Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Recovering mountain Mediterranean grasslands for breeding birds: ecology and population status shape species responses to management

Biodiversity and Conservation volume 25, pages 1695–1710 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

The Mediterranean basin is considered one of the most important biodiversity hotspots. This extraordinary richness originates mainly from thousands of years of human activities that deeply modified the landscape. Safeguarding the so-called cultural landscapes plays a key role in biodiversity conservation. In this paper we present the results of our monitoring of the effects of the life project “Preservation of mountain grasslands of the Tuscan Apennines”, mainly characterized by shrub-cutting actions, on bird populations in the Pratomagno pasture, one of the two areas where the project was implemented, a SPA in eastern Tuscany. The monitoring plan covers a period of 5 years. We tested the effects of shrub clearing on a series of bird community parameters, such as abundance and richness of common species and of some ecological guilds. We also tested the timing of the response to the interventions (immediate or drawn out over time). Our results show a dramatic decrease of birds associated with shrubland, while there were no important increases in grassland species, with the sole exception of Woodlark. Regardless of their positive or negative effects, our results show different response times for individual species or groups of species. Moreover, species with a bad regional conservation status increased less than those with a good one. Broadly speaking, these results suggest that the efficacy of such projects depends on a careful preliminary assessment of a number of aspects, encompassing the nature of the interventions themselves and the characteristics of the target sites, but also the type of response of target species and the conservation status of target populations.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

39,95 €

Price includes VAT (Netherlands)

Fig. 1

References

  • Andreasen C, Stryhn H, Streibig JC (1996) Decline of the flora in Danish arable fields. J Appl Ecol 33:619–626

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aranzabal ID, Schmitz MF, Aguilera P, Pineda FD (2008) Modelling of landscape changes derived from the dynamics of socio-ecological systems A case of study in a semiarid Mediterranean landscape. Ecol Ind 8:672–685

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atauri JA, de Lucio JV (2001) The role of landscape structure in species richness distribution of birds, amphibians, reptiles and lepidopterans in Mediterranean landscapes. Landsc Ecol 16(2):147–159

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balmer O, Erhardt A (2000) Consequences of succession on extensively grazed grasslands for central european butterfly communities: rethinking conservation practices. Conserv Biol 14:746–757

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barbaro L, Dutoit T, Cozic P (2001) A six-year experimental restoration of biodiversity by shrub-clearing and grazing in calcareous grasslands of the French Prealps. Biodivers Conserv 10:119–135

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barlow J, Peres CA (2004) Avifaunal responses to single and recurrent wildfires in Amazonian forests. Ecol Appl 14:1358–1373

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barton K (2015) MuMIn: multi-model inference. R package version 1.15.1. http://CRAN.R-project.org/package=MuMIn

  • Batáry P, Báldi A, Kleijn D, Tscharntke T (2011) Landscape moderated biodiversity effects of agri-environmental management: a meta-analysis. Proc R Soc Biol Sci 278:1894–1902

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benton TG, Bryant DM, Cole L, Crick HQP (2002) Linking agricultural practice to insect and bird populations: a historical study over three decades. J Appl Ecol 39(4):673–687

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bibby CJ, Burgess ND, Hill DA, Mustoe SH (2000) Bird census techniques, 2nd edn. Academic Press, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Block WM, Franklin AB, Ward JP Jr, Ganey JL, White GC (2001) Design and implementation of monitoring studies to evaluate the success of ecological restoration on wildlife. Restor Ecol 9:292–303

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blondel J (2006) The ‘design’ of Mediterranean landscapes: a millennial story of humans and ecological systems during the historic period. Human Ecol 34(5):713–729

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blondel J, Aronson J (1999) Biology and wildlife of the Mediterranean region. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Boatman ND, Brickle NW, Hart JD, Milsom TP, Morris AJ, Murray AWA, Murray K, Robertson PA (2004) Evidence for the indirect effects of pesticides on farmland birds. Ibis 146(2):131–143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bode M, Wilson K, McBride M, Possingham H (2008) Optimal dynamic allocation of conservation funding among priority regions. Bull Math Biol 70:2039–2054

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brotons L, Wolff A, Paulus G, Martin JL (2005) Effect of adjacent agricultural habitat on the distribution of passerines in natural grasslands. Biol Conserv 124:407–414

