BIRD POPULATIONS AND ORGANIC FARMS

BIRD POPULATIONS AND ORGANIC FARMS - Hello Organic food formula friends, this article discuss about BIRD POPULATIONS AND ORGANIC FARMS, we have been providing a full article about BIRD POPULATIONS AND ORGANIC FARMS. Hopefully this article useful for you

BIRD POPULATIONS AND ORGANIC FARMS

Recent data suggests that Europe has lost half of all its its farmland birds. That's almost 300 million of the 600 million that flew around on farms in 1980. How does organic farming fare in terms of farmland bird numbers?

See the latest 1998-2010 Birdwatch Ireland report here ; for info on the European figures see here , for European Bird Census Council see here and for Bird Life International's global info see here - but wait til the article's over!)

According to Grace Maher, development officer with IOFGA: “A more intensive application of machinery, fertilisers, biocides and livestock reduces the opportunities for wildlife on cropped and grazed land. At the same time, intensive use of farmland tends to eliminate features such as field margins and uncultivated patches.”

(Image from Canada Ark - Canad Dark?!?)

She continues: “Organic farming is a low input less intensive farming system, it provides natural agro-ecosystems offering a greater variety of natural habitats while at the same time producing food, rather than limiting wildlife protection to just designated wildlife sites.”

This is a core question in terms of biodiversity in general, and bird populations in particular. Should we produce food in a less intensive way on our land, or should we set aside large tracts of land for nature?

The context is alarming. Biodiversity loss is the single biggest area where planetary boundaries are being transgressed. Its bigger even than the other two of serious concern – the nitrogen cycle and climate change. Biodiversity is being lost at least 1000 times faster rate than natural extinctions would allow for, and that's a conservative estimate (some do put it as low as 100 times, but others put it as high as 10,000 - see 2 link's back). (For a great read on biodiversity, full of many relevant facts and figures, see here)

Conservationists argue that certain at-risk species need targeted, dedicated measures if they are to be saved. At the same time, all biodiversity benefits from a general reduction in intensive farming.

Grace Maher: “In Europe both the Habitats Directive and Birds Directive have been introduced to halt biodiversity loss. They have been largely successful in that European farmland hosts the greatest number of bird species, however this diversity occurs in areas which are not intensively farmed. Land which is designated as high nature value land, or indeed land which is being managed organically contain higher levels of bird species”.

She continues “Urban sprawl does impact on natural habitats however in a country like Ireland where the land is predominantly farmland a lot can be done to preserve our biodiversity. Productive farming systems which maintain natural habitats and wildlife corridors can be multifunctional which is necessary within the context of the challenges posed by a rising global population and biodiversity loss.”
Does the evidence show that bird populations are higher on organic farms? Usually, but not always.

A large, eight country 2010 study, published in the journal Applied Ecology (free access at the link!) found important negative effects of agricultural intensification on plant and animal biodiversity.

“Of the 13 components of intensification we measured, use of insecticides and fungicides had consistent negative effects on biodiversity. Insecticides also reduced the biological control potential. Organic farming and other agri-environment schemes aiming to mitigate the negative effects of intensive farming on biodiversity did increase the diversity of wild plant and carabid species” the authors said.

Surprisingly for the authors (Geiger et al) there was no significant difference for bird populations from organic farming, though, as outlined, other biodiversity did benefit.

This is out of kilter with almost all other research. Earlier research by Chamberlain (1998) found 40% more birds in a three year peer-reviewed study of 44 UK farms. Indeed, of the nine studies available to Hole (et al 2005) in an overview of all studies on organic farming and bird populations, seven showed positive effects, and two were mixed or showed no difference. None were negative.

A clue perhaps lies in a 2010 study published in the journal Conservation Ecology. This did actually find organic farming benefiting bird populations. However the type of landscape the organic farms was in was important too. In a homogeneous (ie single crop, monocultural) landscape, organic farms acted like something of a haven for many birds, with “improved foraging conditions” for insect eating birds. In mixed landscapes, there were, in straightforward terms, other options for birds.

That's our discussion regarding BIRD POPULATIONS AND ORGANIC FARMS

that's all organic foot formula BIRD POPULATIONS AND ORGANIC FARMS, I hope this article was useful for you.

You 're reading an article BIRD POPULATIONS AND ORGANIC FARMS and this article permalink is https://organic-food-formula.blogspot.com/2012/06/bird-populations-and-organic-farms.html I hope this article about was useful for you.