Unravelling the drastic range retraction of an emblematic songbird of North Africa: potential threats to Afro-Palearctic migratory birds

Understanding how culture may influence biodiversity is fundamental to ensure effective conservation, especially when the practice is local but the implications are global. Despite that, little effort has been devoted to documenting cases of culturally-related biodiversity loss. Here, we investigate...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2017-04, Vol.7 (1), p.1092-11, Article 1092
Main Authors: Khelifa, Rassim, Zebsa, Rabah, Amari, Hichem, Mellal, Mohammed Khalil, Bensouilah, Soufyane, Laouar, Abdeldjalil, Mahdjoub, Hayat
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
704/158/670
704/172/4081
Algeria
Animal Distribution
Animals
Biodiversity
Biodiversity loss
Bird migration
Bycatch
Domestication
Economics
Human Activities
Humanities and Social Sciences
Humans
Migratory birds
Morocco
multidisciplinary
Poaching
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Songbirds
Songbirds - growth & development
Tunisia
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Summary:Understanding how culture may influence biodiversity is fundamental to ensure effective conservation, especially when the practice is local but the implications are global. Despite that, little effort has been devoted to documenting cases of culturally-related biodiversity loss. Here, we investigate the cultural domestication of the European goldfinch ( Carduelis carduelis ) in western Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) and the effects of long-term poaching of wild populations (1990–2016) on range distribution, socio-economic value, international trading and potential collateral damage on Afro-Palearctic migratory birds. On average, we found that the European goldfinch lost 56.7% of its distribution range in the region which led to the increase of its economic value and establishment of international trading network in western Maghreb. One goldfinch is currently worth nearly a third of the average monthly income in the region. There has been a major change in poaching method around 2010, where poachers started to use mist nets to capture the species. Nearly a third of the 16 bird species captured as by-catch of the European goldfinch poaching are migratory, of which one became regularly sold as cage-bird. These results suggest that Afro-Palearctic migratory birds could be under serious by-catch threat.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-01103-w