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buckingham DL, Brook AJ, Eschen R, Maczey N, Wheeler K, Peach WJ (2015) Integrating biodiversity conservation with grassland farming: extensive cattle grazing and farmland birds. In: Hopkins A, Collins RP, Fraser MD, King VR, Lloyd DC, Moorby JM, Robson PRH (eds) EGF at 50: the future of European grasslands. Proceedings of the 25th general meeting of the European grassland Federation Aberystwyth, p 236–238

  • Burn AJ (2000) Pesticides and their effects on lowland farmland birds. In: Aebischer NJ, Evans AD, Grice PV, Vickery JA (eds) Ecology and conservation of lowland farmland birds. British Ornithologists Union, Norfolk, pp 89–104

    Google Scholar 

  • Burnham KP, Anderson DR (2002) Model selection and multimodel inference: a practical information-theoretic approach, 2nd edn. Springer, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Butler SJ, Vickery JA, Norris K (2007) Farmland biodiversity and the footprint of agriculture. Science 315:381–384

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caballero R, Fernández-Gonzáles F, Pérez Badia R, Molle G, Roggero PP, Bagella S, D’Ottavio P, Papanastasis VA, Fotiadis G, Sidiropoulou A, Ipikoudis I (2009) Grazing systems and biodiversity in Mediterranean areas: Spain, Italy and Greece. Pastos 39(1):3–154

    Google Scholar 

  • Campedelli T, Tellini Florenzano G, Londi G, Mini L (2007) Nuovi pascoli per la tottavilla. Sherwood 130:17–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Campedelli T, Fornasari L, Londi G, Buvoli L, Tellini Florenzano G, La Gioia G, Pedrini P, Brichetti P, De Carli E (2010) Distribuzione geografica e ambientale degli uccelli comuni nidificanti in Italia 2000–2004. Avocetta 34(2):48–49

    Google Scholar 

  • Casale F, GalloOrsi U, Rizzi V (2000) Italy. In: Heath MF, Evans MI (eds) Important bird areas in europe priority sites for conservation. Southern Europe, birdlife conservation series No. 8, Vol 2. BirdLife International, Cambridge

  • Chamberlain DE, Fuller RJ, Bunce RGH, Duckworth JC, Shrubb M (2000) Changes in the abundance of farmland birds in relation to the timing of agricultural intensification in England and Wales. J Appl Ecol 37(5):771–788

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiti Batelli A (2005) Primi risultati del monitoraggio degli uccelli nidificanti nelle praterie dei SIC “Monte Castellino—Le Forbici” e “Monte La Nuda—Monte Tondo”. In: Borchi S (ed.) Conservazione delle praterie montane dell’Appennino toscano. Atti del Convegno fi nale del progetto LIFE Natura NAT/IT/7239. Poppi, Arezzo

  • De Heer M, Kapos V, Ten Brink BJE (2005) Biodiversity trends in Europe: development and testing of a species trend indicator for evaluating progress towards the 2010 target. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 360:297–308

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Dennis P, Skartveit J, McCracken DI, Pakeman RJ, Beaton K, Kunaver A, Evans DM (2008) The effects of livestock grazing on foliar arthropods associated with bird diet in upland grasslands of Scotland. J Appl Ecol 45:279–287

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dolek M, Geyer A (2002) Conserving biodiversity on calcareous grasslands in the Franconian Jura by grazing: a comprehensive approach. Biol Conserv 104:351–360

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dorrough J, Mcintyre S, Brown G, Stol J, Barrett G, Brown A (2012) Differential responses of plants, reptiles and birds to grazing management, fertilizer and tree clearing. Austral Ecol 37:569–582

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dostálek J, Frantík T (2008) Dry grassland plant diversity conservation using low-intensity sheep and goat grazing management: case study in Prague (Czech Republic). Biodivers Conserv 17:1439–1454

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doxa A, Bas Y, Paracchini ML, Pointereau P, Terres J-M, Jiguet F (2010) Low-intensity agriculture increases farmland bird abundances in France. J Appl Ecol 47:1348–1356

