PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR THE IMPACTS OF AGRICULTURE AND PREDATION ON THE SUCCESS OF GROUND NESTING FARMLAND BIRDS.

CONVENORS
Dr Jennifer Smart
RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL, United Kingdom
Fax +44 1493 700645; email: jennifer.smart@rspb.org.uk

Dr Luc Schifferli
Swiss Ornithological Institute, CH 6204 Sempach, Switzerland
Fax +41 41 462 97 10; email: Luc.Schifferli@Vogelwarte.ch

Dr Wolf Teunissen
SOVON Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology, Rijksstraatweg 178, 6573DG Beek-Ubberggen, The Netherlands
Fax +31246848122; e-mail: wolf.teunissen@sovon.nl
  
DESCRIPTION
Agricultural intensification has been linked to the widespread and dramatic declines in farmland bird species across Europe. Modern farming methods can reduce breeding success, survival and recruitment by altering the structural diversity of habitats, limiting the food supply and, through mechanical destruction of breeding attempts in ground-nesting species. To compensate for these negative effects, conservation management aims to improve habitat quality often by reversing the processes involved in agricultural intensification for example, the wetting up of drained landscapes or the reduction of grazing intensity. Evidence is emerging for the success of nature reserves, agri-environment and nest protection schemes at improving habitats and, the breeding success of farmland species. However, there is also a growing body of evidence that predation of nests and chicks may be limiting the recovery of populations of ground-nesting farmland birds. In consequence, the success of habitat improvement schemes may be compromised by high predation rates.

This symposium aims to review the evidence for the impacts of agriculture and predation on the breeding success of ground nesting farmland birds for example, lapwing, redshank and skylark. The aim is to find and evaluate practical solutions to the agricultural and predation problems, designed to improve the breeding success of endangered farmland species thus, ensuring the long-term survival of populations.

KEYNOTE 1: Smart, J., Bolton, M., MacDonald, M. & Eglington, S.M. 
Here today, gone tomorrow…Predation – the issues and practical solutions.

KEYNOTE 2: Schifferli, L., Spaar, R. Grüebler, M and Rickenbach. O.
Ground nesting farmland birds in conflict with intensive agriculture and heavy predation

Junker, S., Ramme, S., Ehrnsberger, R. and Düttmann, H.
Changes in Lapwing productivity in Stollhammer Wisch (Lower Saxony, Germany) in the years 2001-2008.

Grüebler, M., Schuler, H., Müller, M., Spaar, R., Horch, P. and Naef-Daenzer, B.
Female-biased mortality and intra-seasonal breeding dispersal caused by anthropogenic nest loss in  a meadow bird

Pehlak, H. and Mägi, E.
The decline of Ruff Philomachus pugnax breeding population in Estonia and action planned for the species