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<p>As global biodiversity declines, urban botanic gardens are increasingly recognised as vital refuges for wildlife conservation. However, their role in sustaining bird species remains poorly quantified across major cities in the Afrotropics. This study examined bird community composition, habitat use, and functional guild structure in Gullele Botanic Garden (GBG) from 2023 to 2025. Birds were surveyed in four habitat types—natural forest, bushland and shrubland, riparian and wetland, and human-modified habitats—in 80 plots during the wet and dry seasons. Bird diversity was assessed using indices, and determinants of abundance patterns were analysed with a generalised linear mixed-effects model (GLMM). Results showed that bird diversity varied by habitat and season, with the highest richness in natural forest, followed by human-modified areas. Abundance was driven primarily by seasonal variation and habitat-dependent responses, not by habitat type alone, indicating that ecological value is dynamic and shaped by resource availability across seasons, thereby affecting bird distribution, abundance, and habitat quality. Natural forests supported more forest-dependent species, while disturbed habitats favoured open-landscape and disturbance-tolerant species. Feeding guilds and habitat preferences differed significantly across habitats, indicating strong habitat filtering within the garden. Land use and land cover analysis revealed extensive forest expansion due to restoration, with natural forest increasing from 54.5% in 2009 to 91.5% in 2025, while bushland and shrubland, and human-modified habitats declined. These findings highlight the importance of structurally diverse habitats in urban botanical gardens for preserving bird diversity, supporting forest species, and conserving ecological functions. GBG serves as a vital urban refuge for bird biodiversity and demonstrates how botanical gardens can help conserve biodiversity amid rapid urbanisation.</p>

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Urban botanical gardens as refugia for bird diversity: habitat-driven community structure and functional guild patterns in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月29日

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  • Yihew Biru Woldegiorgis,
  • Birara Muchie,
  • Getachew Mulualem,
  • Amare Gibru Mekonnen,
  • Abadi Mehari Abrha

摘要

As global biodiversity declines, urban botanic gardens are increasingly recognised as vital refuges for wildlife conservation. However, their role in sustaining bird species remains poorly quantified across major cities in the Afrotropics. This study examined bird community composition, habitat use, and functional guild structure in Gullele Botanic Garden (GBG) from 2023 to 2025. Birds were surveyed in four habitat types—natural forest, bushland and shrubland, riparian and wetland, and human-modified habitats—in 80 plots during the wet and dry seasons. Bird diversity was assessed using indices, and determinants of abundance patterns were analysed with a generalised linear mixed-effects model (GLMM). Results showed that bird diversity varied by habitat and season, with the highest richness in natural forest, followed by human-modified areas. Abundance was driven primarily by seasonal variation and habitat-dependent responses, not by habitat type alone, indicating that ecological value is dynamic and shaped by resource availability across seasons, thereby affecting bird distribution, abundance, and habitat quality. Natural forests supported more forest-dependent species, while disturbed habitats favoured open-landscape and disturbance-tolerant species. Feeding guilds and habitat preferences differed significantly across habitats, indicating strong habitat filtering within the garden. Land use and land cover analysis revealed extensive forest expansion due to restoration, with natural forest increasing from 54.5% in 2009 to 91.5% in 2025, while bushland and shrubland, and human-modified habitats declined. These findings highlight the importance of structurally diverse habitats in urban botanical gardens for preserving bird diversity, supporting forest species, and conserving ecological functions. GBG serves as a vital urban refuge for bird biodiversity and demonstrates how botanical gardens can help conserve biodiversity amid rapid urbanisation.