A habitat island approach to conserving birds in urban landscapes: case studies from southern and northern Europe

Wildlife conservation in urban habitats is increasingly important due to cu rrent urbanization trends. We review the different approaches to studying b irds in urban landscapes, and point out the importance of the habitat islan d ecological theory as a research framework for the management and conserva tion of urban birds. Based on two comprehensive research projects conducted at urban parks in Spain (Madrid) and Finland (Oulu and Rovaniemi), several different issues related to bird conservation in cities are discussed, mai n findings of these projects are presented, and future research needs are s uggested. Urban parks are important biodiversity hotspots in cities. Fragme ntation conditions have the same deleterious effects to urban birds as in o ther fragmented landscapes. Park size accounts for species accumulation in urban parks; this pattern being highly nested. Urban parks of 10-35 ha woul d contain most of the species recorded in cities, but other indicators rela ted to the probabilities of persistence of the target species should be obt ained. Wooded streets can increase urban landscape connectivity by providin g alternative habitat for feeding and nesting during the breeding season. B ecause increasing the size of parks is difficult in cities, enhancement of habitat diversity and resource availability for birds within parks (e.g. ne st boxes, winter feeding tables, etc.) appears to be a straightforward way of increasing urban bird diversity. However, human disturbance (pedestrians ) should be controlled since it can negatively influence many urban birds. We present a conceptual model for urban bird conservation, which includes t hree aspects (management, environmental education and research) and new alt ernatives to promote the involvement of different sectors of the society.