Platyspiza crassirostris.

The Galápagos archipelago is recognized as a unique ‘living museum and showcase of evolution’. Despite many conservation efforts from the Galápagos National Park (GNP), it has been listed as a World Heritage Site in Danger. The conservation status of most terrestrial birds is poorly known. This project will establish a standardized, long term monitoring program for terrestrial birds: the Galápagos Islands’ Breeding Bird Survey (GIBBS). It will provide annual indices of birds’ distribution and abundance, which will serve as key indicators of biodiversity change to be used by the GNP in their assessment and adjustments of the management strategy for the islands.

Myiarchus magnirostris.

This project has three main objectives:

Certhidea olivacea.

(i) I will test, optimize (ratio accuracy/cost) and implement alternative protocols for the monitoring of terrestrial birds (and other vertebrates in the future) adapted to the peculiarities of the islands: a fluctuating climate, a high endemism and implementation by GNP staff and volunteers. The resulting indices of abundance will be used as indicators of spatial and temporal variations in population sizes, after adjustment for confounding fluctuations of the probability of detecting individuals.

(ii) Statistical analyses of monitoring data will characterize the influence of habitat changes, introduced species, climatic variability, and human pressures (including conservation actions) on abundances and community structure. The potential impact of climate changes (warming and increased variability) will be explored with bioclimatic niche models.

(iii) For a conservation strategy to be effective, it must be adjusted according to the observed effects of current management actions (adaptive conservation). Protocols and analyses will be designed to provide a cost-effective, regular assessment of conservation objectives of the GNP.