Search

Wildflower strips have been heralded as a promising way to enhance ecosystem services by providing organisms which may help make farming less dependent on external inputs. However, recent studies show inconsistent effects on delivery of ecosystem services and crop yield, warranting a more detailed analysis of the factors determining the effects of wildflower strips. We examined how the natural enemy groups of spider, carabid beetle and staphylinid beetle, as well as aphid pest and crop yield respond to wildflower strips. We furthermore determined whether the response of natural enemies, aphids and crop yield depends on flower cover and species richness, and how this is influenced by fertilizer and insecticide applications to the crop in 16 winter wheat fields in the Netherlands. We used an experimental approach with a nested design that included all combinations of wildflower strips (present/absent), fertilizer application (yes/no) and insecticide application (yes/no). Presence of wildflower strips did not affect ground-dwelling natural enemies, aphids or crop yield. However, flower availability across wildflower strips and control margins was positively related to the abundance of the pooled number of examined natural enemies, spiders and carabid beetles. Positive effects in the crop were observed over limited distances; up to 5 m from the edge for spiders and wheat yield. The effects of flower availability and on-field management practices on natural enemies, aphids and wheat yield did not interact suggesting that, in our study, effects of flowers were not influenced by insecticide or fertilizer applications but were mainly additive. Our study indicates that cover and richness of wildflowers in field margin habitat, rather than establishment of wildflower strips per se, drove increases in natural enemies and crop yield. This suggests that more attention should be given to the optimization of establishment success of seed mixtures and management practices enhancing wildflower cover and diversity. Furthermore, biodiversity enhancing management of the herbaceous vegetation in linear landscape elements may represent a cost-effective alternative to boost ecosystem services regulating crop production in agricultural landscapes.

The municipality of Gooise Meren has drawn up a design zoning plan for the play park Oud Valkeveen. The play park attracts many visitors with cars and buses. The play park is surrounded by Natura-2000 site Eemmeer and Gooimeer Zuidoever and Nature Network the Netherlands and is located on the Gooikust. Foundation De Limiten en Valkeveen and foundation van Vrienden van ‘t Gooi have asked Wageningen Environmental Research to conduct a second opinion on previously published ecological reports regarding the Oud Valkeveen zoning plan of the municipality of Gooise Meren. De gemeente Gooise Meren heeft een bestemmingsplan opgesteld voor speelpark Oud Valkeveen. Het speelpark trekt veel bezoekers met auto’s en bussen. Het speelpark is omringd door Natura 2000-gebied Eemmeer en Gooimeer Zuidoever en Natuurnetwerk Nederland en ligt aan de Gooikust. Stichting De Limiten en Valkeveen en Vereniging van Vrienden van ‘t Gooi hebben Wageningen Environmental Research gevraagd om een second opinion uit te voeren op eerder verschenen ecologische rapportages met betrekking tot het bestemmingsplan Oud Valkeveen van de gemeente Gooise Meren.

In de gemeente Heusden bevindt zich het landgoed van het voormalig kasteel d’Oultremont, ook wel bekend als kasteel Steenenburg. De gemeente Heusden heeft een ontwikkelingsplan opgemaakt dat als leidraad gaat dienen voor de ontwikkeling van landgoed Steenenburg en in samenspraak met de Keldersgroup en de Arec-DBM Groep is de gemeente Heusden voornemens om op landgoed Steenenburg een onderzoeks- en researchcentrum te realiseren. De gemeente Heusden heeft Wageningen Environmental Research gevraagd om eventueel beschermde natuurwaarden, van de verschillende faunagroepen en flora, op landgoed Steenenburg in beeld te brengen en deze worden in de voorliggende rapportage gepresenteerd.

In de voorliggende rapportage zijn op verzoek van de gemeente Zaanstad door Wageningen Environmental Research de monitoringtransecten voor de verschillende soorten, soortgroepen en habitattypen op kaart gezet, gerelateerd aan de 22 landschapstypen die in de gemeente Zaanstad zijn onderscheiden.

