Description
The East Asian Australasian Flyway (EAAF) plays a vital role as a migratory pathway for a wide variety of bird species, which make temporary stays in different areas throughout their extraordinary cross-continental journey. These species’ habitats are crucial for migrating birds, and many have been endangered due to the rapid urbanization and coastal development occurring within this flyway. The assessment of habitat suitability for migratory avifauna along this migratory route plays a crucial role in safeguarding the ecological diversity of coastal areas. Furthermore, gaps persist in understanding migratory birds as stakeholders in the urban planning process with subsequent assessments of habitat often being overlooked in the development of our urban regions. The work in this dissertation attempts to address this shortfall by comparing two key migratory bird strongholds along the EAAF, establishing an extensive assessment of impact factors for migratory birds in their environments. The work attempts to gauge a greater understanding of the relationship between variations in habitat and the built environment and, in turn, the migratory birds’ capability to live and thrive in these habitats, albeit for the transitory moment in time they are present in them. The research explores a theoretical and policy framework to establish a deeper understanding of the impacts of urbanization on migratory birds travelling along the EAAF between Yancheng in China and the Geelong region in Australia. The development of a comprehensive factor analysis utilising various software platforms is central to the work, identifying and exploring key factors closely associated with assessing migratory bird habitats, culminating in a suitability analysis through the Species Distribution Model(SDM). Through a methodology that extends on the theoretical and policy-based framework, this dissertation addresses three key research objectives in its exploration of suitable habitats for migratory waders between Yancheng and Geelong:- To determine the various factors that may exert a more significant impact on the habitat suitability of the migratory bird communities in Yancheng and Geelong, and
- To explore how government policy has shaped migratory bird habitats through their urban land use planning frameworks, and
- To test existing land use planning methodologies with the application of habitat assessment to explore a range of alternative scenarios that better accommodate migratory bird activity in urbanized areas in Yancheng and Geelong.
This exploration of the relationships between habitat suitability and the way that surrounding urban regions are transforming is also a key aspect, with the provision of possible projected impacts of growing urbanization on migratory bird movements across Yancheng and Geelong being explored and discussed.
| Period | 1 Aug 2024 → 1 Oct 2024 |
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| Examinee | Yarui Wang |
| Examination held at |
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| Degree of Recognition | International |