Abstract
Agricultural landscapes have changed fast in Europe, which has led to steep declines in farmland biodiversity. While this has differentially impacted “farmland species”, some of these seem to be able to use alternative man-made open habitats in forests, such as forest clear-cuts and powerline rights-of-way. We investigated the use of clear-cuts by two historically declining farmland birds, the Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) and the Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio), to determine both local and landscape habitat characteristics of clear-cuts used for breeding. Among 101 clear-cuts visited in Scania, southern Sweden, 27% were occupied by Yellowhammers and 12% by Red-backed Shrikes. Yellowhammer occurrence in clear-cuts was positively related to local spruce cover (the planted tree species). There was also an interaction between clear-cut size and the proportion of farmland in the landscape, such that the positive effect of the proportion of farmland nearby was stronger for larger clear-cuts. Red-backed Shrike occurrence was positively related to clear-cut size and the local presence of piles of forest residues (tops and branches). The relation between occurrence and the proportion of clear-cuts in the landscape was positive for small clear-cuts and negative for larger ones. Yellowhammers and Red-backed shrikes are affected by both the local habitat structure in the clearcut and on the composition of the surrounding landscape, most likely because they use the clear-cut for nesting and the surroundings as complementary feeding habitat. To what extent clear-cuts as complementary breeding habitat to farmland may contribute to the conservation of Yellowhammers and Red-backed shrikes, as well as other farmland birds, is a promising path for future investigations.
Highlights
Agricultural intensification in Europe has led to major and rapid declines in biodiversity and is predicted to lead to further decreases in biodiversity and ecosystem quality, both in cropland and grassland (IPBES, 2018)
The average decline of common farmland bird species across Europe between 1980 and 2017 was estimated to be 57%, compared to a 14% decline for all common European bird species together, and the loss of farmland birds has continued to the present day (PECBMS, 2019)
Forest Ecology and Management 478 (2020) 118519 removal of the old trees until the re-planted trees form a new young forest, clear-cuts may be attractive to farmland birds by offering a combination of open ground and shrubby vegetation similar to habitat often found in e.g. semi-natural grasslands (Berg, 2002; Fuller et al, 2004; Söderström, 2009)
Summary
Agricultural intensification in Europe has led to major and rapid declines in biodiversity and is predicted to lead to further decreases in biodiversity and ecosystem quality, both in cropland and grassland (IPBES, 2018). The average decline of common farmland bird species across Europe between 1980 and 2017 was estimated to be 57%, compared to a 14% decline for all common European bird species together, and the loss of farmland birds has continued to the present day (PECBMS, 2019). To mitigate this biodiversity loss, conservation efforts are made by implementing programs in which farmers receive financial benefits for adapting their farms to environmental goals called agri-environment schemes (Bright et al, 2015; Żmihorski et al, 2016b), albeit not with sufficient success to reverse trends (Pe’er et al, 2014). Whether clear-cuts can fully replace farmland as suitable breeding habitat for some of the declining farmland bird species remains to be investigated
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