Use greentree reservoir management

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

0%
Certainty

10%
Harms

40%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

A greentree reservoir is a temporary impoundment of a forested river-bottom aimed at providing wildfowl habitat.

Key messages

A site comparison study from the USA found significantly lower numbers of breeding mid- and under-storey birds at a greentree reservoir site than at a control site. Canopy nesting species were not affected. The species investigated were not gamebirds or wildfowl.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

In eastern Arkansas, USA, a site comparison study found significant differences in relative abundances of 12 of 28 non-gamebird species between a greentree site and an adjacent control area (Christman 1984). Singing birds were surveyed in the 1980-1981 breeding seasons. Greentree reservoir management reduced understory vegetation and bird species that are primarily understory foragers were absent or at lower frequencies, and nesting opportunities for ground- or understorey- nesting species were reduced, compared to the control. Canopy-foraging species were not affected. There were overall fewer breeding species and bird abundance was lower at the greentree reservoir site.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Christman S.P. (1984) Breeding bird response to greentree reservoir management. Journal of Wildlife Management, 48, 1164-1172.

Please cite as:

Williams, D.R., Child, M.F., Dicks, L.V., Ockendon, N., Pople, R.G., Showler, D.A., Walsh, J.C., zu Ermgassen, E.K.H.J. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Bird Conservation. Pages 137-281 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

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This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Bird Conservation

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