Barn Owls as a Nature-Based Solution for Pest Control: A Multinational Initiative Around the Mediterranean and Other Regions DOI Creative Commons
Vasileios Bontzorlos, Shlomo Cain,

Yossi Leshem

et al.

Conservation, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 4(4), P. 627 - 656

Published: Nov. 4, 2024

Pest rodents cause extensive damage to crops worldwide. Up 40% of global crop production is lost annually pests and diseases, with accounting for 15–30% this loss amounting billions dollars each year. The current method controlling rodent populations involves the use chemical rodenticides. While effective in short term, these chemicals pose serious environmental health risks, leading secondary poisoning non-target species other long-term negative ecological consequences, underscoring need adopt more sustainable pest-control measures. Nature-Based Solutions (NbSs), on hand, are increasingly recognized addressing challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, development, they include actions that protect, sustainably manage, restore ecosystems. In context, Barn Owls (Tyto alba) highly a natural pest-rodent control agents agro-ecosystems. has wide distribution adaptability various environments, its diet consists predominantly small mammals, making up from 50–60% even 90–95% according different geographical regions. Each Owl family can consume thousands annually, creating high potential reduce infestations. Deploying nest boxes agricultural areas significantly increase populations, ensuring continuous control. Limitations solution must also be taken into consideration predation mammals not pests, possible competition nocturnal birds prey. Ιn paper, we aim introduce concept owls NbS pest outline main challenges, pitfalls, advantages, disadvantages implementing new region, all necessary in-between steps (scientific, societal, administrative, educational) have followed successful implementation. So far, several countries successfully implemented box schemes, Israel Cyprus achieving reduction pesticides by 45% 58%, respectively, whereas project spreading Mediterranean (Jordan, Palestine Authority, Greece, Morocco, Spain), palm plantations Malaysia USA, vineyards Napa Valley California. success programs relies integrating scientific research, societal needs, supportive policy frameworks, education. both bottom-up top-down initiatives, participation farmers local communities establish deploy solution. Continuous research explore systematically owl trophic ecology, foraging breeding interactions landscape, land uses temporal spatial scales, habitat suitability, availability nesting sites, regional conditions addressed.

Language: Английский

Remote sensing reveals scale‐specific effects of forage crop mowing and landscape structure on a declining farmland bird DOI Creative Commons
Davide Andreatta, Gaia Bazzi,

Riccardo Nardelli

et al.

Journal of Applied Ecology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Jan. 2, 2025

Abstract The effectiveness of agri‐environment schemes (AESs), the largest conservation‐related expenditure for farmland biodiversity conservation within European Union, is often compromised by a limited spatial scale implementation. We focused on multiannual forage crops, surrogate habitat grassland birds, to assess scale‐dependent effects mowing timing and frequency local population size an iconic species, skylark ( Alauda arvensis ). While there much evidence negative impact in‐field activities whether such occur also at broader scales largely unknown. surveyed breeding skylarks in Po Plain (northern Italy) determine (1) association between landscape composition/configuration abundance (2) how affected crop frequency. addressed both questions through optimisation, identifying most influential each covariate. Forage was assessed novel remote sensing algorithm based high‐resolution Sentinel‐2 satellite images. observed strong dependence importance different habitats determining abundance. Abundance increased with increasing cover crops locally (200 m) winter (2600 m), suggesting that species favoured heterogeneous agroecosystems. Locally (150–350 were more abundant when aggregated, being negatively impacted fragmentation caused urbanization seminatural habitats. At (1150 consistent across years, early‐mown areas supporting fewer skylarks. This probably because, over longer temporal scales, patches have or null productivity, eventually limiting size. Synthesis applications . provide new perspective overarching influence driving declining bird urgency designing scale‐effective AESs. should be framed EU Common Agricultural Policy reform operated farmer collectives, whereby management interventions monitored state‐of‐the‐art techniques. These results suggest implementing scale‐optimized AESs could crucial effective conservation.

Language: Английский

Citations

1
High nature value farmlands to identify crucial agroecosystems for multi-taxa conservation DOI Creative Commons
Andrea Dalpasso, Gentile Francesco Ficetola, Gianpiero Calvi

et al.

Biological Conservation, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 305, P. 111094 - 111094

Published: March 19, 2025

Language: Английский

Citations

1
Response of grassland birds to local features strongly depends on landscape context DOI Creative Commons
Coline Canonne, Jules Chiffard, Laurence Curtet

et al.

Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 365, P. 108905 - 108905

Published: Feb. 7, 2024

Agricultural intensification and the drastic loss of grassland habitats have led to a general decline specialist species in Europe. Current greening measures grasslands management proven insufficient halt this decline. Conservation need be strengthened by taking into account composition configuration landscape at different scales as well practices within both surrounding crops. This study used survey bird specialists conducted national scale France look relative influence local characteristics on community order propose relevant measures. The findings showed that richness was highest when proportion high. As tend embedded an intensive agricultural matrix gradually converted cultivated land, result emphasizes importance preserving remaining areas with high grasslands. results also (in particular fragmentation) modulated distribution birds. For given habitat type, sign magnitude edge length depended spatial scale. These suggest protecting large should priority, dedicated crop production, increasing heterogeneity diversity their edges other open vegetation managed extensive can effective way increase diversity. In very landscape, hedges positive effect resources biodiversity.

Language: Английский

Citations

4
Habitat selection of the threatened northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) breeding in an intensive agroecosystem DOI Creative Commons
Devon Cevenini, Jacopo G. Cecere, Federico De Pascalis

et al.

European Journal of Wildlife Research, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 71(2)

Published: March 4, 2025

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Assessing exposure to wind turbines of a migratory raptor through its annual life cycle across continents DOI Creative Commons
Giacomo Assandri, Gaia Bazzi, Ana Bermejo

et al.

Biological Conservation, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 293, P. 110592 - 110592

Published: April 20, 2024

Unsustainable fossil fuel emissions have prompted a global shift towards renewable energy sources, such as wind. This has led to strong expansion of wind power generation infrastructures, often conflicting with biodiversity conservation. Relatively large flying animals, birds and bats, frequently been reported collide turbines, resulting in casualties that can depress population size lead local extinctions. Migratory species move across continents through their year-round displacements may be especially at risk. We comprehensively assessed turbine exposure for colonial migratory raptor European conservation interest, the lesser kestrel Falco naumanni, based on distribution >1800 colonies GPS-tracking dataset (>350 individuals) three distinct biogeographical populations (from Iberian, Italian, Balkan peninsulas). 26 % least one within foraging areas around colony sites, Italian being most The main network protected areas, Natura 2000 network, failed mitigate potential negative impact turbines breeding populations. revealed was negligible African non-breeding (Sahel region), particularly high during migration, lower Iberian individuals but not ones. Different countries should prioritize different measures collision risk infrastructures. case study leveraged by conservationists stakeholders conflicts between expected infrastructure development near future.

Language: Английский

Citations

3
Barn Owls as a Nature-Based Solution for Pest Control: A Multinational Initiative Around the Mediterranean and Other Regions DOI Creative Commons
Vasileios Bontzorlos, Shlomo Cain,

Yossi Leshem

et al.

Conservation, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 4(4), P. 627 - 656

Published: Nov. 4, 2024

Pest rodents cause extensive damage to crops worldwide. Up 40% of global crop production is lost annually pests and diseases, with accounting for 15–30% this loss amounting billions dollars each year. The current method controlling rodent populations involves the use chemical rodenticides. While effective in short term, these chemicals pose serious environmental health risks, leading secondary poisoning non-target species other long-term negative ecological consequences, underscoring need adopt more sustainable pest-control measures. Nature-Based Solutions (NbSs), on hand, are increasingly recognized addressing challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, development, they include actions that protect, sustainably manage, restore ecosystems. In context, Barn Owls (Tyto alba) highly a natural pest-rodent control agents agro-ecosystems. has wide distribution adaptability various environments, its diet consists predominantly small mammals, making up from 50–60% even 90–95% according different geographical regions. Each Owl family can consume thousands annually, creating high potential reduce infestations. Deploying nest boxes agricultural areas significantly increase populations, ensuring continuous control. Limitations solution must also be taken into consideration predation mammals not pests, possible competition nocturnal birds prey. Ιn paper, we aim introduce concept owls NbS pest outline main challenges, pitfalls, advantages, disadvantages implementing new region, all necessary in-between steps (scientific, societal, administrative, educational) have followed successful implementation. So far, several countries successfully implemented box schemes, Israel Cyprus achieving reduction pesticides by 45% 58%, respectively, whereas project spreading Mediterranean (Jordan, Palestine Authority, Greece, Morocco, Spain), palm plantations Malaysia USA, vineyards Napa Valley California. success programs relies integrating scientific research, societal needs, supportive policy frameworks, education. both bottom-up top-down initiatives, participation farmers local communities establish deploy solution. Continuous research explore systematically owl trophic ecology, foraging breeding interactions landscape, land uses temporal spatial scales, habitat suitability, availability nesting sites, regional conditions addressed.

Language: Английский

Citations

1