The role of agri-environment schemes and farm management practices in reversing the decline of farmland birds in England

Abstract European farmland bird declines can largely be attributed to agricultural intensification. An English Government target aims to reverse the decline in the `Farmland Bird Index' (population trends of 20 species) by 2020. Current agri-environment schemes (AESs) and practices such as organic and integrated farming are central to meeting this target and, in principle, provide most resource requirements of the 20 species. The continued population declines of specialist farmland species within the index reflects inadequacies in habitat quantity and/or quality. Models suggest that the area of `sympathetically-managed land' required to reverse population declines is likely to be considerable and, as bird requirements are often specific, better scientific knowledge or tighter management may be required to deliver them. We conclude that a new widespread `entry-level' AES, with low cost, low maintenance options, should address the quantity issue. However, specialist prescriptions, particularly for rare sedentary species, should form higher tier agreements, targeted at existing populations. Effective AES development must maintain close links between policy and science, further consider the balance between `broad-and-shallow' and `narrow-and-deep' options, enhance advisory networks, carefully field-test novel solutions, and have flexibility to modify and target future prescriptions.

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