Anthropogenic impacts on the demographics of Arctic-breeding birds

Abstract

The Arctic supports a diversity of breeding birds. Since the mid-twentieth century, anthropogenic-source climate change, industrial activity and harvest have impacted this ecosystem and the demographics of its breeding birds, highlighting the need to synthesise current knowledge. A scoping review was conducted to quantify recent population trends and identify impacts of anthropogenic activity on species’ demography. The literature revealed that many seabird trends were mixed or uncertain. Trends among waterfowl, divers and cranes were largely upward or stable. Trends among waders, passerines and raptors, however, were more evenly distributed upward and downward. Wader trends tended to be more positive in the East Atlantic flyway compared to other flyways, while many raptor populations are recovering following historic losses. In contrast, grouse experienced uncertain or negative trends. Weather regime and vegetation shifts, phenological mismatches and diminishing sea ice associated with climate change are important drivers of demography. The strength and direction of these impacts, however, varies among guilds and between the low and high-Arctic. The extraction, chemical, agriculture and fisheries industries also impact demography. Research on heavy metal and organochlorine contamination was prevalent in the literature, despite having relatively weaker impacts than other drivers. Although bird harvest has had profound impacts on Arctic populations, recently updated regulations and improvements in policy have ameliorated its impact somewhat. Nonetheless, many anthropogenic impacts are predicted to become more severe in the future, with consequences for breeding bird trends, therefore continued pan-Arctic monitoring and addressing knowledge gaps will be necessary to preserve this unique biome.