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eraud C, Boutin JM (2002) Density and productivity of breeding Skylarks Alauda arvensis in relation to crop type on agricultural lands in western France. Bird Study 49:287–296

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans DM, Redpath SM, Elston DA, Evans SA, Mitchell RJ, Dennis P (2006a) To graze or not to graze? Sheep, voles, forestry and nature conservation in the British uplands. J Appl Ecol 43(3):499–505

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans DM, Redpath SM, Evans SA, Elston DA, Gardner CJ, Dennis P, Pakeman RJ (2006b) Low intensity, mixed livestock grazing improves the breeding abundance of a common insectivorous passerine. Biol Lett 2(4):636–638

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Falcucci A, Maiorano L, Boitani L (2007) Changes in land-cover patterns in Italy and their implications for biodiversity conservation. Landsc Ecol 22:617–631

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Faria N, Rabaça JA, Morales MB (2012) The importance of grazing regime in the provision of breeding habitat for grassland birds: the case of the endangered little bustard (Tetrax tetrax). J Nat Conserv 20(4):211–218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fonderflick J, Besnard A, Martin J-L (2013) Species traits and the response of open-habitat species to forest edge in landscape mosaics. Oikos 122:42–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geri F, Amici V, Rocchini D (2010) Human activity impact on the heterogeneity of a Mediterranean landscape. Appl Geogr 30(3):370–379

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gregory RD, van Strien AJ (2010) Wild bird indicators: using composite population trends of birds as measures of environmental health. Ornithol Sci 9(1):3–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inger R, Gregory R, Duffy JP, Stott I, Voříšek P, Gaston KJ (2015) Common European birds are declining rapidly while less abundant species’ numbers are rising. Ecol Lett 18(28):36

    Google Scholar 

  • Kleijn D, Baquero RA, Clough Y, Díaz M, De Esteban J, Fernández F, Gabriel D, Herzog F, Holzschuh A, Jöhl R, Knop E, Kruess A, Marshall EJ, Steffan-Dewenter I, Tscharntke T, Verhulst J, West TM, Yela JL (2006) Mixed biodiversity benefits of agri-environment schemes in five European countries. Ecol Lett 9:243–257

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kovács-Hostyánszki A, Kőrösi Á, Orci KM, Batáry P, Báldi A (2011) Set-aside promotes insect and plant diversity in a Central European country. Agric Ecosyst Environ 141:296–301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kragten S, Trimbos KB, de Snoo GR (2008) Breeding Skylarks (Alauda arvensis) on organic and conventional arable farms in the Netherlands. Agric Ecosyst Environ 126:163–167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kragten S, Ramiro SM, van der Poll R, Wang J, de Snoo GR (2011) Abundance of invertebrate prey for birds on organic and conventional arable farms in the Netherlands. Bird Conserv Int 21:1–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kruess A, Tscharntke T (2002) Grazing intensity and the diversity of grasshoppers, butterflies, and trapnesting bees and wasps. Conserv Biol 16:1570–1580

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuemmerle T, Hostert P, Radeloff V, van der Linden S, Perzanowski K, Kruhlov I (2008) Cross-border comparison of post-socialist farmland abandonment in the Carpathians. Ecosystems 11:614–628

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuussaari M, Heliola J, Luoto M, Poyry J (2007) Determinants of local species richness of diurnal Lepidoptera in boreal agricultural landscapes. Agric Ecosyst Environ 122:366–376

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lasanta-Martínez T, Vicente-Serrano S, Cuadrat-Prats JM (2005) Mountain Mediterranean landscape evolution caused by the abandonment of traditional primary activities: a study of the Spanish Central Pyrenees. Appl Geogr 25:47–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lenoir L, Lennartsson T (2010) Effects of timing of grazing on arthropod communities in semi-natural grasslands. J Insect Sci 10: 60. http://www.insectsicence.org/10.60

  • Loe LE, Mysterud A, Stien A, Steen H, Evans DM, Austrheim G (2007) Positive short-term effects of sheep grazing on the alpine avifauna. Biol Lett 3:110–112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marsh H, Dennis A, Hines H, Kutt A, McDonald K, Weber E, Williams S, Winter J (2007) Optimizing allocation of management resources for wildlife. Conserv Biol 21:387–399

