首页|The implementation of irrigation leads to declines in farmland birds

The implementation of irrigation leads to declines in farmland birds

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  • NSTL
  • Elsevier
Assessing the effects of agricultural intensification on biodiversity is critical for developing effective management plans for farmland conservation. Among other factors, the direct and indirect impacts of irrigation on wildlife have yet to be thoroughly studied despite significant increases in the surface area of irrigated farmlands since the mid-twentieth century (currently greater than 300 million hectares worldwide). Here, we evaluate the impact of irrigation on bird species occurrence patterns using a BACI (Before-After Control-Impact) design. Our study occurs in a 100 km(2) area with rainfed agriculture in the Mediterranean region of northern Spain. We analysed a 13-year dataset comprised of the 47 most common bird species in the region using a multi-species hierarchical occurrence model. We examined how the implementation of irrigation in a rain-fed farmland area altered the local bird community, identifying which species were negatively or positively impacted by changes to the local ecosystem. The implementation of irrigation had an overall negative impact on the bird community, with occurrence rates of most species (55%) decreasing and only a small fraction (11%) increasing after the onset of irrigation, leading to an overall reduction in site-level species richness. Irrigation had the most detrimental impact on farmland birds (including steppe birds, which are of high conservation concern), but also had negative effects on forest, shrubland, and non-specialist bird species that occur frequently in rainfed agricultural environments. The observed negative impacts on bird occurrences are likely due to the loss of nesting and foraging habitat arising from shifts in crops and/or loss of fallow lands associated with irrigation. The fact that only a few species responded positively to the implementation of irrigation suggests that in the long-term irrigation may lead to substantial negative changes in local bird communities, with less diversity and a lack of ecologically important farmland species. Irrigation schemes should thus be implemented carefully, avoiding areas with high species richness or high densities of endangered species. In cases where irrigation cannot be avoided, promoting diverse agrosystems, avoiding monocultures, and including interspersed rainfed crops and fallow lands may help to mitigate negative effects on local bird communities and their ecosystems.

Agricultural intensificationBACI designBiodiversity conservationBird communityMulti-species occupancy modelSteppe birds

Cabodevilla, Xabier、Wright, Alexander D.、Villanua, Diego、Arroyo, Beatriz、Zipkin, Elise F.

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Univ Basque Country UPV EHU, Dept Zool & Anim Cell Biol, Fac Pharm, Paseo Univ 7, Vitoria 01006, Alava, Spain

Michigan State Univ, Dept Integrat Biol, E Lansing, MI 48824 USA

Navarra Environm Management GAN NIK, C Padre Adoain,219, Pamplona 31015, Navarra, Spain

CSIC UCLM JCCM, Inst Invest Recursos Cineget IREC, Ronda Toledo 12, Ciudad Real 13005, Spain

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2022

10.1016/j.agee.2021.107701

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

ISSN：0167-8809
年,卷(期)：2022.323
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