Linking landscape structure to productivity and population change in migratory birds

目前，世界各地的候鸟数量正在下降，迫切需要采取行动稳定和扭转这种下降趋势。最近的联合国移栖物种公约缔约方会议通过了一项关于改善非洲-欧亚区域候鸟养护状况的决议（UNEP/CMS/Res.10.27）。该决议呼吁成员国减少栖息地退化，并对这些物种“在其年度周期的所有阶段”面临的威胁进行研究，目前正在制定一项实施该决议的行动计划。这个项目是专门设计来帮助确定和目标管理行动，可以使候鸟种群受益。该项目将对国内（RSPB, Defra， NE）和国际（公约迁徙物种理事会，欧盟ORNIS委员会，国际鸟盟）的政府部门和非政府组织的保护主义者和保护政策制定者产生直接影响。探索环境变量、生产力和丰度之间的关系需要广泛空间尺度上的长期数据。学生将利用长期的公民科学数据集，包括丰度（泛欧常见鸟类监测计划，PECBMS）和人口统计（欧洲持续努力站点Euro-CES）监测数据。所有PECBMS和Euro-CES站点都进行了地理参考，允许从现有数据集中提取已知影响丰度和当地人口比率的站点级环境特征。这将包括，例如，测量景观组成和配置（CORINE）和初级生产力（增强植被指数），以及从哥白尼气候数据存储（https://cds.climate.copernicus.eu）中提取夏季（5 - 7月）和冬季（11 - 2月）的平均月降水量和平均最高和最低温度的站点水平时间序列。该学生将领导这个项目，并制定一个研究计划，在理解候鸟种群动态和保护方面提供纯粹和应用的进展。他们也将有机会调整项目的各个方面，以发展他们在他们特别感兴趣的领域的技能和专业知识。该学生将获得并进一步发展一个强大的研究人员和公民科学家网络，研究整个欧洲的候鸟种群，并将从与Cat Morrison博士密切合作中受益，Cat Morrison博士是我们小组中经验丰富的博士后，他领导了本项目的分析，并且是新NERC拨款（2020-2023;Butler - PI; Gill & Robinson - Co-Is）的PDRA，使用类似的数据集探索欧洲鸟类的人口和人口同步。该提案将通过大规模调查和环境数据建模、实地考察和将研究转化为实践的组合来解决当前的一个主要保护问题，从而解决NERC最需要的几个技能。具体而言，学生将接受以下方面的高级培训：应用生态概念、统计技能、模拟环境变化对人口的影响、实地数据收集技术、科学报告和出版，以及制定基于证据的政策和保护倡议。

Migratory bird populations throughout the world are declining at present, and there are urgent calls for actions to stabilise and reverse these declines. The recent Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention on Migratory Species adopted a resolution (UNEP/CMS/Res.10.27) on Improving the Conservation Status of Migratory Landbirds in the African-Eurasian Region. This calls on member states to reduce habitat degradation and to undertake research into the threats facing these species 'at all stages of their annual cycles', and an Action Plan to implement this resolution is now being developed. This project has been specifically designed to help identify and target management actions that can benefit migratory bird populations. This project will have direct implications for conservationists and conservation policy-makers in government departments and NGOs, both nationally (RSPB, Defra, NE), and internationally (Convention on Migratory Species directorate, EU ORNIS committee, Birdlife International).Exploring the relationship between environmental variables, productivity and abundance requires long-term data across broad spatial scales. The student will make use of long-term, citizen science datasets containing abundance (Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme, PECBMS) and demography (European Constant Effort Site Euro-CES) monitoring data. All PECBMS and Euro-CES sites are georeferenced allowing site-level environmental characteristics known to influence abundance and local demographic rates to be extracted from existing datasets. This would include, for example, measures of landscape composition and configuration (CORINE) and primary productivity (Enhanced Vegetation Index), as well as site-level time series of mean monthly precipitation and mean maximum and minimum temperature for summer (May-July) and winter (Nov-Feb) will be extracted from Copernicus Climate Data Store (https://cds.climate.copernicus.eu).The student will lead this project and develop a research programme that delivers pure and applied advances in the understanding of migrant bird population dynamics and conservation. They will also have the opportunity to tailor aspects of the project to develop their skills and expertise in areas they are specifically interested in. The student will gain access to and further develop a strong network of researchers and citizen scientists studying migrant bird populations across Europe and will benefit from working closely with Dr Cat Morrison, an experienced post-doc in our group who led the analyses from which this project has been developed and who is the PDRA on a new NERC grant (2020-2023; Butler - PI; Gill & Robinson - Co-Is) exploring population and demographic synchrony in European birds, using similar datasets.This proposal will address a major current conservation issue through a mix of MODELLING of large-scale survey and environmental data, FIELDWORK and TRANSLATION OF RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE, and will thus address several of NERC's Most Wanted Skills. Specifically, the student will receive advanced training in the application of ecological concepts, statistical skills, modelling population consequences of environmental change, field data collection techniques, scientific presentation and publication and the development of evidence-based policy and conservation initiatives.