Intensification of agricultural land-use was shown to be the key reason behind declines in wildlifespecies associated with farmland. I looked at scenarios of agricultural development across the Baltic states ofEstonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and the ways they are seen to affect farmed environments as a habitat offarmland bird species. Community richness and abundance of many farmland bird species were positivelyrelated to the number of non-cropped elements within farmland, the local mixture of annual crop and grassfields, and the variety of field types. The above positive associations were strongest in open landscapes.There was a clear indication that the more intensively farmed areas across the region provided habitat forfewer bird species and individuals. The difference could partly be explained by the more heterogeneouslandscape and field areas in the latter. Within homogenous arable fields intensification of field managementwas reflected in a tangible decrease in farmland bird abundance, especially in species in need of edgestructures.Based on the interviews in Estonia and Finland I explored farmers’ interest in and knowledge offarmland wildlife, their understanding of the concept of biodiversity, and awareness of the potential causesbehind declines of farmland birds. Many farmers viewed biodiversity from a narrow perspective oftenexcluding species directly related to farming. In Finland farmers expressed concern about the decline incommon farmland species, but Estonian farmers did not, which might be related to the fact that these speciesare still very common. In both countries farmers rated intensification of agriculture as the major drivingforce behind farmland bird declines. The expressed interest in wildlife positively correlated with willingnessto undertake wildlife-friendly measures. Only farmers with agri-environment contracts targeted specificallyat biodiversity enhancement were more knowledgeable about practical on-farm activities favouring wildlife,and were more willing to employ them that the rest.The results suggest that, by contributing to simplification of the farmland structure, homogenisationof crops, and increase in intensity of field use EU agricultural policies will have a detrimental effect onfarmland bird populations in Eastern Europe. Farmers are on the whole positive to the idea of supportingwildlife in the fields, and are concerned about its decline, but they require payments to offset their incomeloss and extra work. Biodiversity conservation should be better integrated into the agri-environmentprogrammes if it to serve as awareness tool for farmers. I argue that with a foreseen tripling of cereal yieldsacross the region, the EU Council’s Göteborg target of slowing biodiversity decline by 2010 may not berealistic unless considerable improvements are made into the EU agricultural policy for the region.
Does organic farming benefit farmland birds in winter?