How urbanization and industrialization shape breeding bird species occurrence in coastal Mediterranean oasis system

Abstract

Urban sprawl and atmospheric pollution have a tremendous impact on the environment and threatenthe survival of wildlife. Understanding the response of birds to these pressing threats is imperative to plan relevant management policies. Here, we investigated the responses of 17 breeding bird species to urbanization and industrialization on 11 South-Eastern Tunisian coastal oases. The generalized linear mixed model analysis revealed that six species, namely Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin, Woodchat Shrike, European turtle-dove, European Serin, Common Chaffinch and Orphean Warbler, were urban avoiders. Among these species, the Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin has the lowest affinity for oases close to urban areas. However, the Eurasian Collared-Dove was the largest user of oases localized near urban areas. Our results showed that eight species, namely Great grey shrike, European Turtle-dove, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Common Chaffinch, Common Blackbird, European Serin, Laughing Dove and Orphean Warbler, had more occurrences far away from highly industrialized areas. For the remaining species (n = 9), the effect of proximity to the industrial complex was not significant. Furthermore, our results highlighted the robustness of the distance to the industrial complex in shaping the occurrences of the breeding birds compared to urban areas. To maintain bird diversity in this original ecosystem, management measures should focus on (i) maintaining the current level of urbanization, (ii) implementing comprehensive, clear, and enforceable air quality standards to protect the environment and biodiversity from air pollutants, and (iii) phasing out industrial facilities.