Man’s hand in agricultural landscapes is not always bad … – RTVE

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Changes in human-induced landscape generally cause degradation of natural habitats and species decline. However, a study conducted by researchers at the Doñana Biological Station (CSIC) said that any management does not always lead to biodiversity loss.

This group of young researchers, with the support of SEO / BirdLife, illustrates how moderate changes in landscape configuration may favor the presence of species that use very different environments to survive daily. Thus, as the distance between the different types of habitats used by a species is reduced, so do the and energy investment risks associated with the movement.

explains Carlos Camacho, lead author of the study, not all species respond negatively to habitat transformation. “Some of them may even be benefit from agricultural management .’re Convinced that if we understand the basis of the ‘success’ of these species, we can then design management guidelines act as a conciliator between element agriculture and conservation, “he adds.

The necked nightjar

The study, published this week in the scientific journal PLOS ONE , is has focused on a nocturnal insectivorous bird: necked nightjar Researchers have analyzed all journeys made daily to access their breeding grounds, feeding and resting in nearby areas inside and outside the Doñana Natural Area. .

Although both areas have a broad representation of habitats, their spatial arrangement is markedly different. As a result, the area managed nightjar, significantly more abundant than in the protected area, have to make a less daily effort on the go.

Protected areas are a priority in terms of conservation, but today are agricultural landscapes which are home to most of biodiversity worldwide. Thus, conservation of biodiversity involves also consider areas transformed, beyond any form of protection.

The ecological value of agricultural landscapes

Unfortunately, the positive effects of agricultural management have been rarely recognized by ecologists, and there are still few who have abandoned the traditional defeatist view to focus on the positives and promote its incorporation into guidelines management. As a result, scientists are still largely unaware of the relative contribution of each type of management for biodiversity conservation.

“The results of this study suggest that negative effects of agricultural transformation of the landscape could be mitigated following management guidelines aimed at manipulating only the spatial arrangement of the different land uses , but the total area devoted to each use. Thus, we would get easy access to many different habitats from bird breeding sites without necessarily reducing agricultural production, “said Carlos Camacho.