Introduction to Wildlife Conservation in Farming PDF
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Introduction to Wildlife Conservation in Farming Introduction to Wildlife Conservation in Farming Stephen Burchett and Sarah Burchett © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ISBN: 978-0-470-69935-5 Introduction to Wildlife Conservation in Farming Stephen Burchett and Sarah Burchett A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication Thiseditionfirstpublished2011©2011byJohnWiley&Sons,Ltd. Wiley-BlackwellisanimprintofJohnWiley&Sons,formedbythemergerofWiley’sglobalScientific,Technicaland MedicalbusinesswithBlackwellPublishing. Registeredoffice: JohnWiley&Sons,Ltd,TheAtrium,SouthernGate,Chichester,WestSussex,PO198SQ,UK EditorialOffices: 9600GarsingtonRoad,Oxford,OX42DQ,UK TheAtrium,SouthernGate,Chichester,WestSussex,PO198SQ,UK 111RiverStreet,Hoboken,NJ07030-5774,USA Fordetailsofourglobaleditorialoffices,forcustomerservicesandforinformationabouthowtoapplyfor permissiontoreusethecopyrightmaterialinthisbookpleaseseeourwebsiteatwww.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell. TherightoftheauthortobeidentifiedastheauthorofthisworkhasbeenassertedinaccordancewiththeUK Copyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988. Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inany formorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingorotherwise,exceptaspermittedbytheUK Copyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988,withoutthepriorpermissionofthepublisher. Designationsusedbycompaniestodistinguishtheirproductsareoftenclaimedastrademarks.Allbrandnamesand productnamesusedinthisbookaretradenames,servicemarks,trademarksorregisteredtrademarksoftheir respectiveowners.Thepublisherisnotassociatedwithanyproductorvendormentionedinthisbook.This publicationisdesignedtoprovideaccurateandauthoritativeinformationinregardtothesubjectmattercovered.It issoldontheunderstandingthatthepublisherisnotengagedinrenderingprofessionalservices.Ifprofessional adviceorotherexpertassistanceisrequired,theservicesofacompetentprofessionalshouldbesought. LibraryofCongressCataloguing-in-PublicationData Burchett,Stephen. Introductiontowildlifeconservationinfarming/StephenBurchettandSarahBurchett. p.cm. Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. ISBN978-0-470-69935-5(cloth)/978-0-470-69934-8(paper) 1. Agriculturalconservation.2. Wildlifeconservation.3. Landuse,Rural–Environmentalaspects.4. Agricultural ecology. I.Burchett,Sarah.II.Title. S604.5.B872011 639.9–dc22 2010020658 AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary. Thisbookispublishedinthefollowingelectronicformats:ePDF9780470670101WileyOnlineLibrary 9780470670095 Setin11/13ptMinionbyLaserwordsPrivateLimited,Chennai,India FirstImpression 2011 Contents Preface ix Acknowledgements xi 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Conservationonfarmland–why? 1 SpeciesBox1.1: StarfruitPlant(Damasonium alisma) 3 1.2 Historicalrelevanceofon-farm conservation 4 1.3 Legislationandpolicy 6 1.4 Impactofagriculturalpolicyontheenvironment 7 1.5 Furtherafield 14 References 17 2 Mixed farming 19 2.1 Introduction 19 2.2 Conventionalcerealcropproduction 20 2.3 Lifecycle 21 2.4 Cropestablishment 21 2.5 Nutrient requirements 23 2.6 Diseaseandpestcontrol 26 2.7 Weedcontrol 28 2.8 Harvestandcropqualitycriteria 29 2.9 Organicagriculture 30 2.10 Organicconversion 30 2.11 Soilfertility andcroprotations 31 2.12 Summary 33 CaseStudy2.1: DownFarm 34 SpeciesBox2.1: CirlBunting (Emberizacirlus) 38 SpeciesBox2.2: Skylark(Alaudaarvensis) 44 SpeciesBox2.3: