Increase crop diversity to benefit birds

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

20%
Certainty

19%
Harms

0%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Farmland heterogeneity is thought to be key in determining on-farm biodiversity (Benton et al. 2003). Therefore, increasing the range of different crops grown in a given year may increase the biological value of a farm.

Benton, T.G., Vickery, J.A. & Wilson, J.D., 2003. Farmland biodiversity: is habitat heterogeneity the key? Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 18, 182–188.

Study locations

Key messages

A before-and-after study in the UK found that more barnacle geese Branta leucopsis used a site after the amount of land used to grow cereals was reduced and other interventions were used.

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 before-and-after study in Dumfries, southern Scotland (Owens 1977), found that the number of barnacle geese Branta leucopsis on a mixed agricultural site and nature reserve increased from 3,200 in 1970 to 6,000 in 1975 following a reduction in the amount of cereals grown on arable land. From 1970 onwards, only 16.7% of the 50 ha of arable land was used for cereals. In addition, all cereals were undersown (see ‘Undersow spring cereals’) and no stock were allowed to graze on the arable land after November (see ‘Reduce grazing intensity on permanent grassland’).
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Owen M. (1977) The role of wildfowl refuges on agricultural land in lessening the conflict between farmers and geese in Britain. Biological Conservation, 11, 209-222.

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
Revert arable land to permanent grassland Action Link	Likely to be ineffective or harmful	5	Synopsis Link
Create corn bunting plots Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link
Plant more than one crop per field (intercropping) Action Link	Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)	1	Synopsis Link