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mcintyre S, Heard KM, Martin TG (2003) The relative importance of cattle grazing in subtropical grasslands: does it reduce or enhance plant biodiversity? J Appl Ecol 40(3):445–457

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Metera E, Sakowski T, Słoniewski K, Romanowicz B (2010) Grazing as a tool to maintain biodiversity of grassland– a review. Anim Sci Pap Rep 28:315–334

    Google Scholar 

  • Moreira F, Russo D (2007) Modelling the impact of agricultural abandonment and wildfires on vertebrate diversity in Mediterranean Europe. Landsc Ecol 22:1461–1476

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myers N, Mittermeier RA, Mittermeier CG, da Fonseca GAB, Kent J (2000) Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403:853–858

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Newton I (2004) The recent declines of farmland bird populations in Britain: an appraisal of causal factors and conservation actions. Ibis 146(4):579–600

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newton I (2013) Bird populations. Collins New Naturalist Library. HarperCollins Publisher, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Nichols JD, Williams BK (2006) Monitoring for conservation. Trends Ecol Evol 21(12):668–673

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Orłowski G (2010) Effect of boundary vegetation and landscape features on diversity and abundance of breeding bird community of abandoned crop fields in south-western Poland. Bird Study 57:175–182

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pita R, Mira A, Moreira F, Morgado R, Beja P (2009) Influence of landscape characteristics on carnivore diversity and abundance in Mediterranean farmland. Agric Ecosyst Environ 132:57–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plieninger T, Höchtl F, Spek T (2006) Traditional land-use and nature conservation in European rural landscapes. Environ Sci Policy 9(4):317–321

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Powolny T, Eraud C, Masson J-D, Bretagnolle V (2015) Vegetation structure and inter-individual distance affect intake rate and foraging efficiency in a granivorous forager, the Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis. J Ornithol 156(3):569–578

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pöyry J, Lindgren S, Salminen J, Kuussaari M (2004) Restoration of butterfly and moth communities in semi-natural grasslands by cattle grazing. Ecol Appl 14:1656–1670

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Primdahl J, Vesterager JP, Finn JA, Vlahos G, Kristensen L, Vejre H (2010) Current use of impact models for agri-environment schemes and potential for improvements of policy design and assessment. J Environ Manag 91:1245–1254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pykälä J (2003) Effects of restoration with cattle grazing on plant species composition and richness of semi-natural grasslands. Biodivers Conserv 12:2211–2226

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reif J, Voříšek P, Šťastný K, Bejček V, Petr J (2008) Agricultural intensification and farmland birds: new insights from a central European country. Ibis 150:596–605

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reino L, Porto M, Morgado R, Moreira F, Fabião A, Santana J, Delgado A, Gordinho L, Cal J, Beja P (2010) Effects of changed grazing regimes and habitat fragmentation on Mediterranean grassland birds. Agric Ecosyst Environ 138(1–2):27–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rete Rurale Nazionale and LIPU (2014). Italia—farmland bird index, woodland bird index e Andamenti di popolazione delle specie 2000–2013. http://www.reterurale.it/farmlandbirdindex. Accessed on 11 Oct 2015

  • Ries L, Sisk TD (2004) A predictive model of edge effects. Ecology 85:2917–2926

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rook AJ, Dumont B, Isselstein J, Osoro K, WallisDeVries MF, Parente G, Mills J (2004) Matching type of livestock to desired biodiversity outcomes in pastures—a review. Biol Conserv 119:137–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer T, Vogel B (2000) Why do woodlarks need field-forest ecotones? An analysis of possible factors. J Ornithol 141:335–344

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Serra P, Ponsa X, Sauría D (2008) Land-cover and land-use change in a Mediterranean landscape: a spatial analysis of driving forces integrating biophysical and human factors. Appl Geogr 28(3):189–209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirami C, Nespoulous A, Cheyland J-P, Marty P, Hvenegaard GT, Geniez P, Schatz B, Martin J-L (2010) Long-term anthropogenic and ecological dynamics of a Mediterranean landscape: impacts on multiple taxa. Landsc Urb Plan 96(4):214–223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirami C, Brotons L, Martin JL (2011) Woodlarks Lulla aborea and landscape heterogeneity created by land abandonment. Bird Study 58(1):99–106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sitzia T, Semenzato P, Trentanovi G (2010) Natural reforestation is changing spatial patterns of rural mountain and hill landscapes: a global overview. For Ecol Manage 259:1354–1362