CornMarigold(Chrysanthemum segetum) 47 vi CONTENTS 2.13 ArableFlora 48 SpeciesBox2.4: Night-Flowering Catchfly(Silenenoctiflora)and Small-FloweredCatchfly(Silenegallica) 49 2.14 Elvedenestate 51 SpeciesBox2.5: Stone Curlew(Burhinusoedicnemus) 52 CaseStudy2.2: STEEPProgrammeinthe PacificNorth West 53 CaseStudy2.3: CholdertonEstate 63 CaseStudy2.4: BlueberryHill Farm,Maryland,US 71 2.15 Chaptersummary 73 References 74 3 Grasslands 77 3.1 Introduction 77 3.2 Cultivatedgrasslandsforgrazingdomesticstock 78 3.3 Breedselection 79 3.4 Makingmore ofnative grasslands 99 CaseStudy3.1: Prairies 100 SpeciesBox3.1: Prairie Chicken(Tympanicuscupidus) 103 SpeciesBox3.2: Pronghorn (Antilocapraamericana) 104 CaseStudy3.2: Switchgrass(Panicumvirgatum) 106 SpeciesBox3.3: GoldenPlover(Pluvialisapricaria) 111 SpeciesBox3.4: Lapwing(Vanellusvanellus)–AlsoKnownasthe Peewit 112 CaseStudy3.3: UKUplands 113 SpeciesBox3.5: Bee Orchid(Ophrysapifera) 126 3.5 Grasslandecosystemsaroundthe world 126 3.6 Temperategrasslands 128 CaseStudy3.4: ShelteringRock-TuckawayFarm 129 SpeciesBox3.6: PlainsWanderer(Pedionomustorquatus) 135 References 138 4 Forestry and conservation 141 4.1 Introduction 141 4.2 Forestmanagement 144 4.3 Forestmanagementtechniques:the UKmodel 145 4.4 Coppice 146 4.5 Coppiceandwildlife 148 4.6 Woodpasture 153 4.7 Commercialforestry 154 4.8 Highforest 155 4.9 Planting 155 INTRODUCTIONTOWILDLIFECONSERVATIONINFARMING vii 4.10 Harvesting 156 4.11 Sustainableforestmanagement 158 CaseStudy4.1: SunartOakwoodsInitiative 159 SpeciesBox4.1: RedSquirrel(Sciurusvulgaris) 179 CaseStudy4.2: LongleafPine 180 SpeciesBox4.2: LongLeafPine(Pinuspalustris) 185 SpeciesBox4.3: RedCockadedWoodpecker(Picoidesboralis) 189 SpeciesBox4.4: FoxSquirrel(Sciurusniger) 192 CaseStudy4.3: NewHampshireWoodlands 193 Case Study 4.4: Malaysian Tropical Forests, Forestry Industry and Enrichment Planting 196 SpeciesBox4.5: Dipterocarpaceae 197 SpeciesBox4.6: BorneanCloudedLeopard(Neofelisdiardissp.borneensis) 199 4.12 Summary 215 References 215 5 Farming and the aquatic environment 219 5.1 Water 219 5.2 Waterframeworkdirective 219 5.3 Part1:Onfarm ponds,watercoursesandriparianstrips 220 SpeciesBox5.1: Curlew(Numeniusarquata) 230 CaseStudy5.1: KuenzlerFarmWetlandRestorationProgramme 231 SpeciesBox5.2: BobWhite Quail(Colinusvirginianus) 232 SpeciesBox5.3: NorthernCricketFrog(Acriscrepitans) 233 5.4 Part2:Fens,marshesandwetlands 234 SpeciesBox5.4: LargeCopperButterfly (Lycaenadispar) 236 SpeciesBox5.5: EuropeanBittern (Botaurusstellaris) 237 5.5 Part3:Estuaries,coastalandmarine 238 SpeciesBox5.6: NatterjackToad(Epidaliacalamita–FormallyBufo calamita) 239 5.6 Part4:Aquaculture/fishfarming 240 CaseStudy5.2: DragonFeedsLtd 243 CaseStudy5.3: LochDuart LtdScotland 246 CaseStudy5.4: Offshore FisheriesinNewHampshire,US 252 References 259 6 The future of farming and its implications for conservation 261 6.1 Introduction 261 6.2 Industrial-scalefarmingandmonocultures 261 6.3 Scienceandtechnology 263 6.4 Precisionfarming 263 viii CONTENTS 6.5 Biotechnology 264 6.6 Tissueculture 268 6.7 Implicationsofreducedcropandstockdiversity 269 6.8 Subsistencefarmingandemergingeconomies 270 6.9 Sustainableuseofwater,energyandwaste 271 6.10 Agri-environment schemes 274 6.11 Conclusion 276 References 276 Acronym list 279 Species tables 283 Glossary 293 Index 297 Preface At the beginning of the 21st C the human population stands at around six billion people and is currently rising at an alarming rate in many regions such as Africa and South East Asia. Globally, the number of human beings is expected to reach nine billion by 