Protected area networks are insufficient for the conservation of threatened farmland species: A case study on corncrake (Crex crex) and lesser grey shrike (Lanius minor) in Serbia

Dimitrije Radisic,Ante Vujic,Dubravka Milic,Goran Sekulic,Milica Miskovic,Tijana Nikolic,Sandra Jovanovic

doi:10.2298/abs180924053r

Abstract

To conserve threatened farmland species requires an estimate of the representation of their habitats within protected areas, especially in countries with inadequate mechanisms for protecting and managing habitats outside of protected areas. We conducted a gap analysis to evaluate the conservation status of suitable habitats for two threatened farmland bird species - corncrake (Crex crex) and lesser grey shrike (Lanius minor) - within the networks of national protected areas (NPAs) and important bird areas (IBAs) in Serbia. We determined the distribution of suitable habitats using MaxEnt based on climate, topography and land-cover variables. We found that the proportion of suitable habitats within the NPAs is very low (12.31% and 2.04% for the corncrake and lesser grey shrike, respectively), although it is significantly higher for both species within IBAs (25.86% and 9.91%, respectively). Upland farmland habitats (preferred by corncrake) are better represented within both networks (especially IBAs) than lowland habitats (preferred by lesser grey shrike). Our spatially explicit distribution models identify suitable habitats within and beyond the NPAs and IBAs that require monitoring and appropriate conservation measures. The low representation of suitable habitats within these networks is an obstacle to the conservation of both species and other farmland birds in Serbia.

Highlights

Declining farmland biodiversity has been well documented worldwide, but especially in Europe and North America [1,2,3]
Population declines among farmland birds in the European Union (EU) is a clear example of the impact that application of the Common Agricultural Policy has on biodiversity, through land-use intensification [4,5] and land abandonment [5,6]
Our results indicate relatively large areas of suitable habitat for both species in Serbia, which implies a somewhat larger national population than previously estimated

Summary

Introduction

Declining farmland biodiversity has been well documented worldwide, but especially in Europe and North America [1,2,3]. Population declines among farmland birds in the European Union (EU) is a clear example of the impact that application of the Common Agricultural Policy has on biodiversity, through land-use intensification [4,5] and land abandonment [5,6]. Declining farmland bird populations in the EU prompted a series of measures that were aimed at meeting the obligations of the EU Birds Directive (2009/147/CE). One such measure was establishment of the Natura 2000 network to preserve species and habitats listed under the Birds Directive and EU Habitats Directive (1992/43/EEC), which covers 22.2 million ha (10.6%) of the total agricultural land of EU members. Agri-environmental schemes (AES; [13]) were established to improve biodiversity in agricultural areas, and they have been implemented to varying degrees in EU member states and with dif-

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