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The importance of arable land for wildlife
Arable land can be extremely valuable for wildlife, with many species of plants and birds relying purely on cultivated farmland. Spring sown cereals provide short vegetation suitable for nesting lapwing and skylark, with winter stubbles providing an important source of spilt grain and weed seeds for birds such as grey partridge, corn bunting and linnet. Arable farms are also important for mammals such as brown hare, for a range of insects and for important rare arable plants. Most of the TIBRE Arable Handbook provides advice on in-field measures that can be taken to minimise any adverse environmental impacts by using modern technology. This section looks at management of the rest of an arable unit that can be done to benefit biodiversity.
Priority species of arable farmland require the most urgent conservation action. Species such as grey partridge, corn bunting, barn owl, yellowhammer, linnet, bullfinch, pipistrelle bat, brown hare and cornflower are characteristic of arable farmland, but their numbers have decreased over the last two decades or so. |
There are many actions that can be taken to encourage wildlife on cropped land:
- Minimise the time between harrowing, sowing and rolling so that nesting birds are left undisturbed.
- Allow nesting birds about eight weeks to hatch between first and second rollings.
- If possible do not plough stubbles in until the end of February.
- Plan crop rotations carefully to restore soil fertility and reduce the need for pesticides.
- Try to ensure that a variety of crops are growing at the same time to create different habitats for wildlife, as this will help provide food and shelter throughout the year.
The careful management of field margins will be one of the most important ways to increase the diversity of plants and wildlife on an arable farm. Field margins are often the least productive area of a field and many benefits for wildlife can be achieved with just a one metre grass strip between the field boundary and the crop edge. They can benefit small mammals such as mice and voles, providing ideal hunting areas for barn owls and kestrels. They can also help to reduce the impact of fertiliser and pesticide on sensitive habitats nearby and can help comply with LERAP requirements.
As well as giving wildlife benefits, grass margins help reduce the spread of hedgerow weeds into the crop and encourage predatory insects that can help to control crop pests. They are inexpensive, easy to establish and require very little maintenance.
In order to maximise the wildlife benefit, position field margins alongside hedgerows or watercourses where they act as a buffer strip helping to protect watercourses and boundary habitats.
Different types of field margins include tussocky grass strips, grass and wildflower strips. Grass strips across the middle of fields are called Beetle Banks and are especially suitable in bigger fields as a way of providing areas for wildlife in a cultivated landscape.
top of pageHedges, ditches and dykes are important features in the landscape, contributing especially to the scenic value of an area. They provide a habitat for all kinds of wildlife including beneficial insects such as butterflies and ladybirds, and mammals such as bats and hedgehogs, and are a prime source of food, shelter and cover for hedge nesting species and farmland birds. In general, the thicker the hedge, the more wildlife benefit it provides. Trees in hedge lines are also important for the landscape and help to increase bird numbers. A good mix of species in hedges provides seeds and berries throughout the winter, which is one of the main reasons why hedge trimming should not be carried out every year.
top of pageA conservation headland is a less intensively managed strip at the outer edge of the crop - with less fertiliser and pesticide applied than elsewhere in the field. Conservation headlands are a key habitat because of the broadleaved weeds that grow in them and the insects that they support. Insects in turn are food for gamebird chicks and other birds. The weeds provide seeds for small mammals and the flowers nectar for butterflies. This less dense part of the crop provides an area of easily used cover for young birds. Conservation headlands are also a refuge for rare and declining plants and many species of beneficial insects. By tilting the spreader or switching off the outer section of the sprayer to reduce fertiliser and pesticide inputs in the outer six metre strip, these environmental benefits can be achieved.
top of pageWild bird cover (or unharvested crops) is an important way of increasing wildlife areas on a farm; by acting as a giant bird table, it provides a source of insects and seeds throughout the year to benefit birds such as grey partridge and yellowhammer and mammals such as brown hares and bats. Wild bird cover should contain a mix of at least two crop types such as a cereal and a brassica and is usually down for two years.
top of pageMuch of the wildlife management above is eligible for support under Rural Development Contracts. Information on how to apply can be found on the Scottish Government web site at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Rural/SRDP/
top of pageFurther detailed information on all these management options is available from organisations such as RSPB and SAC Conservation Services.
