Control scrub on farmland

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
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Background information and definitions

Scrub on farmland can add complexity and heterogeneity to farmland. However, if scrub dominates non-productive land on farms it may lead to declines in species that require grassland and other farmland habitats.

Study locations

Key messages

A replicated study from the UK found a negative relationship between the number of young grey partridge Perdix perdix per adult and a combined intervention of scrub control, rough grazing and the restoration of various semi-natural habitats.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A replicated site comparison study on 1,031 agricultural sites across England in 2004-8 (Ewald et al. 2010) investigated the impact of scrub control on grey partridge Perdix perdix. However, the study does not distinguish between the impacts of scrub control, rough grazing and the restoration of various semi-natural habitats. There was a negative relationship between the combined intervention and the ratio of young to old partridges in 2008. This study investigated several other interventions, discussed in the relevant sections.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Ewald J.A., Aebischer N.J., Richardson S.M., Grice P.V. & Cooke A.I. (2010) The effect of agri-environment schemes on grey partridges at the farm level in England. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 138, 55-63.

Please cite as:

Williams, D.R., Child, M.F., Dicks, L.V., Ockendon, N., Pople, R.G., Showler, D.A., Walsh, J.C., zu Ermgassen, E.K.H.J. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Bird Conservation. Pages 137-281 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Bird Conservation

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Manage ditches to benefit wildlife Action Link	Likely to be beneficial	4	Synopsis Link
Plant in-field trees Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link
Employ areas of semi-natural habitat for rough grazing Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link