Forest Management Practice Influences Bird Diversity in the Mid-Hills of Nepal

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The conservation of biodiversity depends on the viability of management regimes. In most cases, it is well established that government-managed lands aid in the conservation of biodiversity; however, little is known regarding the conservation effectiveness of community-managed areas (e.g., community forests) in relation to government-managed areas. In the mid-hill region of Nepal, we evaluate the effectiveness of community-managed and protected forests in supporting avian diversity. We discovered greater bird diversity, richness, and abundance in the community-managed forest compared to the protected forest. In addition, the turnover of bird species was greater in the community-managed forest compared to the protected forest. Our study demonstrates that community-managed forests can have a greater diversity and abundance of bird species than government-managed protected forest. ABSTRACT: Forest management practice plays a critical role in conserving biodiversity. However, there are few studies on how forest management practice affects bird communities. Here, we compare the effectiveness of the Panchase Protection Forest (PPF; protected forest with government administration) and the Tibrekot Community Forest (TCF; community forest with community forest users’ group administration) in hosting bird diversity in the mid-hills of Nepal. We examined 96 point count stations during summer and winter in 2019 and recorded 160 species of birds with three globally threatened vultures (red-headed vulture Sarcogyps calvus, slender-billed vulture Gyps tenuirostris, and white-rumped vulture Gyps bengalensis). Forest management practice, season, and elevation all influenced the richness and abundance of birds. The diversity, richness, and abundance of birds and the most common feeding guilds (insectivore, omnivore, and carnivore) were higher in TCF than in PPF; however, globally threatened species were only recorded in PPF. We also recorded a higher bird species turnover (beta diversity) in TCF than in PPF. Our study indicates that community-managed forests can also provide quality habitats similar to those of protected forests managed by the government, and provide refuge to various bird species and guilds. However, we recommend more comparative studies in other tropical and sub-tropical areas to understand how different forest management practices influence bird diversity.