Seasonal tourist destinations may have fundamental effect on bird assemblages

26.9.2012 13:10
New research emphasizes the importance of improving land use planning of northern ski resorts and conserving birds at seasonal tourist towns. Arctic Centre's researchers Marja-Liisa Kaisanlahti-Jokimäki and Jukka Jokimäki have studied impacts of seasonal urbanization bird assemblages in Lapland in cooperation with the Forest Research Institute and Oulanka research station.

"Urbanization and urban sprawl may have a fundamental effect on bird assemblages. Northern tourist destinations are nowadays like towns with high numbers of people during the peak seasons and the urban structure of the nearby landscape. In this study, our aim was to investigate the effects of tourist destinations on nest predation risk, potential nest predator abundance, and the assemblages of birds across an urban gradient from uninhabited forests via tourist destinations to towns in northern Finland. Our results indicated that seasonal ski resorts may have negative impacts on bird assemblages, and more attention should be paid to area planning in tourist destinations and their surroundings."

Impacts of seasonal small-scale urbanization on nest predation and bird assemblages at tourist destinations by Kaisanlahti-Jokimäki, Marja-LiisaM Jokimäki, Jukka; Huhta Esa & Siikamäki, Pirkko
in Urban Bird Ecology and Conservation Christopher A. Lepczyk (Editor), Paige S. Warren (Editor)

Available worldwide:
http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520273092