2050. This continued increase in human population necessitates the expansion of agricultural systems and agricultural technology to ensure food production can meet future demands. Such increases will inevitably be in direct conflict with natural ecosystems, for instance tropical rainforests, and consequently withwildlifeconservation.Indeedacrosstheglobepeoplearebecomingincreasingly aware of the need to protect the environment from the excesses of commercial agriculture,butitisoftendifficultforemergingeconomiestoalignfoodproduction systemswithconservationeffortsasthesenationsstrivetosecuretheirfoodsupplies andtocompeteinthefiscaleconomyofthe‘globalvillage’. Asmankind’sactivitiescontinuetoshrinkanddegradenaturalhabitats,politicians andpolicymakershaverealisedthatthefarmedenvironmentformsanintegralcom- ponent in the conservation of biodiversity. Consequently these parties have started to redefine agricultural policy with a view to mitigating the excess of agricultural pollutionandimprovethefarmedenvironmentfornumerousspecies.Indeed,Euro- pean Union (EU) politicians have now started to rewrite the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) following the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in order to meet Europe’s obligations on the conservation of biodiversity. The simple fact is that farming practice encompasses 47% of the European landscape and in the UK this figure is closer to 70%. These early developments in EU policy have made a start atrealigningfarmingpracticeandenvironmentalprotection andhasachievedsome significantgainsinthe protection of watercourses,farmlandhabitats andassociated endangeredspecies,onegoodexampleistheincreaseinthenumberofcirlbuntings in South Devon. However, this is a long and rocky road and not all of these devel- opmentsinpolicyhaveresultedinimprovementstobiodiversity,inparticularsome arable reversion projects have resulted in losses to rare and vulnerable arable flora. These losses are often the consequence of rigid application of poor policy decisions that fail to recognise the historical co-evolution of species with traditional farming practices.Thede-stockingofuplandareasoftheUKisonesuchexample.Ecologically problems arose from overstocking due to headage payments paid to farmersduring x PREFACE the 1970s and 1980s, these payments encouraged such overstocking; however the current policy of de-stocking has gone too far and is now having a direct, negative, impact on the composition of upland flora, as invasive species such as bracken and gorse out-compete smaller and diminutive native upland vegetation. It should not be forgotten that the UK upland habitats that exist today are actually the result of centuriesoftraditionalfarmingpractices. FurtherafieldgovernmentsarestartingtofollowEurope’sleadandtherearesome positivedevelopmentsaimedatprotectingtheenvironmentandtheconservationof biodiversity. However, developing nations are expandingcrop systems across virgin forests at frightening rates and consequently contemporary developments in policy are often too little and too late as well as being very difficult to enforce. Politicians, ecologists, agricultural scientists and farmers have to continue to work together to improvefoodproductionsystemstoensurefoodsecurityforthefuture,andtoprotect theenvironmentatthesametime. This volume aims to introduce the concept of wildlife conservation within the farmed environment, and is structured into six chapters that explore key issues and present real life case studies of farmers, ecologists and researchers working together to improve farming