Petaluma-based research organization points to benefits of land conservation in new study

Drawing on decades of bird surveys across the North Bay, Petaluma-based research organization Point Blue unveils new study looking at the benefits of land conservation, as the country sees staggering declines in common bird populations.|

A group of scientists at the Petaluma-based research organization Point Blue Conservation Science recently unveiled a decades-long study they say touches on one of the most important, yet under-researched questions of conservation.

In a 12-page paper published in the peer-reviewed Ornithological Applications journal last week, Point Blue researchers draw on years of data following more than a dozen common bird species to conclude protected lands indeed provide safeguards for the avian populations in coastal California.

Mark Dettling, senior avian ecologist and one of the paper’s co-authors, said the findings could provide a critical link to answering whether land conservation protects biodiversity in a measurable and significant way – a long-held assumption that underpins federal and state conservation targets.

“The reason for doing the analysis we did is that there is just this assumption that if we set aside land and protect it from habitat change or extraction, then the species inside that protected land will thrive. But it’s an assumption that hasn’t been tested that much,” he said.

The first-of-its-kind study was made possible through a partnership with the National Park Service, combining years of expansive data on bird populations both inside and outside of protected or conserved spaces.

Out of 14 bird species analyzed, scientists found nine had better population trends in protected areas compared to average population trends throughout the state. Meanwhile, three of the 14 species had about the same population trends both within protected areas and outside of them, and two species fared worse within the protected areas.

“If our results had shown that protected areas helped even one or two species, it would have been encouraging,” Dettling said. “The fact that we saw nine species that did better in protected areas is a pretty clear signal to us that protecting intact habitats as a conservation tool really works.”

The study relied on 25 years of surveys centered on bird populations in Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Mount Tamalpais State Park, and Marin County Parks. Researchers with Point Blue used this National Park Service data and compared that with their own long-term data collected throughout coastal California and the North Bay by scientists and expert volunteers.

Representatives of the Petaluma-based research organization said analyses of organisms living within protected areas is not often done because the necessity of such expansive data collection, which can be costly and difficult to maintain.

“This is a continuation of Point Blue’s dedication to long-term data sets, to really understanding longer term population trends,” Dettling said. “It’s something we pride ourselves on because it is rare in the scientific community to turn a study for 25 years. And we have some running for 40, 50 years at this point.”

The new research lands amid heightened concern among scientists and conservationists over the declining health of bird populations across North America.

Since 1970, nearly 3 billion breeding birds have been lost, according to a 2019 study that marked the most comprehensive net population analysis of birds in Canada and the United States.

Common birds – including finches, blackbirds, sparrows and warblers – have seen the steepest declines, according to the 2019 landmark study, with more than 2.5 billion common birds lost.

Tom Gardali, Pacific Coast and Central Valley Group Director at Point Blue said in a news release the organization hopes its article and continuous work across the globe provides support for the state and federal governments’ so-called “30 x 30” initiative, targeting a 2030 deadline to protect 30% of lands and waters.

Created in 1965, first stationed in Point Reyes and now headquartered in Petaluma overlooking Shollenberger Park, Point Blue employs a cadre of scientists and partners who have recorded more than a billion observations of birds and other wildlife, throughout the North Bay to the Sierra Nevada and in Antarctica. Its team is also heavily involved in local conservation, climate change research, outreach and education efforts, with a footprint in far-flung field stations as well as in local classrooms.

Dettling said the team’s recent findings are critical additions to ongoing conservations occurring locally and across the country over protecting lands and species in the face of climate change, habitat loss and other factors.

“We always talk about why we here at Point Blue do bird conservation. And many people are interested in birds, they’re beautiful in their own right, but they are also an indicator of the ecosystem’s health,” he said. “It’s the canary in the coalmine situation. If we look at birds, they tell us a lot about the systems we’re living in.”

Contact Kathryn Palmer at kathryn.palmer@arguscourier.com, on Twitter @KathrynPlmr.

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