Main Content
Monitoring concept for the National Species Recovery Program – concept development using birds as example
Despite numerous political efforts, biodiversity continues to decline. By providing funding under the National Biodiversity Strategy, the federal government supports projects throughout Germany, aimed, among others, at improving living conditions for rare animal and plant species. However, to date there is no standardized evaluation of the effectiveness of these programs, as the large number of different conservation measures, such as those to promote various habitats and species groups, has made comparison difficult.
The project “Monitoring concept for the National Species Recovery Program – concept development using the example of birds” (AviConAHP) was therefore established to scientifically evaluate the effectiveness of various nature conservation measures on bird populations. To this end, a counterfactual approach is being used, in which population trends are compared with scenarios in which no measures are implemented. This requires systematic monitoring of nature and the landscape, as well as a precise impact analysis with regard to the desired objectives.
As part of the project, an overall methodological concept is being developed and implemented on a model basis. This concept describes how a monitoring system must be structured so that counterfactual analyses can be utilized for impact analysis on bird populations. The nationwide, standardized bird monitoring system serves as the primary data source. Beyond this, the project examines the effects of measures on other species groups and ecosystem services. The goal of the project is to develop a scientifically sound and practical concept for determining the effectiveness of conservation programs using birds as example. A handbook developed as part of the project will explain standardized data collection and impact analysis on bird populations and will be provided to sponsors.
PIs: Nina Farwig, Jakob Katzenberger
Team: Nina Farwig, Victoria Reuber, Alexandra Brion (Uni Marburg); Jakob Katzenberger, Stefan Paßlick, Kim Lindner, Sven Trautmann, Malte Busch (Dachverband Deutscher Avifaunisten)
Project funding: German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) with funding from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) under the National Species Recovery Program