Open AccessTracking Progress Toward EU Biodiversity Strategy Targets: EU Policy Effects in Preserving its Common Farmland Birds
Author(s) -
Gamero Anna,
Brotons Lluís,
Brunner Ariel,
Foppen Ruud,
Fornasari Lorenzo,
Gregory Richard D.,
Herrando Sergi,
Hořák David,
Jiguet Frédéric,
Kmecl Primož,
Lehikoinen Aleksi,
Lindström Åke,
Paquet JeanYves,
Reif Jiří,
Sirkiä Päivi M.,
Škorpilová Jana,
Strien Arco,
Szép Tibor,
Telenský Tomáš,
Teufelbauer Norbert,
Trautmann Sven,
Turnhout Chris A.M.,
Vermouzek Zdeněk,
Vikstrøm Thomas,
Voříšek Petr
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
conservation letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.153
H-Index - 79
ISSN - 1755-263X
DOI - 10.1111/conl.12292
Subject(s) - european union , biodiversity , agriculture , common agricultural policy , population , geography , bird conservation , population growth , ecology , natural resource economics , environmental protection , business , biology , international trade , economics , demography , sociology , habitat
Maximizing the area under biodiversity‐related conservation measures is a main target of the European Union (EU) Biodiversity Strategy to 2020. We analyzed whether agrienvironmental schemes (AES) within EU common agricultural policy, special protected areas for birds (SPAs), and Annex I designation within EU Birds Directive had an effect on bird population changes using monitoring data from 39 farmland bird species from 1981 to 2012 at EU scale. Populations of resident and short‐distance migrants were larger with increasing SPAs and AES coverage, while Annex I species had higher population growth rates with increasing SPAs, indicating that SPAs may contribute to the protection of mainly target species and species spending most of their life cycle in the EU. Because farmland birds are in decline and the negative relationship of agricultural intensification with their population growth rates was evident during the implementation of AES and SPAs, EU policies seem to generally attenuate the declines of farmland bird populations, but not to reverse them.