Priority areas to protect mangroves and maximise ecosystem services

Avifaunal communities as indicators of silvicultural impacts in mangrove forests

Although the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve (MMFR) in Malaysia is suggested to be a global reference for sustainable silviculture, the impact of greenwood extraction on local biodiversity and ecological functionality remains under-researched. To fill this gap, a rapid biodiversity assessment was conducted using birds as ecological indicators to investigate the effect of mangrove silvicultural management on avian communities. Changes in the diversity of bird species and dietary guilds in response to forest age and management were assessed using the point-count method with visual and auditory observations. This was done in both "productive" forests, consisting of even-aged Rhizophora plantations producing poles and charcoal, and in "protective" forests where extractive activities are prohibited. Remarkably, all avifaunal functional guilds were present in both young "productive" and "protective" forests, however the "productive" forests supported fewer bird assemblages in terms of species richness and total taxonomic diversity compared to the floristically rich and structurally complex "protective" forests. The bird species' response to silvicultural disturbances also varied, with adverse effects especially occurring in functionally specialized species. Furthermore, back mangroves and transition zones to terrestrial forests were found to support a higher avifaunal diversity, possibly because of the enhanced habitat heterogeneity. Finally, this study highlights the use of bird communities as ecological indicators for assessing the quality of mangrove forests, and emphasises the crucial role of habitat and landscape heterogeneity in supporting diverse avifauna and ecosystem functionality highlighting the need for more research integrating mangroves and adjacent ecosystems.

Humans versus models: a comparative assessment of ecosystem services models and stakeholders' perceptions

Mapping the production of Ecosystem Services (ES) is imperative for sustainable ecosystem management. Likewise, incorporating expert knowledge enhances ES research. Here, we calculate eight multi-temporal ES indicators for mainland Portugal using a spatial modelling approach. These indicators are then integrated into the novel ASEBIO index-Assessment of Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity-which depicts a combined ES potential based on CORINE Land Cover, using a multi-criteria evaluation method with weights defined by stakeholders through an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Outputs from the modelling show how ES have changed in Portugal in relation to land use changes, including trade-offs between 1990 and 2018. The composed ASEBIO index is compared against the stakeholders' valuation of ES potential for the year 2018. The results reveal a significant mismatch between the ES potential perceived by stakeholders and the models, with stakeholder estimates being 32.8% higher on average. All the selected ES were overestimated by the stakeholders. Drought regulation and erosion prevention have the highest contrasts, while water purification, food production and recreation are the most closely aligned among both approaches. Providing the first national overview about the status of multiple ES over a 28 year-period, our findings highlight potential disparities between data-driven and stakeholder-based evaluations. Therefore, we suggest the need for integrative strategies that consider scientific models with expert knowledge for more effective ES assessments and land-use planning. This approach could help bridge the gap between data-driven models and human perspectives, resulting in more balanced and inclusive decision-making.