Linda Poole

NCAT Regenerative Grazing Specialist
Cool little article on The Nature Conservancy blog today about how birds can benefit farmers, and vice versa:

One important place for bird conservation is in farmlands. Yet, conservation of birds in agricultural systems is a complex issue, in part due to it being private land, and in part because birds play many roles that impact crop production. . . . (H)ow can we manage farms to promote the benefits of birds and minimize harm?

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Overall, we found that an individual farmer can implement conservation-friendly farming practices to promote beneficial birds — including both birds that eat pests and birds that provide cultural services to the farmers.

The farmer could, for example, provide hedges to promote insect-eating birds near crops that are being damaged by insects. They could also take actions such as integrating livestock into their farm, which can benefit birds through additional grassland (e.g., northern harrier and savannah sparrow nest sites) and structures to nest on (e.g., barn swallow and cliff swallow nest sites). Another strategy could be retaining riparian areas or wetlands that can promote birds and provide other important sustainability benefits such as erosion control.

Read the full story by Olivia Smith at: https://blog.nature.org/science/202...dly-farming-can-benefit-both-birds-and-crops/.
 

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