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Agricultural intensification has substantially reduced multi-scale habitat heterogeneity, including increased field size and loss of semi-natural structures, thus resulting in large-scale deterioration of farmland biodiversity. Biodiversity conservation in farmland has therefore become a conservation priority on a regional as well as continental scale. The effect of habitat heterogeneity on biodiversity on different trophic and niche levels is poorly understood, particularly in agricultural regions with simple arable patterns, where biodiversity has declined most conspicuously. To investigate the effects of habitat heterogeneity on biodiversity in an intensively managed arable-dominated agricultural landscape, we measured the abundance and species richness of spiders, butterflies, birds and European hares as well as the fine-scale habitat composition on various spatial scales. Additionally, we examined correlations between species richness and abundance among taxonomic groups to investigate if any of the biodiversity parameters provided a good indicator of overall farmland biodiversity. We found that smaller patch sizes and larger areas of non-cropped elements (margins, hedges and grasslands) were related to higher farmland biodiversity of different taxonomic groups but habitat diversity was not. The positive effect of these factors was recorded on both spatial scales and in a separate analysis considering groups with different habitat requirements and dispersal abilities. Biodiversity parameters (i.e. species richness and abundance) of the taxonomic groups were positively correlated with one another. In particular, butterfly species richness correlated with bird, butterfly and spider abundance and with bird species richness, suggesting that it may be a good indicator of general farmland biodiversity in intensively managed arable landscapes. Our results suggest that enhancing the heterogeneity of farmed landscapes by decreasing field size and increasing the availability of non-cropped habitats may be a valuable tool for conserving farmland biodiversity in intensive arable farmlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture, during its millenarian history, had contributed to shape impressive cultural landscapes; however, in recent decades, many of these have been lost or degraded because of widespread intensification or abandonment. Low-intensive agricultural landscapes are of utmost importance for biodiversity conservation and the delivery of cultural ecosystem services. We worked in a cultural landscape shaped by viticulture (in Trentino, Italy), which recently underwent a widespread intensification. We explicitly quantified two cultural services (aesthetic and cultural heritage values), and the biodiversity (bird species richness) associated with this landscape at 24 sampling sites. We then related these variables with the territory density of an indicator/flagship bird species, the common redstart. Finally, we assessed redstart ecological requirements at the territory scale. We aimed to define an appealing strategy combining biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service delivery in the cultural landscapes. Redstart density was positively related with avian species richness and landscape aesthetic value, the latter being related with the cultural heritage value. Redstart occurrence was positively associated with hedge and tree rows, dry-stone walls, marginal habitats, and the compositional diversity of the land-cover. We concluded that managing the agricultural landscape to maintain aesthetic and heritage values, which primarily means conserving and enhancing its key ‘traditional’ traits, would favour an indicator/flagship species and likely the wider bird diversity. It will also promote the heritage and recreational value of the landscape itself, underlining the importance of the synergistic integration of multiple conservation targets into a combined strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout history traditional land uses have created small natural features (SNFs) that can serve as biodiversity hotspots or remnants in agricultural landscapes that may otherwise support little biodiversity. SNFs in these landscapes include field and pasture margins, forest fringes, hedges, hollow ways (sunken lanes), stone walls, sand and gravel pits, and quarries. Many of these SNFs were established thousands of years ago as humans began to establish agricultural practices in Europe and other parts of the world. In some cases, these SNFs are old enough to have allowed unique ecological communities to develop or even new species to evolve. The consolidation of lands and intensification of agriculture and mining practices, however, have eradicated many of these SNFs; this decline started in the 19th century and has accelerated in recent years. Conservation practices that aim to maintain these anthropogenic SNFs are increasing, largely due to the growing recognition of their conservation value. New government initiatives, agro-environmental schemes, and greenways and ecosystem networks are being implemented with some success. These efforts, however, are far from perfect; much more work on management, restoration, and re-creation of anthropogenic SNFs is required to ensure that they persist and continue to support biodiversity in highly modified landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: The identification of habitat structures with biologically meaningful links to habitat quality has enabled an increased understanding of wildlife distributions in fragmented landscapes. However, knowledge is lacking of where these structures occur in the landscape. Objectives: For a broad-scale agricultural landscape, we investigated how the occurrence and abundance of wildlife habitat structures is related to abiotic conditions and land management practices, and whether this differed between old growth and regrowth woodland. Methods: We used generalised linear mixed models to investigate the distribution of eight habitat structures in the South-West Slopes bioregion of south-eastern Australia. Results: Only one habitat structure, canopy depth, was related to abiotic conditions alone, whereas only leaf litter cover was related to land management practices only. Each of the other structures (abundance of logs, large trees, hollow-bearing trees, mid-sized trees and dead trees, and amount of native grass cover) was related to a combination and/or interaction of abiotic conditions and land management practices. Old growth woodland had higher log, large tree and hollow-bearing tree abundance, whereas regrowth woodland had higher mid-sized tree and dead tree abundance. Conclusions: Our findings inform key management prescriptions that can be used to improve conservation efforts so they have strong, quantifiable effects on wildlife habitat in temperate agricultural landscapes. Our case study shows that by understanding how management actions in specific abiotic conditions lead to the increased occurrence or abundance of particular habitat structures, management can be spatially targeted to alternative conservation strategies relevant to the landscape of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cork oak landscapes are considered a model for the integration of sustainable land-use and biodiversity conservation. These traditional cultural landscapes, shaped through centuries, are in sharp decline in the Iberian Peninsula due to the polarization of their usage: from agricultural intensification to land abandonment. This study presents an in-depth analysis of the main drivers affecting cork oak landscapes' management and structure in Berrocal, Huelva Province, Spain since 1940. Results show that the main causes for the decline of these landscapes has been the abandonment of the traditional multi-functionality of the dehesa, largely driven by demographic changes, and the increasing occurrence of major disturbances, such as wildfires, drought and diseases. This case illustrates how the abandonment of obsolete land-uses transforms traditional landscapes, sparking questions about what the goals of traditional landscape conservation should be and about possible alternative management options, their associated conservation benefits and risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Intensive agricultural landscapes are often considered suboptimal for carnivores. • We tested how human-made habitats affected badgers in Mediterranean farmland. • Tree plantations and hedgerows favoured badgers, while roads had negative effect. • Carnivore conservation in farmland requires due attention to these habitats. There is increasing interest in understanding how to retain wildlife in agricultural landscapes, thereby contributing to global biodiversity conservation efforts. Here we investigate the drivers of European badger (Meles meles) occurrence in Mediterranean farmland. The badger is a generalist mammalian carnivore usually associated to native woodland and shrubland, so we hypothesised that its occurrence in Mediterranean farmland should be favoured by substitute habitats such as forestry plantations, and negatively affected by areas more heavily used by humans such as paved roads. The study was conducted in SW Portugal, where we surveyed for badgers presence signs (latrines, footprints, setts) along transects located at 60 3.14-km2 circles scattered through the landscape, each of which surveyed in spring (March-May), summer (July-August) and autumn (September-October). Occupancy-detection models were used to quantify the effect of environmental variables on badger occupancy probability, while controlling for imperfect detection. Badger detection probability was positively affected by the density of dirt roads, possibly reflecting a preference of badgers to mark along those structures. According to predictions, badger occupancy significantly increased with the amount of forestry plantations and arboreal hedgerows, while decreasing with increasing paved road density. Taken together, our results indicate that badger conservation in Mediterranean farmland under agricultural intensification should require the protection of areas with low paved road density, and the retention of wood cover, even where these are highly-modified habitats such as forest plantations and arboreal hedgerows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]