Woodland Woes - Decline in South Africa's Forest Birds

Forest-dwelling bird species are disappearing from some of South Africa’s indigenous forests, with forest birds in the Eastern Cape being the most affected.

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A study published in Bird Conserva-tion International has revealed that the ranges of 28 of South Africa’s 57 forest-dwelling bird species are declining, while those of 22 species are increasing and seven remain stable.

The findings are based on 25 years of citizen science data collected by two surveys under the umbrella of the Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP). The data are used to indicate the conservation status of a species, depending on its known range and how it is changing. The first survey took place from 1987 to 1992; the second started in 2007 and is ongoing.

Researchers from Stellenbosch University (SU) and South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs used data on 57 forest-dwelling species to investigate links between deforestation, species characteristics and range declines for these species over the past 20 years.

Indigenous forests make up less than one per cent of South Africa’s landscape, but are home to some 14 per cent of our terrestrial birds, many of which are endemic or rangerestricted. These forests are highly fragmented, with most remaining patches being smaller than a square kilometre.