1 / 18

Enhancing Meadow Bird Conservation in the Netherlands through Direct Payment Schemes

This study explores the innovative approach of direct payment schemes for farmers in the Netherlands, aimed at increasing the breeding success of meadow birds, particularly the Black-tailed Godwit. By marking and monitoring incubated clutches, this policy incentivizes farmers to protect these species while minimizing agricultural restrictions. Through collaboration between farmers and nature conservationists, the scheme shows promise in halting population declines with relatively low costs. The research highlights the importance of integrating farming practices with conservation efforts and overcoming prejudices about nature payment schemes.

ataret
Télécharger la présentation

Enhancing Meadow Bird Conservation in the Netherlands through Direct Payment Schemes

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Breeding birds as a farm product Direct payment in the Netherlands Kees Musters, Hans de Graaf & Wim ter KeursEnvironmental BiologyIEES, Leiden UniversityThe Netherlands

  2. Meadow bird landscape

  3. Black-tailed Godwit

  4. Nest protection

  5. Need for conservation policy National population

  6. Governmental conservation measures:extensify agriculture in ‘environmental sensitive areas’ • Reserves • Contracts with farmers • no changes in water level • no changes in land use • not mowing or grazing before June 15th • financial compensation for loss of income

  7. Area: restricted Farming: restricted Check: measures Meadow birds: not assessed Agr.-conserv.: confict Costs (euro): 100-400 Overviewcontracts in ‘environmental sensitive areas’

  8. Resultsreserves and contracts in ‘environmental sensitive areas’ • Meadow birds: decrease seemed stopped • People: • great resistance among farmers: restricted agricultural practice • promoted conflict between conservationists and farmers • Government: high costs • Searching for an alternative

  9. Alternative • Criteria • increase breeding success • not restrict farmers • not be expensive • Direct payment • reward farmers for the presence of incubated meadow birds clutches on their land

  10. Direct paymentscheme • At one day in spring • incubated clutches are searched • these clutches are marked • a report is made of number and location of these clutches • Within three days • the report may be verified by a checking agency • Farmers are rewarded for each clutch • rare species are rewarded highly; common species low

  11. Area: restricted not restricted Farming: restricted not restricted Check: measures clutches Meadow birds: not assessed assessed Agr.-conserv.: conflict co-operation Costs (euro): 100-400 40 Overviewcontracts versus direct payment Contracts Direct payment

  12. Resultsdirect payment experiment

  13. Resultsdirect payment • Meadow birds: nest success is increased • People: • farmers enthusiastic: meadow birds are their product • nature conservationists help farmers in searching and protecting incubated clutches • implemented in ‘unions of agricultural nature conservation’ • Government: low costs

  14. Problems? • Organisation • frictions between unions and the national government on payment and payment-base • Publicity • Kleijn et al. (2001): agricultural nature conservation does not increase populations • for meadow birds methodologically not correct • did not study reserves • did not study direct payment • Prejudice against schemes in which citizens are paid for producing nature values

  15. Results? National population

  16. Present state • Total grassland area: 1.000.000ha • Volunteers: 325.000 ha • Reserves: 20.000 ha • Contracts: 44.000 ha • Unions: 37.000 ha

  17. Conclusions • Direct payment: • for nature: nest success is enlarged • for people involved: farmers are enthusiastic and co-operate with nature conservationists • it may be relatively cheap • It has to be defended against prejudice by showing its effectiveness for conserving populations

  18. Follow-up • Study population effects • New schemes • Already in practice: plants in ditch banks • Research: aquatic plants and animals in ditches

More Related