Download or read book Conserving Avian Diversity in Agricultural Systems written by Craig A. DeMars and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over one third of the earth's land surface has been modified to some extent for agricultural purposes. The large global footprint of agriculture, combined with the knowledge that existing reserve networks are likely insufficient for long-term conservation of native biodiversity, has necessitated that agricultural systems contribute to conservation of native biota. Current research paradigms have taken a landscape-level view of conservation in agricultural systems, assessing the relative contribution that various habitat elements make in conserving biodiversity in the agricultural matrix. Within this context, I investigated the potential role that individual Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) trees play in conserving avian diversity in the agricultural systems of the Willamette Valley, Oregon, U.S.A. Retained by landowners primarily for cultural reasons, many of these trees pre-date Euro-American settlement of the Willamette Valley and thus are biological legacies from historic white oak habitats. I compared avian use of isolated white oak trees in three different site contexts - croplands, pastures, and oak savanna reserves - and used an information-theoretic model selection approach to determine the relative importance of site-specific and landscape-level factors thought to influence avian use of these individual trees. Specifically, I tested whether avian species presence on Oregon white oak legacy trees could best be explained by: (i) tree architecture; (ii) the distance of the tree to the nearest tree or patch; (iii) the density of trees in the surrounding landscape; or (iv) the matrix in which the tree was embedded. I evaluated species-specific responses as well as four community-level responses: (i) total bird species richness; (ii) species richness of native birds associated with oak savanna; (iii) species richness of tree foraging birds; and (iv) the combined species richness of aerial- and ground-foraging birds. I sampled 35 individual white oak trees and recorded 47 avian species using these individual trees, including a high number of oak savanna-associated species such White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) and Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina). For the majority of these species, the frequency of use of individual oak trees was similar among crop, pasture and reserve sites. The most important factors for predicting avian use were tree size and tree density in the surrounding landscape. In general, avian use increased with increasing tree size and decreasing tree density. My findings suggest that individual white oak legacy trees have the potential to positively contribute to landscape-level conservation of a wide range of avian species within the Willamette Valley. Due to the declining abundance of white oak legacy trees on the landscape, the conservation of existing legacy trees and the recruitment of younger replacement trees should be a management priority.
Download or read book Birds as Useful Indicators of High Nature Value Farmlands written by Federico Morelli and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-02-07 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book helps to establish a simple framework to identify and use bird species as a bioindicator for high nature value (HNV) farmlands. This book focuses on suitable methods for monitoring the HNV areas, and presents the results of several case studies. The chapters put forward ways to integrate ecosystems assessment, geographical information systems (GIS) and strategies for conservation of local biodiversity. An innovative framework focuses on the use of species distribution models (SDMs) in order to explore the importance of each characteristic of HNV farmlands. Furthermore, the book examines the relationships among bird species richness, land use diversity and landscape metrics at a local scale in the farmlands.
Download or read book Farming and Birds in Europe written by Deborah J. Pain and published by Christopher Helm Publishers, Incorporated. This book was released on 1997-01-01 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this unique book an international cast of authors highlight all aspects of the problems associated with farming and bird conservation. Discussion ranges from the socio-political pressures on farm policy to the effects of management on a variety of bird species throughout the more and less developed parts of the European Union. Potential changes in the Common Agricultural Policy are considered in terms of how they have been and can be tailored to benefit birds and wildlife through such initiatives as the new Agri-Environment Regulation. Farming and Birds in Europe addresses the need for policy efforts to focus on both the concerns of conservation and sensible farm production in a timely manner. An opportunity not to be missed is at hand, and this book provides much of the importance in seeing that a sensible conclusion is reached, both for the needs of the farmer and consumer and for the birds and wildlife of the European countryside. Key Features * Provides a detailed, up-to-date account of n Common Agricultural Policy and Bird Conservation * Important resource for aid in developing land use policy * Includes an integrated approach to policy making
Download or read book Wildlife Conservation on Farmland Managing for nature on lowland farms written by David Whyte Macdonald and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2015 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume reveals how agricultural systems and wildlife interact, presenting examples from scales varying from landscape to microcosm, from populations to individuals, covering plants, invertebrates, birds, and mammals.
