Effect of highways on breeding birds: Example of Hulunbeier, China

Abstract

Roads have diverse influences on surrounding biodiversity, especially birds. Here, we evaluated the ecological influences of a highway on avian diversity in the Erka Wetland Reserve (Inner Mongolia, China) to guide future road construction projects. Here, avian and plant surveys were conducted along 51 strips spread over nine transects with different habitat matrixes (including degraded grassland habitat). Nineteen bird species were identified, of which 84% were breeding. Alaudidae was the dominant genus, and is a typical, grassland bird guild. Bayesian analyses showed that Alaudidae density was explained by the interaction between distance from the road and vegetation coverage. Alaudidae density increased with increasing road distance only when the vegetation coverage was at least 35%. However, the height of dominant plants had a negative and significant effect on birds. In addition, endangered birds and some common bird species were absent within the road effect zone. We suggest that future road construction in wetland areas should address the direct and combined effects of roads and habitat configuration (and changes) on birds, in a way that enhances both avian diversity and wetland biodiversity conservation as a whole.