Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany Bird Diversity Modeling Using Geostatistics and GIS

Portugal has a diverse landscape that provides a variety of habitats for birds. Many species of birds that breed in Portugal migrate south in the autumn and return in the spring. Portugal also serves as a wintering ground for several northern species. Since migrating bird species sometimes cover long distances and several habitats, they can serve as indicators of the overall health of the environment. This study investigate the possibility of using geostatistics to predict the diversity of bird species over a given area and using these predictions as a basis for the conservation of ecosystems. The study involves the use of 2007 data from the Portuguese common bird census conducted by Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves (SPEA) and using European Environmental Agency's CORINE Land Cover classification. Geostatistical interpolation techniques were used to build prediction models. GIS was used to extract both habitat information and the predicted diversity values. The results showed the habitat preferences based on the predictions. The combination of diversity modeling and habitat characterization can be used to aid conservation efforts in identifying key habitats of importance for each category. The study will also conduct comparative analysis of the interpolators and an assessment of their accuracy