Science into policy: the role of research in the development of a recovery plan for farmland birds in England

Abstract

The results of scientific research have played a central role in convincing decision-makers of the plight of farmland birds and in the development of land management measures and policies designed to reverse the population declines. Several types of study have contributed to what is now a considerable knowledge base on the ecological requirements of key species, the reasons for their declines and the remedial measures necessary to bring about population recovery. They include: monitoring; analyses of large-scale datasets; detailed studies of particular species, land-uses or land management practices; and the development and testing of solutions. As a consequence, there is now an excellent qualitative understanding of farmland bird ecology, which is well reflected in the suite of land management schemes and other policy initiatives that currently operate in England. Future research efforts should focus on the further development and testing of solutions and gaining a better understanding of the quantitative relationship between the provision of resources (especially nesting and foraging habitats) and the population response of target bird species. Such work should ensure that land management measures are deployed at the required scale, in appropriate locations and are of sufficient quality to influence the national populations of the declining species.

An example of a two-tiered agri-environment scheme designed to deliver effectively the ecological requirements of both localised and widespread bird species in England

“…(1) Correct and complete diagnosis of the reasons for the decline of a given species through sound ecological research (Grice et al 2004). …”

Identifying mismatches between habitat selection and habitat quality in a ground-nesting farmland bird

“…Future studies could examine this possibility experimentally by creating linear openings within the crop interior, mimicking the appearance of tramlines without enhancing access for terrestrial predators. If successful, such a treatment could be used as a template for conservation measures aimed at increasing the productivity of declining yellow wagtail breeding populations (Grice et al, 2004;Gilroy & Sutherland, 2007). Similar targeted within-field measures have proved a successful and costeffective means of increasing breeding productivity in skylarks within UK farmland (Morris et al, 2004).…”

Misapplied Ecology: Investigations Of Population Decline In The House Sparrow

“…Such results are generally explained away in the conservation literature as a result of difficulty in monitoring the impact of agri-environment schemes, of time lags in the response of bird populations, or as evidence of a need for better implementation and more research (Wilson et al 2009, Davey et al 2010. However, the fact that schemes implemented in the UK are designed around the results of studies of the relationship of agriculture to biodiversity (Grice et al 2004) raises the possibility that the causes of bird declines in particular have been wrongly deduced from such studies. This is almost certainly the case for the House Sparrow, and evidence relating to other declining species has on the whole been gathered and analysed by the same agencies and analysed using similar approaches to that used in the House Sparrow research reviewed here.…”