Download or read book Generating Best Management Practices for Avian Conservation in a Land Sparing Agriculture System and the Habitat Specific Survival of a Priority Migrant written by Jeffrey D. Ritterson and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A large amount of the world's biodiversity is located in a disproportionately small amount of area, namely the tropics. Many of these areas are experiencing rapid landscape changes, mainly in the form of deforestation for agricultural practices. Current conservation efforts are focused on agricultural areas and their ability to provide habitat. The conservation value of a novel land-sparing agroforestry system, known as Integrated Open Canopy (IOC), was recently demonstrated on the study site when applied to coffee. IOC coffee supports forest species that are uncommon or absent in shade grown coffee. I generated best management practices for IOC farms relative to the conservation of forest-dependent birds by examining what features support the highest richness of species. The goal was to help develop guidelines for the implementation of IOC grown coffee. The Golden-winged warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) is a Neartic-Neotropical migrant of high conservation priority which has been documented using a range of nonbreeding habitat types, including IOC coffee farms. However, as is the case with many migrant species, little is known about whether survival differs among habitats. Though generally forest dependent, previous work found Golden-winged warblers select for habitat features other than categorical forest types, such as canopy height and microhabitat features. In an attempt to identify quality nonbreeding habitat, I estimated Golden-winged survival rates specific to an array of habitat features.
Download or read book Conserving Bird Biodiversity written by Ken Norris and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2002-06-06 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The earth's biodiversity currently faces an extinction crisis that is unprecedented. Conservationists attempt to intervene in the extinction process either locally by protecting or restoring important species and habitats, or at national and international levels by influencing key policies and promoting debate. Reliable information is the foundation upon which these efforts are based, which places research at the heart of biodiversity conservation. The role of research in such conservation is diverse. It includes understanding why biodiversity is important, defining 'units' of biodiversity, priority-setting for species and sites, managing endangered and declining populations, understanding large-scale processes, making predictions about the future and interfacing with training, education, public awareness and policy initiatives. Using examples from a wide range of bird conservation work worldwide, researchers consider the principles underlying these issues, and illustrate how these principles have been applied to address actual conservation problems for students, practitioners and researchers in conservation biology.
Download or read book Conserving Biodiversity Outside Protected Areas written by Patricia Halladay and published by IUCN. This book was released on 1995 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Limits to expansion of protected area systems underline the importance of seeking new ways to conserve biodiversity. The twelve case studies ranging from the High Andes to Viet Nam support the view that certain traditional agricultural and pastoral systems can succeed in attaining a sustainable level of production while at the same time maintaining both a high level of biodiversity and most functional aspects of the ecosystems.
Download or read book Ecological Niches written by Jonathan M. Chase and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2003-07 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why do species live where they live? What determines the abundance and diversity of species in a given area? What role do species play in the functioning of entire ecosystems? All of these questions share a single core concept—the ecological niche. Although the niche concept has fallen into disfavor among ecologists in recent years, Jonathan M. Chase and Mathew A. Leibold argue that the niche is an ideal tool with which to unify disparate research and theoretical approaches in contemporary ecology. Chase and Leibold define the niche as including both what an organism needs from its environment and how that organism's activities shape its environment. Drawing on the theory of consumer-resource interactions, as well as its graphical analysis, they develop a framework for understanding niches that is flexible enough to include a variety of small- and large-scale processes, from resource competition, predation, and stress to community structure, biodiversity, and ecosystem function. Chase and Leibold's synthetic approach will interest ecologists from a wide range of subdisciplines.
Download or read book Effects of Agricultural Conservation Practices on Fish and Wildlife written by National Agricultural Library (U.S.) and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The bibliography is a guide to recent scientific literature covering effects of agricultural conservation practices on fish and wildlife. The citations listed here provide information on how conservation programs and practices designed to improve fish and wildlife habitat, as well as those intended for other purposes (e.g., water quality improvement), affect various aquatic and terrestrial fauna"--Abstract.
