Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2021
Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster V2
Höfundar / Authors: Rebecca Thompson (1), Mariana Tamayo (1), Snorri Sigurðsson (2)
Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: 1. Háskóli Íslands, 2. Director of Nature Conservation, Icelandic Institute of Natural History
Kynnir / Presenter: Rebecca Thompson
Urban bird diversity is a useful indicator of overall biodiversity in urban green spaces. Many cities around the world have assessed bird diversity, however, this type of bird research is lacking for many sites within the city of Reykjavík, Iceland. Our study aims to provide a baseline of bird diversity in the smaller non-coastal urban parks in Reykjavík. Fifteen green spaces were selected, representing different size categories (0.5 – 41 ha) and locations within the urban sprawl (central and suburb). Thirteen transect surveys were conducted at each park from March to September 2020, monitoring species richness and abundance. Bird diversity was significantly greater in large, intermediate-aged parks (40-60 years old), which were polygon-shaped and had a residential context (p<0.05). Richness was not significantly different with park size but was significantly higher in old- (>60 years old) and intermediate-age parks that were centrally located (p<0.005). Bird diversity did not vary significantly over the survey season. These results highlight the value of smaller urban green spaces to bird diversity, contributing to urban planning decisions, and helping to reach the goals of the Reykjavík Municipal Plan and Reykjavík Biodiversity Policy.