Global changes are influencing fire regimes in many parts of the world. In the Fynbos plant diver... more Global changes are influencing fire regimes in many parts of the world. In the Fynbos plant diversity hotspot (Cape Floristic Region, South Africa), fire frequency has increased, at least in protected areas where the mean fire interval went from 12-19 to 6-9 years between 1970 and 2000. Fire is one of the main drivers of plant diversity in the Cape Floristic Region. Too frequent fires threaten the persistence of slow-maturing plant species, and have led to the adoption of fire management principles based on plant responses. The effects of fire on Fynbos fauna are much more less well understood, and have not generally been considered in depth in Fynbos conservation policies, planning or management. We assessed the response of bird communities to long-term fire- induced vegetation changes using space-for-time substitution. We studied bird communities, vegetation structure and plant functional composition in 84 Fynbos plots burnt between two and 18 years. Ten of the 14 bird species analysed showed a significant change in their abundance with time since fire. We observed a significant species turnover along the post-fire succession due to both vegetation structure and vegetation functional composition, with a characteristic shift from non-Fynbos specialists and granivorous species to Fynbos specialists and nectarivorous species. If current trends of increasing fire frequency continue and the proportion of unburnt vegetation continues to decline, Fynbos endemic bird specialists such as nectarivorous bird species may become vulnerable. Conservation management should thus aim more carefully to maintain at maintaining landscape mosaics of Fynbos patches of different ages . Future research needs to estimate the proportion of unburnt vegetation of different ages and patch sizes needed to support all dependent fauna, particularly endemics.
Expert workshop report from a collaboration between Durham, Cambridge, Cape Town, Stellenbosch an... more Expert workshop report from a collaboration between Durham, Cambridge, Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Swaziland Universities and several national and international conservation organizations
Species richness peaked at intermediate levels of shrub cover. Bird species composition showed hi... more Species richness peaked at intermediate levels of shrub cover. Bird species composition showed high turnover along a gradient of increasing shrub cover in South African savanna, suggesting that bush encroachment is likely to lead to loss of certain species and declines in species richness at the landscape scale. Bird species responded to changes in vegetation structure rather than vegetation species composition. Bush encroachment may have more impact on bird diversity in grassland than in open woodland, and may be on e of the main drivers of bird population dynamics in southern African savannas. If current trends continue, the persistence of several southern African savanna birds may be jeopardized regionally.
... Anthony J. Mills a , Corresponding author contact information , E-mail the corresponding auth... more ... Anthony J. Mills a , Corresponding author contact information , E-mail the corresponding author ,; Antoni V. Milewski b , E-mail the corresponding ... The Highveld, however, still forms the largest area of naturally treeless grassland in southern Africa (Mucina and Rutherford, 2006). ...
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union (EU) is one of the world's largest agr... more The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union (EU) is one of the world's largest agricultural policies and the EU's longest-prevailing one. Originally focused mostly on supporting production and farm income, the CAP has progressively integrated instruments to support the environment. Nonetheless, there is considerable agreement among EU citizens that the CAP still does not do enough to address ongoing environmental degradation and climate change (92% of nonfarmers, 64% of farmers) (1). In May and June 2018, the European Commission (EC) published the financial plan and legislative proposal for the CAP post-2020 (2), prompting numerous proposed amendments that the newly elected European Parliament (EP) will now have to consider. With an eye toward the next and final reform stages, including budget discussions and “trilogue” negotiations between the EC, the Council, and the EP to begin in autumn 2019, we examine whether the proposed post-2020 CAP can address key sustainability issues and meet societal demands for higher environmental performance.
Global changes are influencing fire regimes in many parts of the world. In the Fynbos plant diver... more Global changes are influencing fire regimes in many parts of the world. In the Fynbos plant diversity hotspot (Cape Floristic Region, South Africa), fire frequency has increased, at least in protected areas where the mean fire interval went from 12-19 to 6-9 years between 1970 and 2000. Fire is one of the main drivers of plant diversity in the Cape Floristic Region. Too frequent fires threaten the persistence of slow-maturing plant species, and have led to the adoption of fire management principles based on plant responses. The effects of fire on Fynbos fauna are much more less well understood, and have not generally been considered in depth in Fynbos conservation policies, planning or management. We assessed the response of bird communities to long-term fire- induced vegetation changes using space-for-time substitution. We studied bird communities, vegetation structure and plant functional composition in 84 Fynbos plots burnt between two and 18 years. Ten of the 14 bird species analysed showed a significant change in their abundance with time since fire. We observed a significant species turnover along the post-fire succession due to both vegetation structure and vegetation functional composition, with a characteristic shift from non-Fynbos specialists and granivorous species to Fynbos specialists and nectarivorous species. If current trends of increasing fire frequency continue and the proportion of unburnt vegetation continues to decline, Fynbos endemic bird specialists such as nectarivorous bird species may become vulnerable. Conservation management should thus aim more carefully to maintain at maintaining landscape mosaics of Fynbos patches of different ages . Future research needs to estimate the proportion of unburnt vegetation of different ages and patch sizes needed to support all dependent fauna, particularly endemics.
Expert workshop report from a collaboration between Durham, Cambridge, Cape Town, Stellenbosch an... more Expert workshop report from a collaboration between Durham, Cambridge, Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Swaziland Universities and several national and international conservation organizations
Species richness peaked at intermediate levels of shrub cover. Bird species composition showed hi... more Species richness peaked at intermediate levels of shrub cover. Bird species composition showed high turnover along a gradient of increasing shrub cover in South African savanna, suggesting that bush encroachment is likely to lead to loss of certain species and declines in species richness at the landscape scale. Bird species responded to changes in vegetation structure rather than vegetation species composition. Bush encroachment may have more impact on bird diversity in grassland than in open woodland, and may be on e of the main drivers of bird population dynamics in southern African savannas. If current trends continue, the persistence of several southern African savanna birds may be jeopardized regionally.
... Anthony J. Mills a , Corresponding author contact information , E-mail the corresponding auth... more ... Anthony J. Mills a , Corresponding author contact information , E-mail the corresponding author ,; Antoni V. Milewski b , E-mail the corresponding ... The Highveld, however, still forms the largest area of naturally treeless grassland in southern Africa (Mucina and Rutherford, 2006). ...
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union (EU) is one of the world's largest agr... more The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union (EU) is one of the world's largest agricultural policies and the EU's longest-prevailing one. Originally focused mostly on supporting production and farm income, the CAP has progressively integrated instruments to support the environment. Nonetheless, there is considerable agreement among EU citizens that the CAP still does not do enough to address ongoing environmental degradation and climate change (92% of nonfarmers, 64% of farmers) (1). In May and June 2018, the European Commission (EC) published the financial plan and legislative proposal for the CAP post-2020 (2), prompting numerous proposed amendments that the newly elected European Parliament (EP) will now have to consider. With an eye toward the next and final reform stages, including budget discussions and “trilogue” negotiations between the EC, the Council, and the EP to begin in autumn 2019, we examine whether the proposed post-2020 CAP can address key sustainability issues and meet societal demands for higher environmental performance.
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Papers by Clelia Sirami
Papers (peer reviewed) by Clelia Sirami