Avifauna asociada a bosque nativo y plantación exótica de coníferas en la reserva forestal Grecia, Costa Rica

Forest plantations of exotic conifers have been used as a management strategy for restoring forests in many areas of the Nootropics. However, there is a remarkable lack of information of these plantations on the value for conservation biodiversity. To evaluate these plantations as habitat for wildlife, I studied bird communities in native secondary forest and in plantation of exotic tree spedes (Pinus oocarpa and Cuprassus Iusitanica) in the Reserva Forestal Grecia, Costa Rica. Bird assemblage composition, richness, abundance, diversity, and evenness were compared between habitats using the fixed-radius point count method. Fieldwork was conducted from September 2008 to May 2009. A total of 743 birds of 79 species corresponding to 10 orders and 25 families were recorded. The bird composition varied across habitats, sharing 51.9% of the same bird species. Although I found no significant differences in the patterns of bird diversity or evenness, the native forest had a greater bird richness and abundance than the plantation. This could be explained by the higher spatial heterogeneity and productivity in the native forest than in the plantation. On the basis of these results, secondary native forests seem to have a greater value for bird conservation than conifer plantations. Therefore, some management measures could favor bird communities in the Reserva Forestal Grecia, such as the implementation of strategies for ecological restoration in order to gradually replace the exotic vegetation by native species which offer more resources available for bird populations. The continuation of studies in plantations of exotic conifers may provide more knowledge that will allow a better understanding of the role played by exotic plantations in maintaining bird populations and biodiversity in general.