In het Natura 2000-gebied Springendal en Dal van de Mosbeek is de kamsalamander een van de soorten waarvoor dit gebied is aangewezen. Voor de kamsalamander kent dit Natura 2000-gebied een uitbreidings- en verbeteringsdoelstelling. In de huidige situatie komt de kamsalamander voor in het deelgebied Manderstreu en in een poel op Holtsuze. Manderstreu is een typisch kleinschalig agrarisch coulisselandschap, waarin vijf poelen gelegen zijn langs de Eendenbeek en in poel net ten zuiden van Manderstreu in Holtsuze. Gezien de geïsoleerde ligging van dit leefgebied en de beperkte omvang van de populatie zijn goede maatregelen wenselijk om het duurzame voorkomen op termijn te garanderen. De provincie Overijssel heeft Wageningen Environmental Research (WEnR), voorheen Alterra, gevraagd om een onderzoek dat de maatregelen beschrijft die de uitbreidingsdoelstellingen garanderen.

Er is een methodiek opgesteld om studies naar middelen voor wildschadepreventie te kunnen beoordelen. De methodiek betreft enerzijds de wetenschappelijke kwaliteit van het onderzoek en anderzijds de effectiviteit van de middelen. Naast effectiviteit van de middelen wordt ook aandacht geschonken aan aspecten als ontwikkelingsfase van het middel, aanschaf- en gebruikskosten, neveneffecten e.d. Aan de hand van deze methodiek is voor de tien belangrijkste schadesoorten in Nederland een literatuurreview gemaakt van onderzoeken naar de effectiviteit van verjagingsmiddelen. Wat betreft internationale literatuur hebben we ons beperkt tot peer-reviewed publicaties, voor Nederlands onderzoek is ook gekeken naar grijze literatuur.

In 2014 en 2014 is een GIS-studie uitgevoerd naar de voorkeur van soorten voor het stedelijk gebied. Vanuit de wettelijke verplichtingen van de overheid ligt de nadruk daarbij op Vogelrichtlijn- en Habitatrichtlijnsoorten en daarnaast op Rode Lijstsoorten (RL). Voor de geografische analyses zijn waarnemingsgegevens gebruikt uit de Nationale Database Flora en Fauna (NDFF) voor de periode 2007-2013. Op deze wijze zijn lijsten met stedelijke soorten opgesteld voor geselecteerde vaatplanten, dagvlinders, libellen, amfibieën, reptielen, vogels en zoogdieren. De uiteindelijke lijst omvat 60 soorten. De lijst geeft een indicatie van de soorten die het sterkst zullen profiteren van beschermings- en instandhoudingsmaatregelen in het stedelijk gebied, dus buiten de Natura 2000-gebieden en Natuurnetwerk Nederland. Dit is met name van belang voor de ca. 30 zeldzame en sterk bedreigde soorten uit de opgestelde lijst.

In this study, the impact of species-specific spatial habitat use, diet preferences, and soil concentrations and properties on the accumulation of cadmium in small mammals was investigated. The results show that for the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), a mobile species with a large range in diet composition, accumulation of cadmium was not related to local soil concentrations or soil properties, but to diet preferences. For the common vole (Microtus arvalis), a nonmobile, specific feeding species, accumulation of cadmium was related to local soil concentrations or properties. For the bank vole (Myodes glareolus), a species with a smaller home range than the wood mouse but a broader diet spectrum than the common vole, both local soil properties and diet appeared to affect the cadmium accumulation in the kidneys. The results of this field study show that species-specific traits of small mammals are important determinants of accumulation of cadmium on a local scale. For site-specific assessment of risks of contaminants, such information is essential in order to understand exposure dynamics.

Effects of soil properties on the accumulation of metals to wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) were evaluated at two sites with different pH and organic matter content of the soil. pH and organic matter content significantly affected accumulation of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in earthworms and vegetation. For Cd, Cu and Zn these effects propagated through the food web to the wood mouse. Soil-to-kidney ratios differed between sites: Cd: 0.15 versus 3.52, Cu: 0.37 versus 1.30 and Zn: 0.33–0.83. This was confirmed in model calculations for Cd and Zn. Results indicate that total soil concentrations may be unsuitable indicators for risks that metals pose to wildlife. Furthermore, environmental managers may, unintentionally, change soil properties while taking specific environmental measures. In this way they may affect risks of metals to wildlife, even without changes in total soil concentrations. Soil properties significantly affect accumulation of heavy metals to wood mice so; risks cannot be based on total concentrations.

