Identifying effective actions to guide volunteer-based and nationwide conservation efforts for a ground-nesting farmland bird.

ABSTRACT: 1. Modern farming practices threaten wildlife in different ways, and failure to identify the complexity of multiple threats acting in synergy may result in ineffective management. To protect ground-nesting birds in farmland, monitoring and mitigating impacts of mechanical harvesting is crucial. 2. Here, we use 6 years of data from a nationwide volunteer-based monitoring scheme of the Montagu's harrier, a ground-nesting raptor, in French farmlands. We assess the effectiveness of alternative nest protection measures and map their potential benefit to the species. 3. We show that unprotected nests in cultivated land are strongly negatively affected by harvesting and thus require active management. Further, we show that protection from harvesting alone (e.g. by leaving a s

SUBMITTER: Santangeli A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4557043 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature