Linking Livestock Production and Wild Biodiversity: Contribution of Pastoral Production Systems to the Habitat of Bird Priority Conservation Species

Abstract

Livestock production is being questioned for its greenhouse gas emissions. However, production systems influence multiple environmental variables and, in some cases, contribute to very valuable environmental services. This work summarizes information collected at 30 livestock commercial farms and four experimental fields of the Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA) allocated throughout the Uruguayan territory. A total of 231 bird species were recorded, 42 of them identified as priority conservation species. Of these priority species, 10 are included in UICN lists and 19 in the Uruguayan Red List. We concluded that livestock commercial systems based on natural grasslands are ecosystems in terms of richness of bird species. Traditional management of livestock farms provides suitable habitat for several priority conservation species. However, several species, mainly tall-grass dependents, need special management measures.