Das Projekt "The impact of forest cover transformation on the status and distribution of Siberian spruce grouse, an endemic old-growth specialist of the Russian Far East" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Freiburg, Forstzoologisches Institut, Professur für Wildtierökologie und Wildtiermanagement durchgeführt. Siberian Spruce Grouse is an example of a poorly studied species associated with old-growth boreal forests. According to IUCN criteria, it is classified as Near Threatened but the current rates of timber harvest and an increase in the extents and frequency of forest fires in the Russian Far East suggest a need for a higher protection category. However, the necessary information on population trends and/or rates of habitat loss are missing. The research project aims at improving the knowledge about habitat associations of Siberian grouse at different spatial scales, at identifying rates of habitat loss in recent decades and at reconstructing population trends. These trends will be analyzed in the context of land cover transformations for several protected areas across the species range. Results will be compared with population responses to habitat deterioration of the better studied Canadian Spruce Grouse in order to come up with recommendations for Siberian grouse conservation.