Download or read book Conservation of Avian Diversity in North America written by and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Ecoagriculture written by Future Harvest and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2012-09-26 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although food-production systems for the world's rural poor typically have had devastating effects on the planet's wealth of genes, species, and ecosystems, that need not be the case in the future. In Ecoagriculture, two of the world's leading experts on conservation and development examine the idea that agricultural landscapes can be designed more creatively to take the needs of human populations into account while also protecting, or even enhancing, biodiversity. They present a thorough overview of the innovative concept of "ecoagriculture" - the management of landscapes for both the production of food and the conservation of wild biodiversity. The book: examines the global impact of agriculture on wild biodiversity describes the challenge of reconciling biodiversity conservation and agricultural goals outlines and discusses the ecoagriculture approach presents diverse case studies that illustrate key strategies explores how policies, markets, and institutions can be re-shaped to support ecoagriculture While focusing on tropical regions of the developing world -- where increased agricultural productivity is most vital for food security, poverty reduction, and sustainable development, and where so much of the world's wild biodiversity is threatened -- it also draws on lessons learned in developed countries. Dozens of examples from around the world present proven strategies for small-scale, low-income farmers involved in commercial production. Ecoagriculture explores new approaches to agricultural production that complement natural environments, enhance ecosystem function, and improve rural livelihoods. It features a wealth of real-world case studies that demonstrate the applicability of the ideas discussed and how the principles can be applied, and is an important new work for policymakers, students, researchers, and anyone concerned with conserving biodiversity while sustaining human populations.
Download or read book Contribution of Agricultural Land Uses to Bird Conservation written by María Alejandra Martínez Salinas and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Understanding the contribution of agricultural land uses to biodiversity conservation is of utmost importance. With 38% of earth's ice free land surface covered by crops and pastures, studying and understanding the potential conservation value of these lands is critical for the future of conservation strategies, particularly in biodiversity conservation hotspots such as Central America. My research focused on understanding the contribution of different agricultural land uses and a forest fragment to bird conservation in a Costa Rican landscape. The study region is located at the heart of the Volcanica Central Talamanca Biological Corridor (VCTBC), a national conservation strategy aiming at reconnecting the Volcanica Central and the Talamanca Mountain Ranges. Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 are based on seven years of bird capture data produced by long-term mist-netting stations operating in eight different land uses, seven agricultural and a forest fragment. Chapter 1 comprises lessons learned during seven years of mist-netting efforts in eight land uses following a management intensity gradient. Chapter 2 focuses on bird community stability, stability understood as no changes from year to year in mean species richness and abundance of either the total population, or of resident and migratory species over a seven year period. Chapter 3 is based on an experimental study focusing on the effect of bird species in the suppression of the Coffee Berry Borer (Hypothenemus hampei), one of the most detrimental coffee pests worldwide. Results from our research highlights the importance of including agricultural land uses in biodiversity conservation planning. Agroforestry systems particularly showed potential for bird conservation in agricultural landscapes while fostering stable bird communities that are closer in composition to our reference forest fragment. Additionally, our results also showed that our landscape is capable of supporting bird species providing important pest control services. Finally, despite the value of agricultural land uses our results also highlight that our forest fragment fosters unique bird communities when compared to agricultural lands. Conservation planning at the landscape level should considered the uniqueness of these habitats and integrate efforts to conserve forests and managed agricultural lands for biodiversity conservation, particularly in these human-dominated landscapes.
Download or read book The Farm as Natural Habitat written by Dana L. Jackson and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2002-04 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Farm as Natural Habitat is a vital new contribution to the debate about agriculture and its impacts on the land. Arising from the conviction that the agricultural landscape as a whole could be restored to a healthy diversity, the book challenges the notion that the dominant agricultural landscape -- bereft of its original vegetation and wildlife and despoiled by chemical runoff -- is inevitable if we are to feed ourselves. Contributors bring together insights and practices from the fields of conservation biology, sustainable agriculture, and environmental restoration to link agriculture and biodiversity, farming and nature, in celebrating a unique alternative to conventional agriculture.Rejecting the idea that "ecological sacrifice zones" are a necessary part of feeding a hungry world, the book offers compelling examples of an alternative agriculture that can produce not only healthful food, but fully functioning ecosystems and abundant populations of native species. Contributors include Collin Bode, George Boody, Brian DeVore, Arthur (Tex) Hawkins, Buddy Huffaker, Rhonda Janke, Richard Jefferson, Nick Jordan, Cheryl Miller, Heather Robertson, Carol Shennan, Judith Soule, Beth Waterhouse, and others.The Farm as Natural Habitat is both hopeful and visionary, grounded in real examples, and guided by a commitment to healthy land and thriving communities. It is the first book to offer a viable approach to addressing the challenges of protecting and restoring biodiversity on private agricultural land and is essential reading for anyone concerned with issues of land or biodiversity conservation, farming and agriculture, ecological restoration, or the health of rural communities and landscapes.
