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Recreational Trails Reduce the Density of Ground-Dwelling Birds in Protected Areas

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Abstract

Recreational disturbance associated with trails has been identified as one of the major factors causing a decline of native biodiversity within protected areas. However, despite the negative impacts that recreation can have on biodiversity, providing public access to nature is critical for the future of the conservation of biodiversity. As such, many protected area managers are looking for tools to help maintain a balance between public access and biodiversity conservation. The objectives of this study were to examine the impacts of recreational trails on forest-dwelling bird communities in eastern North America, identify functional guilds which are particularly sensitive to recreational trails, and derive guidelines for trail design to assist in managing the impacts of recreational trails on forest-dwelling birds. Trails within 24 publicly owned natural areas were mapped, and breeding bird communities were described with the use of point count surveys. The density of forest birds, particularly of those species which nest or forage on the ground, were significantly positively influenced by the amount of trail-free refuge habitat. Although management options to control trail use in non-staffed protected areas are limited, this study suggests that protected area managers could design and maintain a trail network that would minimize impacts on resident wildlife, while providing recreational opportunities for visitors, by designing their trail network to maximize the area of trail-free habitat.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to members of the Durham Regional Forest Stakeholder Advisory Committee who posed the questions that instigated this study. Thanks also to members of the Durham Mountain Biking Association who provided the first draft of the trail map of the Main Tract of Durham Regional Forest. Forest community types were delineated by C. Wilson, M. Dennis, and D. Campbell of the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority. Funding for this work was provided by the member municipalities of Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (York Region, Durham Region, City of Barrie, City of Kawartha Lakes, Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, Town of Innisfil, Town of New Tecumseth, Township of Oro-Medonte, and Township of Ramara). I also thank Tom Langen and four anonymous reviewers whose comments greatly improved this study.

Conflict of interest

The author declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Compliance with Ethical Standards

All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, 120 Bayview Parkway, Newmarket, ON, Canada

    Bill Thompson

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  1. Bill Thompson
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Correspondence to Bill Thompson.

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Thompson, B. Recreational Trails Reduce the Density of Ground-Dwelling Birds in Protected Areas. Environmental Management 55, 1181–1190 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-015-0458-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-015-0458-4

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