Wildlife-friendly farming benefits rare birds, bees and plants

Pywell, Richard F. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6431-9959; Heard, Matthew S.; Bradbury, Richard B.; Hinsley, Shelley; Nowakowski, Marek; Walker, Kevin J.; Bullock, James M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0529-4020. 2012 Wildlife-friendly farming benefits rare birds, bees and plants. Biology Letters, 8 (5). 772-775. 10.1098/rsbl.2012.0367

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Abstract/Summary

Agricultural intensification is a leading cause of global biodiversity loss, especially for threatened and near-threatened species. One widely implemented response is ‘wildlife-friendly farming’, involving the close integration of conservation and extensive farming practices within agricultural landscapes. However, the putative benefits from this controversial policy are currently either unknown or thought unlikely to extend to rare and declining species. Here, we show that new, evidence-based approaches to habitat creation on intensively managed farmland in England can achieve large increases in plant, bee and bird species. In particular, we found that habitat enhancement methods designed to provide the requirements of sensitive target biota consistently increased the richness and abundance of both rare and common species, with 10-fold to greater than 100-fold more rare species per sample area than generalized conventional conservation measures. Furthermore, targeting landscapes of high species richness amplified beneficial effects on the least mobile taxa: plants and bees. Our results provide the first unequivocal support for a national wildlife-friendly farming policy and suggest that this approach should be implemented much more extensively to address global biodiversity loss. However, to be effective, these conservation measures must be evidence-based, and developed using sound knowledge of the ecological requirements of key species.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1098/rsbl.2012.0367
Programmes:	CEH Topics & Objectives 2009 - 2012 > Biodiversity > BD Topic 3 - Managing Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in a Changing Environment
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Hails Pywell
ISSN:	1744-9561
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	This document is the author’s final manuscript version of the journal article following the peer review process. Some differences between this and the publisher’s version may remain. You are advised to consult the publisher’s version if you wish to cite from this article. http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org
Additional Keywords:	agri-environment schemes, habitat restoration, eco-agriculture, ecosystem services
NORA Subject Terms:	Agriculture and Soil Science Ecology and Environment
Date made live:	12 Jun 2012 10:54 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/18338

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

10.1098/rsbl.2012.0367

Programmes:

CEH Topics & Objectives 2009 - 2012 > Biodiversity > BD Topic 3 - Managing Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in a Changing Environment

UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:

Hails
Pywell

ISSN:

1744-9561

Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:

This document is the author’s final manuscript version of the journal article following the peer review process. Some differences between this and the publisher’s version may remain. You are advised to consult the publisher’s version if you wish to cite from this article. http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org

Additional Keywords:

agri-environment schemes, habitat restoration, eco-agriculture, ecosystem services

NORA Subject Terms:

Agriculture and Soil Science
Ecology and Environment

Date made live:

12 Jun 2012 10:54 +0 (UTC)

URI:

https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/18338