Meadow management and occurrence of corncrake Crex crex

Ecological impacts of early 21st century agricultural change in Europe – A review

“…Similarly, a mowing regime favourable for plants is too frequent for most birds. For example, the corncrake in Sweden favours tall grassy vegetation created by neglect in mowing for several years (Berg and Gustafson, 2007). Lapwing and yellow wagtail Motacilla flava suffer increased losses due to trampling when stocking rates are high (Chamberlain, 2002).…”

The introduction of subsidies for grassland conservation in the Italian Alps coincided with population decline in a threatened grassland species, the CorncrakeCrex crex

“…This results in mowing within a short space of time over wide areas, and thus produces a homogeneous vegetation structure over large areas. Although there is no direct evidence that the introduction of subsidies caused the species' decline, it is very likely that the resulting mowing, with large extents cut simultaneously and without unmown patches, caused the disappearance of suitable habitat conditions (Berg & Gustafson 2007) and high mortality (Green et al 1997b, Tyler et al 1998.…”

“…The identification of the most suitable sites for Corncrakes (Tattoni et al 2012) is a priority. These sites will need targeted subsidies to promote appropriate methods for mowing (Green et al 1997b) and its timing (Brambilla & Pedrini 2011), and the conservation of unmown patches with tall vegetation, especially in wetter areas (Berg & Gustafson 2007, Berg & Hiron 2012. Such measures have the potential to greatly enhance the value of the agri-environmental schemes for grassland conservation for Corncrakes ) and other wild species.…”

“…The Corncrake is a threatened species tied to grasslands, and especially to tall swards and to low-intensity management regimes (Berg & Gustafson 2007). We assessed the effect of a non-targeted subsidy for grassland conservation on the population of this priority species.…”

Management of cover areas may increase numbers of breeding CorncrakesCrex crex

“…The opposite trend apparent at Craigens suggests that where good quality cover is not available, Corncrakes are more likely to utilise silage sites. Berg & Gustafson (2007) found that in Swedish sites, the majority of Corncrakes were found in tall vegetation, produced without subsidies to farmers, rather than managed meadows. Our results suggest that in addition to the use of Corncrake-friendly mowing, the most beneficial management practice is the provision and maintenance of good-quality cover sites.…”