The effects of habitat management on populations of a sensitive bird species vary with local climate and habitat

Abstract

Thousands of species across the globe are declining primarily due to habitat loss and conversion. Management actions aimed at habitat restoration can mitigate these effects, though the results are likely to vary across local habitat and climate conditions as well as throughout the lifetime of a species. Thus, it is imperative to examine how local habitat and climate context shape population responses to habitat management.

In this study, we develop a modularized Bayesian population model that incorporates management, climate and habitat covariates for three life stages: egg, nestling and adult survival. We apply this modelling approach to three populations of a bird species sensitive to ongoing habitat management (white‐headed woodpecker, Dryobates albolarvatus ) in three landscapes with varying environmental conditions. We examined how management effects vary with local climate and habitat, and how these effects vary across life stages.

Of all life stages (egg, nestling and adult survival), habitat management most strongly impacted nestling survival across populations (11%–51% relative importance). However, habitat management was most influential for different life stages across populations, highlighting that local environmental conditions and population status can shape the effects of habitat restoration on species life history.

Management actions themselves were relatively unimportant drivers of population growth (5%–10% relative importance); climate conditions were more important (60%–80% relative importance). However, for the population with the habitat conditions most like the historical baseline, these habitat conditions had a relatively greater effect than for the other two populations (30% vs. 9% and 14% relative importance), suggesting that as habitat restoration re‐introduces historical conditions, habitat features may more strongly shape populations.

Synthesis and applications. The effects of management and conservation of populations, species and habitat depend on local environmental context. Species conservation will benefit from examining local factors to help identify high‐priority areas for habitat management where these actions will most benefit population persistence.

Citation

Kuile, Ana Miller-ter; Ogle, Kiona; Dudley, Jonathan; Saab, Victoria; Wright, Marilyn; Sanderlin, Jamie S. 2026. The effects of habitat management on populations of a sensitive bird species vary with local climate and habitat. Journal of Applied Ecology. 63: e70372.