Completeness of Digital Accessible Knowledge of the Birds of Western Africa and Priorities for Survey and Inventory

Abstract

Primary biodiversity data are widely used to model ecological niches and geographic distributions of species, assess the status of global biodiversity, and inform conservation decisions. However, these data are often unavailable for some taxa or unevenly distributed across regions and landscapes. This study aims to identify current gaps in the current knowledge of West African birds that can guide future avian surveys and inventories across the region, and to inform conservation decisions. We examined Digital Accessible Knowledge (DAK) of the birds of Western Africa, available online from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and eBird up to 2016. The data were standardized and cleaned carefully, and inventory completeness indices were calculated at 0.5 degrees, 0.3 degrees and 0.1 degrees spatial resolutions across the region. Well-known sites were identified as those grid squares with completeness indices above 80% and >200 associated DAK records. We identified 81 well-known pixels at 0.1 degrees, 73 at 0.3 degrees, and 63 at 0.5 degrees. Well-known sites were notably clustered around accessible areas (e.g., cities). Countries holding more well-known sites were Ghana, Cameroon, Gambia, and Ivory Coast. Our results show the biases and gaps in West African bird data, and identify areas to be prioritized in future surveys and inventories.