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Biodiversity within the
UK and agriculture –
The State of Nature Report
Dr Andy Clements Chief Executive, British Trust for Ornithology
Birds & Agriculture:
BTO data & research Dr Andy Clements, BTO
Agribusiness 2014 –
Setting the Agribusiness Agenda
Peterborough, 13 November 2013
• Independent, impartial charitable,
research institute
• Combines professional and
citizen science
• Gathers evidence of change in
wildlife populations, particularly
birds
• Informs society, opinion-formers
and decision-makers
BTO
• Independent, impartial
charitable, research
institute
• Combines professional
and citizen science
• Gathers evidence of
change in wildlife
populations, particularly
birds
• Informs society,
opinion-formers and
decision-makers
BTO
Photo (top): John Harding
• Impartial evidence
• Professionals + 50,000 volunteers
• Extensive data + intensive research
• International
Not just counting birds
Field margins – value for birds
Winter crop use by birds
Organic farming
Sugar beet reform
Overgrazing by sheep
Upland scrub (Scotland)
Ffridd habitats (Wales)
Case studies of upland
change (England)
Coppice and high forest management
Edge effects and scrub
Deer – effects on habitat structure
Woodfuel implications
Research
Rate of change in agricultural intensification
& bird populations In
dex o
f ra
te o
f ch
an
ge
Year 62 70 80 90
-6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5
0
1
2
3
4
5
6 Birds
Agriculture
• BTO/JNCC/RSPB
partnership
• 3,430 random sites
covered
• 2,592 volunteers
• 1,091,548 individual birds
counted in 2012
• Robust population trends
calculated for 108 species
The Breeding Bird Survey
Photo: Jill Pakenham
Grey Partridge
Skylark
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Chaffinch
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Linnet
Bullfinch
Yellowhammer
Reed Bunting
Corn Bunting
Species Stubble
Absent Present Benefit?
Wren 22 21 -1
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Hedgero
w
specie
s
Stu
bble
specie
s
Species Stubble
Absent Present Benefit?
Wren 22 21 -1
Dunnock 20 17 -3
Robin 21 14 -7
Blackbird 15 18 +3
Blue Tit -7 -3 +4
Great Tit 14 15 +1
Grey Partridge -58 -40 +18
Skylark -34 -13 +21
House Sparrow 1 7 +6
Tree Sparrow 434 30 -404
Chaffinch -3 5 +8
Greenfinch 24 11 -13
Goldfinch 7 14 +7
Linnet -32 -18 +14
Bullfinch -32 -19 +13
Yellowhammer -30 -16 +14
Reed Bunting 4 -13 -17
Corn Bunting -22 -37 -15
% change in breeding numbers (1994-2003)
according to stubble preference
Photo: Amy Lewis
40
60
80
100
1994 1997 2000 2003
Year
No Stubble
<10ha Stubble
>10ha Stubble
2000’s
27%
33%
40%
-21% -28%
2008
11%
17%
72%
Skylark Breeding population index
Implications of doing nothing
Photo: Amy Lewis
Modelled index LU
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
Index (
+/-
CL)
Modelled index LU + climate Index
Modelled index climate
Milder winters
have helped
Skylark
Suggests land use (cereal yield) has
been largely responsible for decline
BICCO-Net
Photo: Amy Lewis, Tommy Holden
• ≥5% increases over 5 years with average areas, via
increased winter survival
• No effects of breeding season management
• Not enough to reverse declines
2002 2005 2010
Yellowhammer
numbers
• ES management has a positive effect:
No ES
+ ES stubble
What do seed option effects mean?
Habitat
group
Change
since
Britain Ireland
Median
% range
change
Quartiles N Median %
range change
Quartiles N
Woodland
species
1968–72 0.7 -22.5–13.7 43 0.9 -0.4–6.8 24
1988–91
3.5
-13.8–13.9
46 8.0
2.5–38.6
25
Farmland
species
1968–72 -5.3 -39.4–0.2 26 -2.8 -46.7–0.4 17
1988–91 0.2 -10.0–7.6 26 2.8 -7.9–19.8 17
Wetland
species
1968–72 18.5 1.1–94.8 24 -6.5 -19.6–-0.6 12
1988–91 15.6 1.5–57.7 27 8.6 6.0–26.5 13
Upland
species
1968–72 -10.5 -19.5–18.7 33 -34.5 -50.0–-7.8 17
1988–91 -5.3 -17.2–3.5 34 -4.8 -14.7–13.8 17
Coastal
species
1968–72 -5.9 -17.0–20.8 20 -4.6 -25.3–3.8 16
1988–91 -4.6 -13.8–18.6 21 4.6 -1.6–19.9 16
Breeding season range changes
Photo: Amy Lewis
Confirmed
Probable
Possible
Breeding distribution 2008-11 Change in relative abundance
Increase
Decrease
Stable
????. Photo: Chris Hewson
Deer and Nightingales
Habitat available Habitat used
Coppice >9 years
(unprotected)
Young coppice
with deer
Young coppice
deer excluded
Photo: Edmund Fellowes