Ongoing decline of suitable habitat for the Critically Endangered Gurney's pitta Hydrornis gurneyi

• Published in: Oryx Vol. 56; no. 2; pp. 202 - 208
• Main Authors: Savini, Tommaso, Shwe, Nay Myo, Sukumal, Niti
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01-03-2022
• Subjects: Altitude; Biodiversity; Bird conservation; Deforestation; Edge effect; Endangered & extinct species; Endangered species; Environmental protection; Forest degradation; Forests; Habitats; Industrial development; Spacetime; Survival; Threatened species; Thailand; Myanmar (Burma); Forest loss; Tanintharyi; hotspot; Hydrornis gurneyi; lowland forest; oil palm plantation; Gurney's pitta; land clearing
• ISSN: 0030-6053; 1365-3008
• DOI: 10.1017/S0030605320001258

From 1999 onwards, level, lowland forests (altitude < 150 m, slopes < 10°) in the Tanintharyi Region of southern Myanmar have been cleared on a large scale and replaced by oil palm plantations. This has resulted in a drastic decline in suitable habitat for several species, including Gurney's pitta Hydrornis gurneyi (Passeriformes, Pittidae). The habitat for this species has decreased by > 80%, leading to its categorization as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2019. As threats in the region have continued, we updated information on the status of the species’ habitat in January 2020, and examined forest loss in the three strongholds where the species still persists in the wild. Since the previous estimate in 2017, suitable habitat in these locations has decreased by 8% (from 656 to 603 km2), with > 10% of the remaining area now in fragments of < 1 km2, which are unsuitable for the mid- to long-term survival of the species. Forest degradation and edge effects from increased fragmentation have led to further loss of suitable habitat in these strongholds. Projections indicate that unless conservation action is taken, all suitable habitat will disappear by 2080. The main threat to the long-term survival of Gurney's pitta is the lack of legal protection of primary lowland forests, resulting in uncontrolled clearance for small- and large-scale agriculture and industrial development. We provide recommendations to reduce the rate of loss of the remaining suitable habitat for the species.