In densely populated northwestern Europe, native large mammals are confronted with a very fragmented landscape, and most of the areas they inhabit are island-like reserves threatened with total isolation from other reserves. The only way to counteract the threat of further decline in the numbers of large-mammal species is to restore their habitats. The appropriate size of future reserves could be estimated from the habitat requirements of wild ungulates that are considered key species for ecosystem functioning. The species selected to guide the design of large nature reserves in northwestern Europe is the red deer ( Cervus elaphus) because of its widespread distribution, key role in ecosystem functioning, and home-range size. We describe a network analysis of the Netherlands, Belgium, and adjacent parts of France and Germany, performed with the LARCH landscape ecology model, that was conducted in order to identify the structure of the ecological network for red deer and the spatial connectivity of the landscape. The resulting maps show areas that could support viable populations and indicate habitat areas that will support persistent populations only if they are in a network of linked habitats. The gaps and barriers that prevent connectivity in such networks guide the design of effective corridors to increase spatial connectivity. The results of our analysis can be used for policy decisions on nature conservation and spatial planning, and the method is applicable to other regions and species.

Background Change in land use and management can impact massively on soil ecosystems. Ecosystem engineers and other functional biodiversity in soils can be influenced directly by such change and this in turn can affect key soil functions. Here, we employ meta-analysis to provide a quantitative assessment of the effects of changes in land use and land management across a range of successional/extensification transitions (conventional arable¿¿¿no or reduced tillage¿¿¿grassland¿¿¿wooded land) on community metrics for two functionally important soil taxa, earthworms and fungi. An analysis of the relationships between community change and soil structural properties was also included. Results Meta-analysis highlighted a consistent trend of increased earthworm and fungal community abundances and complexity following transitions to lower intensity and later successional land uses. The greatest changes were seen for early stage transitions, such as introduction of reduced tillage regimes and conversion to grassland from arable land. Not all changes, however, result in positive effects on the assessed community metrics. For example, whether woodland conversion positively or negatively affects community size and complexity depends on woodland type and, potentially, the changes in soil properties, such as pH, that may occur during conversion. Alterations in soil communities tended to facilitate subsequent changes in soil structure and hydrology. For example, increasing earthworm abundances and functional group composition were shown to be positively correlated with water infiltration rate (dependent on tillage regime and habitat characteristics); while positive changes in fungal biomass measures were positively associated with soil microaggregate stability. Conclusions These findings raise the potential to manage landscapes to increase ecosystem service provision from soil biota in relation to regulation of soil structure and water flow. Keywords: Meta analysis; Earthworm; Fungi; Functional biodiversity; Soil porosity; Microaggregate stability

Use of cattle-grazed and ungrazed woodland pastures by red deer Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758 and wild boar Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 was investigated monthly by measuring dung-deposition rates. Cattle Bos taurus grazed pastures year-round, with peak intensities during the growing season (May¿September). Red deer and wild boar grazed pastures primarily during autumn and winter (October-April) when cattle occupancy was at a minimum. The lower occupancy of cattle in pastures from November to April was interpreted as the result of competition with red deer. Mean sward height in this period fell below 6.5 cm. In autumn and winter a negative relationship was found for red deer and wild boar occupancy with sward height, which indicated that red deer and wild boar preferred swards previously grazed by cattle. At the start of the growing season, when cattle occupancy in the pastures increased, red deer switched their habitat preference and almost totally disappeared from pastures to use alternative feeding grounds. Interpretation of the results lead to the conclusion that facilitative and competitive interactions occurred between sympatric cattle and red deer in woodland pastures, and to some extent also between cattle and wild boar.

From 1987 till 1997 we studied effects of cessation of supplementary feeding on performance of red deer Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758 and wild boar Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 in the Netherlands.