Places where people reap the benefits of ecosystem services, birds are plentiful
Areas like the Appalachian Mountains, the southeastern U.S., New England, the Ozarks, and the Sierra and Cascade mountain ranges provide ecosystem services for people that also benefit birds. In a new study published in Ecosystem Services, researchers checked out how areas that aid people, including places where there is clean water, flood control and carbon storage, could also help out birds. After mapping 11 ecosystem services and observations gathered from eBird data, the scientists found that 75% of forest-dwelling birds were well-represented in areas that provided ecosystem services for people. The places with the highest co-benefits included the Appalachian Mountains, the southeastern U.S., New England, the Ozarks, and the Sierra and Cascade mountain ranges. “We all know that nature provides us with many benefits—biodiversity, climate regulation, recreation and many others—but until now, we haven’t been able to demonstrate where those benefits coincide in space. Given the limited resources for conservation, this information is critical for helping decision-makers protect our natural heritage. The paper shows that win-win-wins for biodiversity, climate and people are possible but not guaranteed,” said Rachel Neugarten, who was at Cornell University at the time of the research and is now with the Wildlife Conservation Society.”