practice and conservation of biodiversity. Chapter one sets the scope of the topic while chapters two, three, four and five review the key farming systems(arable,grassland,forestryandtheaquaticenvironment,respectively).Each chaptergivesanoverviewofthesetopicsaswellaspresentingaseriesofcasestudies, thatarecomplementedwithmaps,speciesboxesandtablesoforganismsprotectedby theapplicationofgoodfarmingpractice.Chaptersixlookstothefutureandreflects ondevelopingtrendsinfarmingpracticeandtechnology,andthenevaluatessomeof theshortfallsineducation.Whatbecomesapparentisthatattheprimaryschoolage groups, children areactivelyencouragedtolook atthe countrysideandengagewith wildlife,butthatthisallcomestoanabrupthaltatsecondarylevel.Thatis,thatthe development of conservation science lacks rigour for students in the 11 to 18 year oldcohort,anissuethathastobeaddressedatafundamentallevelasstudentsenter highereducationwishingtostudyenvironmentalandconservationsciences. Applying conservation methodologies within farming practice has a long way to go.Howevertheauthorshavehighlighted,usingrealexamples,manywaysinwhich farmers,withthesupportofpoliticiansandscientists,canmakeapositivecontribution towildlifeconservationatbest,andmitigateenvironmentaldamageattheveryleast. This book is aimed at undergraduate students, conservation groups, policy makers andconscientiousfarmersinthehopeofinspiringfuturepractitionersof: WILDLIFECONSERVATIONINFARMING StephenBurchett SarahBurchett Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge the following people who have helped us in ourresearchandpreparationofthemanuscript. FromtheUK:SandraHughesforherartwork,JillSutcliffeoftheInstituteofEcology andEnvironmentalManagement(IEEM)foradviceonmanuscriptpreparation. UKacademicandfarmingcontacts:RichardandJudyFossofDownFarm,South Devon.AlisonandIanSamuelfordiscussionsonorganicfarminginSouthDevon.Sue PeachofDrywallFarm,Widecombe,Devon.JimRudderhamandLindsayHargreaves fromElvedenEstate.JamieBlackettfromArbiglandEstateinDumfriesandGalloway. Henry Edmunds of the Cholderton Estate, Hampshire. David Robertson from the Forestry Commission for an informative visit around the Sunart Oakwoods. Mark WoodsofLochDuartSalmonFarm,Scotland.TonySmithofDragonFeeds,Wales. FromtheUS:MichaelWisniewskifromtheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture (USDA)forhelpandadviceonfarminginWestVirginiaandmanuscriptpreparation. JulianHoekstraandJeffAdolphsenforinformativediscussionsontheUSEasement Programme. USacademicandfarmingcontacts:KevinWilliamsoftheUSDAExtensionService inNorthCarolinafororganisinginformativevisitswithlongleafpineforestowners. Art Williams of Kalawi Farm, North Carolina. Brent Bogue (USDA), John Ann Shearer of the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and land owner Jutta Kuenzler for an excellent wetlands restoration visit in North Carolina, plus Matt Kinane, Gerry Cohn of the American Farmland Trust and farmer Larry Perry in North Carolina, farmers Michael and Chrissie James in Maryland. Malin Clyde and Matt Tarr from University of New Hampshire Extension Service, who arranged many interesting and informative visits for us in New Hampshire, and Richard Langan for taking us outtoseeoffshoreaquacultureoperations.NedTherrienforshowingusaroundhis woodlandlotinNewHampshireandfarmerChuckCoxalsoinNewHampshire.Eric SidemanfromtheMaineOrganicFarmers&GardenersAssociation(MOFGA). Fromtherestoftheworld:GlenReynoldsfromDanumValley,Sabah,Borneo.Bill Spencer and Paul Troy of Hawaii Oceanic Technology™. Dr Shamsudin, Forestry
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