Download or read book Why Birds Matter written by Çagan H. Sekercioglu and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2016-08-24 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For over one hundred years, ornithologists and amateur birders have jointly campaigned for the conservation of bird species, documenting not only birds’ beauty and extraordinary diversity, but also their importance to ecosystems worldwide. But while these avian enthusiasts have noted that birds eat fruit, carrion, and pests; spread seed and fertilizer; and pollinate plants, among other services, they have rarely asked what birds are worth in economic terms. In Why Birds Matter, an international collection of ornithologists, botanists, ecologists, conservation biologists, and environmental economists seeks to quantify avian ecosystem services—the myriad benefits that birds provide to humans. The first book to approach ecosystem services from an ornithological perspective, Why Birds Matter asks what economic value we can ascribe to those services, if any, and how this value should inform conservation. Chapters explore the role of birds in such important ecological dynamics as scavenging, nutrient cycling, food chains, and plant-animal interactions—all seen through the lens of human well-being—to show that quantifying avian ecosystem services is crucial when formulating contemporary conservation strategies. Both elucidating challenges and providing examples of specific ecosystem valuations and guidance for calculation, the contributors propose that in order to advance avian conservation, we need to appeal not only to hearts and minds, but also to wallets.
Download or read book Why Birds Matter written by Çagan H. Sekercioglu and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2016-08-24 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Explore[s] the role of birds in such important ecological dynamics as scavenging, nutrient cycling, food chains, and plant-animal interactions-- all seen through the lens of human well-being. ... The contributors show that quantifying avian ecosystem services is crucial when formulating contemporary conservation strategies."--Back cover.
Download or read book Environmental Pest Management written by Moshe Coll and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2017-07-27 with total page 562 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A wide-ranging, interdisciplinary exploration of key topics that interrelate pest management, public health and the environment This book takes a unique, multidimensional approach to addressing the complex issues surrounding pest management activities and their impacts on the environment and human health, and environmental effects on plant protection practices. It features contributions by a distinguished group of authors from ten countries, representing an array of disciplines. They include plant protection scientists and officers, economists, agronomists, ecologists, environmental and public health scientists and government policymakers. Over the course of eighteen chapters, those experts share their insights into and analyses of an array of issues of vital concern to everyone with a professional interest in this important subject. The adverse effects of pest control have become a subject of great concern worldwide, and researchers and enlightened policymakers have at last begun to appreciate the impact of environmental factors on our ability to manage pest populations. Moreover, while issues such as pesticide toxicity have dominated the global conversation about pest management, economic and societal considerations have been largely neglected. Environmental Pest Management: Challenges for Agronomists, Ecologists, Economists and Policymakers is the first work to provide in-depth coverage of all of these pressing issues between the covers of one book. Offers a unique multi-dimensional perspective on the complex issues surrounding pest management activities and their effect on the environment and human health Addresses growing concerns about specific pest management strategies, including the use of transgenic crops and biological controls Analyses the influence of global processes, such as climate change, biological invasions and shifts in consumer demand, and ecosystem services and disservices on pest suppression efforts Explores public health concerns regarding biodiversity, pesticide use and food safety Identifies key economic drivers of pest suppression research, strategies and technologies Proposes new regulatory approaches to create sustainable and viable crop protection systems in the framework of agro-environmental schemes Offering a timely and comprehensively-unique treatment of pest management and its environmental impacts in a single, inter-disciplinary volume, this book is a valuable resource for scientists in an array of disciplines, as well as government officials and policymakers. Also, teachers of undergraduate and graduate level courses in a variety of fields are sure to find it a highly useful teaching resource.
Download or read book Wildlife Conservation on Farmland Volume 1 written by David W. Macdonald and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2015-07-30 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using more than 30 years research from the author team at the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), this volume reveals how agricultural systems and wildlife interact, presenting examples from scales varying from landscape to microcosm, from populations to individuals, covering plants, invertebrates, birds, and mammals. It demonstrates the essential ecosystem services provided by agricultural land, and discusses the implications of agricultural development for natural habitats and biodiversity.
