Malcolm Ausden

Grassland nature reserves for breeding wading birds in England and the implications for the ESA agri-environment scheme

Abstract The two principal mechanisms available to conserve breeding wading birds on lowland wet grassland in England are nature reserves and agri-environment schemes, particularly the Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) scheme. ESAs offer payments to landowners in return for maintaining (‘low tiers’) or enhancing (‘high tiers’) the landscape, biodiversity and historic value of the land. Lowland wet grassland nature reserves managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) have been successful at conserving breeding lapwings and redshank but habitat management usually only results in short-term increases in numbers of breeding snipe. Within ESAs, populations of breeding wading birds fare better on land managed under high tiers than on land managed under low tiers. Land managed under high tiers also supports more pairs of breeding wading birds per £ of ESA grant received than land managed under low tiers. Means of increasing the cost-effectiveness of the ESA scheme in conserving breeding wading birds are discussed in the light of these results.

Impacts of species-led conservation on ecosystem services of wetlands: understanding co-benefits and tradeoffs

Biodiversity conservation organisations have recently begun to consider a wider ecosystem services context for their activities. While the literature suggests the potential of ‘win–win’ situations where biodiversity conservation and the delivery of ecosystem services overlap, empirical evidence is wanting. Here we explore the role that species-led management for the benefit of biodiversity in cultural landscapes can play in the delivery of wider ecosystem services. We use UK lowland wetlands as a case study and show how successful delivery of species-led conservation through management interventions relies on practices that can affect greenhouse gas fluxes, water quality and regulation, and cultural benefits. In these wetlands, livestock grazing has potentially large effects on water and greenhouse gas related services, but there is little scope to alter management without compromising species objectives. Likewise, there is little potential to alter reedbed management without compromising conservation objectives. There is some potential to alter woodland and scrub management, but this would likely have limited influence due to the relatively small area over which such management is practiced. The management of water levels potentially has large effects on provision of several services and there does appear to be some scope to align this objective with biodiversity objectives. A comprehensive understanding of the net costs and benefits to society of these interventions will require fine-grained research integrating ecological, economic and social science research. However, a less analytic understanding of the potential costs and benefits can highlight ways by which land management principally to achieve biodiversity conservation objectives might be modified to enhance delivery of other ecosystem services.

Diet of breeding Lapwing Vanellus vanellus and Redshank Tringa totanus on coastal grazing marsh and implications for habitat management

Capsule Management of coastal grazing marshes for these breeding wading birds should prescribe maintaining shallow pools in May and June instead of until the end of April as currently set out in most coastal grazing marsh ESA agri-environment schemes. Aims To determine the range of prey and most important components of the diet of breeding Lapwing and Redshank on coastal grazing marsh throughout the breeding season. Methods Prey were determined from remains in faeces and pellets. The contributions of these prey to the diet were estimated by multiplying selected prey remains by published correction factors and dry weights of intact prey. Results Adult Lapwing and chicks and adult Redshank fed on a wide range of soil, surface-active and aquatic invertebrates. Adult Redshank also fed on estuarine invertebrates. The proportion of aquatic invertebrates in the diet of both species increased as the breeding season progressed, while that of soil invertebrates decreased. Conclusion Aquatic invertebrates in shallow pools can be an important component of the diet of breeding Lapwing and Redshank in May and June, but most management of coastal grazing marsh set out in ESA agri-environment schemes only specifies retaining pools until the end of April. Proximity to estuaries might be important in influencing the suitability of coastal grazing marshes for breeding Redshank.