Population changes of breeding waders on farmland in relation to agri-environment management

Abstract

Capsule Population response of breeding waders to agri-environment management varied between management options and species; implementation has been on too small a scale to reverse national population declines. Aims To test whether numbers of five breeding wader species have shown a more positive response between 1992 and 2005, at sites with appropriate agri-environment management, than at sites that have remained outside such schemes. Methods Using data from 60 pairs of farmland study areas in Scotland first surveyed in 1992/93, before agri-environment scheme (AES) implementation, and again in 2005, after scheme implementation, we tested at both site and field scales whether changes in the abundance of five breeding wader species were associated with AES management options designed to benefit these species. Results Changes in breeding wader abundance were more positive on sites in AES, especially for Northern Lapwings Vanellus vanellus and Common Redshanks Tringa totanus, even though management had not been targetted specially at breeding waders on those sites. However, AES management was associated only with modest population increase for Common Redshanks, and a reduction in the magnitude of decline for Northern Lapwings. At the field scale, there was evidence for Northern Lapwings, Common Redshanks and Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago that options which limited grazing and other agricultural activity were associated with more positive outcomes than those which also manipulated water levels. Conclusions AES management for breeding waders slowed, and in some cases reversed, breeding wader decline at field and farm scales. These benefits were from options that limited grazing and agricultural operations during the breeding season, but not those that also aimed to raise water levels. A possible explanation is that when wetland options are applied to agriculturally marginal fields, grazing reduction or abandonment, and succession to rank vegetation cover then occur over the course of 5-year agreements, with detrimental effects for breeding waders. Verification arrangements need to be robust enough to guard against this. Levels of agri-environment provision in 2005 were too limited and too poorly targeted at remaining key areas for breeding waders to be able to halt or reverse national population declines.