Conservation and Farmland Birds

Conservation of european farmland birds: abundance and species diversity

Farmland ecosystems have evolved through the development of agriculture, becoming almost uniquely characteristic plant and animal communities (Potts 1991). However, rapid changes in farming methods in the second half of the 20 century resulted in the partial collapse of this ecosystem (Potts 1997). Throughout most of Europe, farmland birds have declined as a result of simplification of farming ...

Conservation of farmland birds faces different challenges in Western and Central-Eastern Europe

Birds are commonly used as an example of the strongly declining farmland biodiversity in Europe. The populations of many species have been shown to suffer from intensification of management, reduction of landscape heterogeneity, and habitat loss and fragmentation. These conditions particularly dominate farmland in the economically well developed countries of Western Europe. Currently, the farml...

Regionalizing land use impacts on farmland birds

The environmental impacts of land use vary regionally. Differences in geomorphology, climate, landscape structure, and biotope inventories are regarded as the main causes of this variation. We present a methodological approach for identifying regional responses in land use type to large-scale changes and the implications for the provision of habitat for farmland birds. The methodological innova...

Scoring and Ranking Farmland Conservation Activities to Estimate Environmental Performance

The University of Hertfordshire, in collaboration with two UK agricultural establishments ADAS and IACR-Rothamsted are developing a computerised decision support system for environmental management of arable agriculture. Part of this system is aimed towards encouraging sound farmland conservation to protect existing plants and animals, to encourage greater biodiversity and to help the farming c...

Consequences of EU expansion for farmland birds in eastern Europe.