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Potential negative effects of construction of a high-mountain ski resort in the High Tatras, Slovakia, on breeding bird assemblages

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A Correction to this article was published on 01 July 2020

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Abstract

Development of new ski resorts potentially has strong negative impacts on natural ecosystems. The objective of this paper is to analyse the potential effects of a newly proposed ski resort development plan on bird assemblages in the High Tatras Mts. of Slovakia. I tested two hypotheses that total bird abundance, species richness and diversity would decline, due (1) to the removal of tree and shrub vegetation after ski run construction and/or (2) as a result of a negative edge effect (i.e. decline along ski run edge). I censused birds in three presently occurring habitat types [successional forest (n = 26 (number of circular plots)), spruce forest (n = 22) and dwarf pine stands (n = 21) and ski runs (n = 20)] close to proposed resort site. I used a variable circular plot method on two spatial scales with radii of 25 and 50 m (three counts per plot during breeding season in 2018). Circular plot samples from ski runs were taken from the closest existing ski resort with similar environmental conditions in Tatranská Lomnica. I found that total density, species richness and diversity were negatively affected by habitat alterations near this resort, and provided evidence of negative edge effect of ski runs on bird abundance, diversity metrices and evenness. Based on these results and a literature review, I recommend that building new ski resorts not be built in strictly protected areas and that future ski resort developments be restricted to areas that have lower conservation value.

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Change history

  • 03 August 2020

    In three places, the text of the original article mentions ‘Sheldon evenness’. It should have read ‘Pielou evenness’.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank to company HES – Comgeo, Ltd. for financing this study. I am especially grateful to Richard T. Holmes for providing valuable comments and for helping in English language proofreading of early versions of the manuscript. The field surveys and report were prepared as part of environmental impact assessment (EIA) study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Ecological Studies, Ústredie 14, 013 62, Veľké Rovné, Slovakia

    Martin Korňan

  2. Department of Applied Zoology and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen, T.G. Masaryka 20, 960 01, Zvolen, Slovakia

    Martin Korňan

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  1. Martin Korňan
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Correspondence to Martin Korňan.

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Conflict of interest

My study may have potential conflict of interest with the project investor the Tatra Mountain Resorts, LLC. I here to declare that my study and results are independent of any known influence from other parties.

Ethical approval

The study was carried out with the approval of the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic and the Administration of the Tatra National Park (TANAP).

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Korňan, M. Potential negative effects of construction of a high-mountain ski resort in the High Tatras, Slovakia, on breeding bird assemblages. COMMUNITY ECOLOGY 21, 213–226 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42974-020-00018-3

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