Publication
Title
Winter agri-environment schemes and local landscape composition influence the distribution of wintering farmland birds
Author
Abstract
Since 1992, the European Union puts in place agri-environment schemes (AES), such as unharvested set-aside fields with winter bird crops (WBC), to counteract farmland biodiversity declines that are associated with agricultural intensification since the second half of the 20th century. These measures aim at, among other things, improving habitat quality and food availability for farmland birds throughout the year. In this study in Dry Hesbaye, an agricultural region in eastern Flanders (Belgium), we use spatial generalized linear mixed models to investigate how species richness and the observation probability of ten bird species with different food diets are associated during winter (November - March) with WBC implementation in arable crop fields and the presence of landscape elements within 50 m of these fields. Our results show that species richness and the observation probabilities of nine out of ten wintering farmland bird species under study are increased at crop fields with WBC implementation. Species richness and observation probabilities are also associated with the presence of nearby landscape elements such as hedgerows, woodland, unpaved roads, or grass margins. We conclude that unharvested set-aside fields promote local diversity and observation probabilities of most of the species under study. In addition, AES measures should be implemented after considering the aforementioned natural or seminatural nearby landscape elements, which also influence local diversity and species' observation probability.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Global ecology and conservation. - Amsterdam, 2014, currens
Publication
Amsterdam : 2023
ISSN
2351-9894
2351-9894
DOI
10.1016/J.GECCO.2023.E02533
Volume/pages
45 (2023) , p. 1-12
Article Reference
e02533
ISI
001056098600001
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Unravelling the impact of astronomical light pollution on individual behaviour in a nocturnal bird.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 02.10.2023
Last edited 25.04.2024
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