0637141 - ÚBO 2026 RIV DE eng J - Článek v odborném periodiku
Welegerima, K. - Mulualem, Getachew - Kidane, D. - Tesfaldet, Y. T.
Avian diversity at Mekelle university campus: a blueprint for urban green spaces in semi-arid areas of Tigray, Ethiopia.
Urban Ecosystems. Roč. 28, č. 4 (2025), č. článku 142. ISSN 1083-8155. E-ISSN 1573-1642
Institucionální podpora: RVO:68081766
Klíčová slova: Urbanization * Urban greening * Land cover * Tigray
Obor OECD: Biodiversity conservation
Impakt faktor: 2.5, rok: 2023 ; AIS: 0.733, rok: 2023
Způsob publikování: Omezený přístup
Web výsledku:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11252-025-01752-0DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-025-01752-0

Research on bird species diversity in urban ecosystems, especially within university campuses, remains scarce in semi-arid regions of tropical Africa. To address this gap, a study was conducted to assess university campuses'role in mitigating urbanization's adverse effects on bird species diversity in Endayesus campus, MU, Tigray. The assessment focused on land cover change, species richness, residency and feeding guild categorisation. The land cover change was performed using remote sensing images captured from 2000 to 2024. Field data were collected from June to October 2024 using point counts and opportunistic observations. The land cover change analysis showed a significant increase on vegetation cover from 0.07 km2 (4%) in 2000 to 0.53 km2 (27%) in 2024. This expansion in vegetation likely contributed to higher biodiversity, as evidenced by a total of 82 bird species from 41 families recorded in the campus. Of these, 74 species (90%) were year-round resident breeders. Insectivores (36 species, 43.9%) and granivores (15 species, 18.3%) were the most prevalent feeding guilds. The study also identified eight species (9.7%) endemic to the Afrotropical highland biome, along with two critically endangered vulture species (Research Conservation Priority Index (RCPI) = 0.8) and one vulnerable eagle (RCPI = 0.3). These findings highlight the university campus as a prime example of a green space that supports high bird diversity. Therefore, it is essential to integrate urban green spaces into urban planning to prioritize eco-friendly practices that mitigate the adverse effects of urbanization on biodiversity in Semi-Arid Areas of Tigray, Ethiopia.
Trvalý link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0368074