Abstract
BackgroundLand use and development alter mudflat and wetland habitat availability, although mudflats and wetlands provide important stopover habitats for shorebirds during the spring and autumn migrations and support communities of ducks and geese during the winter months in the Republic of Korea. This study investigated land use changes around Sihwa Lake (Republic of Korea) and evaluated the effect of these changes on waterbird community characteristics.MethodsWe conducted a land-use-change analysis at the medium-resolution level using land cover maps for 2001, 2007, 2009, and 2014. Also, a tidal stream survey was conducted in Sihwa Lake and the surrounding reclaimed mudflats every season for 10 years (2003–2012) to identify the seasonal and interannual variations in waterbird species composition. To determine the total annual waterbird species and population counts, species diversity index, and interspecies variations, a TRIM (trends and indices for monitoring data) analysis was used.ResultsWetland area decreased more than 10% while agricultural land, barren land, and grassland area increased more than 10% due to continuous reclamation activities around Sihwa Lake. Barren land later turned into agricultural land or other land use. Sixty-three species and 566,623 individuals were recorded. The number of species, population size, and species diversity index by year and by species showed decreasing trends that were more marked in spring and summer. Furthermore, seasonal and annual variations in waterbird species composition showed decreasing trends in dabbling ducks, herons, grebes, and shorebirds but diving ducks displayed increasing trends. In particular, shorebirds were reduced to a greater extent than other waterbird species because of the reduction and simplification of the intertidal zone, and shallow waters caused by reclamation and road construction.ConclusionsIncreased development and construction around Sihwa Lake has altered migratory shorebird populations with a general decline in species diversity and population size. The greatest decline was observed in wading birds, while diving duck populations showed increasing trends.
Highlights
Land use and development alter mudflat and wetland habitat availability, mudflats and wetlands provide important stopover habitats for shorebirds during the spring and autumn migrations and support communities of ducks and geese during the winter months in the Republic of Korea
The greatest decline was observed in wading birds, while diving duck populations showed increasing trends
Land use change According to the coarse resolution data of the 2001 land cover map, water and wetlands occupied the largest part (68.6%) of the Sihwa Lake area, followed by agricultural land (12.9%), forest (7.9%), and used area (7.6%)
Summary
Land use and development alter mudflat and wetland habitat availability, mudflats and wetlands provide important stopover habitats for shorebirds during the spring and autumn migrations and support communities of ducks and geese during the winter months in the Republic of Korea. Mudflats along the west coast of the Republic of Korea (ROK) are used by a wide variety of wildlife because the large tidal ranges in this region create an extensive area of intertidal habitat. Mudflats are an important habitat for shorebirds that stopover in the ROK during spring and autumn migrations, as well as ducks and geese that spend the winter months in the ROK (Lee. Lee et al Avian Res (2020) 11:36 et al 2000). While reclaimed lakes with simple environments and long stretches of agricultural land created by reclamation provide adequate habitats for wintering ducks, shorebirds have lost large intertidal areas (Lee 2012). The area around Sihwa Bay was rapidly developed after 1984 because it was a prioritized area for implementing agricultural and industrial land reclamation projects launched by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport in the 1970s
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