Data for: Mammalian predators and vegetated nesting habitat drive reduced protected area nesting success of Kentish plovers, Yellow Sea region, China

Protected areas provide essential habitats for wildlife by conserving
natural and semi-natural habitats and reducing human disturbance. However,
whether breeding birds vulnerable to nest predation can benefit from
strict land management in the protected area is unclear. Here, we compare
the nesting performance of two groups of a ground-nesting shorebird, the
Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus), in the protected area (Liaohekou
Natural Reserve, hereinafter PA) and the control non-protected area
(Non-PA) around the Liaohekou Natural Reserve, in the north of the Yellow
Sea, China, and identify which environmental factors, such as nesting
habitat and nest materials, influence the daily nest survival rate (DSR).
We found similar nesting habitats in both study areas, dominated by bare
land or Suaeda salsa grassland. However, DSR was lower
in PA (0.91 ± 0.01) than in Non-PA (0.97 ± 0.01). Kentish plovers nesting
in areas with vegetation cover experienced lower DSR than in bare lands in
both areas, and nests built with materials of S.
salsa sticks had the lowest DSR in the bare land. Data from
infrared cameras confirmed relatively higher predator abundances and nest
predation rates by nocturnal mammals, such as Eurasian badgers (Meles
meles), in PA than in Non-PA, and this pattern was especially evident for
plover nests located in S. salsa grassland. Our results
suggest that Liaohekou Natural Reserve protected area may not necessarily
provide safe nesting sites for Kentish plovers due to the abundance of
generalist mammal nest predators. However, the PA includes about
80% of the nests from both locations. This means the contribution of the
total number of successful nests continues to be much higher within PA,
with the benefit for the species that this brings in terms of
conservation. The variation and mechanisms underlying differences
in the nest predator communities of PA and non-PA deserve further study.