Biogeography, ecology and conservation of Paradisaeidae: Consequences of environmental and climatic changes

Abstract

The Paradisaeidae, or birds of paradise (BOPs), comprises 42 species in 17 genera, although these numbers could change as more molecular studies are conducted. BOPs are distributed from the Moluccan Islands east through New Guinea to Tagula Island and northeastern Australia. This analysis set out to develop a multidimensional view of conservation threats to BOP species, looking towards their conservation. For example, under future climatic conditions and considering loss of forest cover, Astrapia nigra may face extinction within just 2-4 decades. Generally, under future climatic conditions, BOP distributional areas decrease. Relatively few BOP species face distributional losses owing to sea level rise; however, land use change and future changed climatic conditions present more serious threats. I analyze distributional patterns and likely threats for each species and identify optimal suites of areas for BOP protection based on the results.