Remove or control predators to enhance bird populations and communities
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Overall effectiveness category Beneficial
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Number of studies: 2
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How is the evidence assessed?
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Effectiveness
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Certainty
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Harms
not assessed
Supporting evidence from individual studies
A meta-analysis of 20 published studies (Côté & Sutherland 1997) showed that predator removal had a large, positive effect on hatching success – with removal areas showing higher hatching success on average than 75% of control areas – and led to a significant increase in post-breeding population size (i.e. autumn density), although no significant impact was detected on breeding population size.
Study and other actions testedA 2010 systematic review (Smith et al. 2010) found that removing predators tended to lead to increased reproductive success (hatching and fledging success) and breeding populations in birds. On mainlands, but not islands, predator removal also tended to increase post-breeding population size. Whether predators were native or not, the population trend of the bird population and whether the species was migratory or a game species did not affect responses to predator removal.
Study and other actions tested
Where has this evidence come from?
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This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:
Bird Conservation
Bird Conservation - Published 2013
Bird Synopsis