x x Picus miniaceus x TOTAL 11 9 9 7 9 11 3 6 n survey days 12 12 7.6 9.5 12 12 12 8 Woodpecker species richness is approximately the same in primary landscapes and logged landscapes, the latter forest type including logged and unlogged patches. In both forest types, 9 172 The Balance between Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use of Tropical Rain Forests to 11 woodpecker species were found at sites where 12 survey days were completed. In the small forest fragments of 90 and 150 ha considerably fewer woodpecker species occur, i.e. three and six species, respectively (Table 1). Densities of woodpeckers in primary and logged landscapes are presented in Table 2. The comparative densities between the two forest types is not significantly different for any of the woodpecker species (T test, P > 0.05). However, when average densities of woodpeckers in logged and unlogged landscapes are compared, nine out of 13 woodpeckers are rarer in logged landscapes. This is a higher number of declining species than would be expected by chance (c2, P< 0.05). Table 2 Woodpecker densities in primary forests vs. logged landscapes (with primary and logged patches). Densities in individuals/km2. PR is the preference ratio: the average ratio of densities in logged vs. primary landscapes,