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spitzer L, Beneš J, Dandová J, Jasková V, Konvička M (2009) The large blue butterfly, Phengaris [Maculinea] arion, as a conservation umbrella on a landscape scale: the case of the Czech Carpathians. Ecol Ind 9:1056–1063

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stoate C, Báldi A, Beja P, Boatman ND, Herzon I, van Doorn A, de Snoo GR, Rakosy L, Ramwell C (2009) Ecological impacts of early 21st century agricultural change in Europe—a review. J Environ Manage 91:22–46

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tallowin J, Rook AJ, Rutter SM (2005) Impact of grazing management on biodiversity of grasslands. Anim Sci 81:193–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Team RC (2015). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R foundation for statistical computing, Vienna. https://www.R-project.org/

  • Tellini Florenzano G (2004) Birds as indicators of recent environmental changes in the Apennines (Foreste Casentinesi National Park, central Italy). Italian J Zool 71:317–324

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tichit M, Renault O, Potter T (2005) Grazing regime as a tool to assess positive side effects of livestock farming systems on wading birds. Livestock Prod Sci 96(1):109–117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Toepfer S, Stubbe M (2001) Territory density of the Skylark (Alauda arvensis) in relation to field vegetation in central Germany. J Ornithol 142:184–194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Troumbis AY, Dimitrakopoulos PG, Siamantziouras A-SD, Memtsas D (2000) Hidden diversity and productivity patterns in mixed Mediterranean grasslands. Oikos 90:549–559

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Dyck H, van Strien AJ, Maes D, van Swaay CAM (2009) Declines in common, widespread butterflies in a landscape under intense human use. Conserv Biol 23:957–965

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vavra M (2005) Livestock Grazing and Wildlife: developing Compatibilities. Rangel Ecol Manag 58(2):128–134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Venables WN, Ripley BD (2002) Modern applied statistics with S, 4th edn. Springer, New York. ISBN 0-387-95457-0

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Vikery J, Arlettaz R (2012) The importance of habitat heterogeneity at multiple scales for birds in European agricultural landscapes. In: Fuller RJ (ed) Birds and habitat: relationships in changing landscapes. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Vos W, Meekes H (1999) Trends in European cultural landscape development: perspectives for a sustainable future. Landsc Urb Plan 46:3–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vos W, Stortelder A (1992) Vanishing Tuscan landscapes. Landscape ecology of a Submediterranean-Montane area (Solano Basin, Tuscany, Italy). Pudoc Scientific Publishers, Wageningen

    Google Scholar 

  • Westman WE (1978) Measuring the inertia and resilience of ecosystems. Bioscience 28:705–710

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whittingham MJ (2007) Will agri-environment schemes deliver substantial biodiversity gain, and if not why not? J Appl Ecol 44:1–5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson KA, McBride MF, Bode M, Possingham HP (2006) Prioritizing global conservation efforts. Nature 440:337–340

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wretenberg J, Lindström A, Svensson S, Pärt T (2007) Linking agricultural policies to population trends of Swedish farmland birds in different agricultural regions. J Appl Ecol 44(5):933–941

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. DREAM Italia, Via dei Guazzi 31, 52013, Poppi (AR), Italy

    Tommaso Campedelli, Guglielmo Londi, Giuditta Miniati, Simonetta Cutini & Guido Tellini Florenzano

Authors
  1. Tommaso Campedelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Guglielmo Londi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Giuditta Miniati
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Simonetta Cutini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Guido Tellini Florenzano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tommaso Campedelli.

Additional information

Communicated by Adeline Loyau.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Campedelli, T., Londi, G., Miniati, G. et al. Recovering mountain Mediterranean grasslands for breeding birds: ecology and population status shape species responses to management. Biodivers Conserv 25, 1695–1710 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-016-1150-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-016-1150-6

Keywords

  • Shrubland clearance
  • Grazing
  • Mediterranean mountain grassland
  • LIFE project
  • Breeding birds

Search

Navigation