Although current evidence shows farmland birds in the UK and across Europe are in steep decline, certain low-impact agriculture techniques may be able to support struggling bird populations if they are put into more widespread use.

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The latest European Bird Census Council report, released in July, revealed that populations of farmland birds declined by 45 per cent between 1980 and 2009 across the continent. Furthermore, another study published in July, this time in the Journal of Applied Ecology, showed current government and EU-supported efforts to bolster farmland bird populations are proving inadequate in the UK.

In the first study of its kind, the JAE researchers revealed that Environmental Stewardship options are being implemented too patchily and over insufficient areas of land to have any positive effects on farmland bird populations.

The researchers suggested that, in addition to the inadequate response to such schemes, the option based system in and of itself is not comprehensive enough. They recommended that a more joined-up approach must be taken to avoid continued biodiversity loss; the researchers argued such a system would provide more places to forage for birds, reducing competition, making predation more difficult, and filling an identified gap in mid-winter when food is scarcest to achieve demonstrable benefits.

However, research released just a few weeks later on the other side of the world demonstrated that certain farming techniques can provide benefits for birdlife, whilst maintaining food production and mitigating the impact of agriculture on the environment.

Agroforestry can support birdlife

In August, American researchers working in tropical regions and reporting in the Journal of Ornithology showed that 'agroforests,' in which crops are grown under trees, support diversity and numbers in bird species. The researchers warned against the conversion of agroforests into open farmland, which often has impacts for production, soil health and biodiversity. Of deepest concern to the biologists was the rate at which natural forests that promote the greatest bird diversity are being replaced by ranches and farmland in the regions studied.

Researchers from France's National Agricultural Research Institute (INRA) have suggested that the disappearance of trees from Europe's countryside is a grave cause for concern. They have said that many of Europe's fertile soils are due to its forests, tree life and the rich biodiversity they support and that the destruction of this landscape is having an effect on the health of the biome.

Professor Çağan Şekercioğlu's study for the Journal of Ornithology focused on tropical agricultural landscapes, rather than European or North American environments. Nevertheless, he ventured, "Agroforests are better overall for bird biodiversity in the tropics than open farms. If you have the option of having agroforest versus open farmland, [agroforestry] is better for biodiversity."

Earlier European research supports Şekercioğlu’s findings

Although no such exhaustive studies have been performed in Europe, research has been conducted which suggests that agroforestry could provide similar benefits for European birdlife. A 1999 study by researchers at Cranfield University investigated the claim that "agroforestry… can bring onto farmland some of the biodiversity benefits associated with woodlands.” The researchers examined silvopastoral (pasture land with trees) and silvoarable systems (trees and arable crops).

As early as 1996, researchers in Scotland had reported a higher number of bird species in agroforestry plots, compared to an agricultural control site. The Cranfield researchers concluded that both branches of agroforestry appear to support farmland birds, with silvoarable proving demonstrably better. However, they did not provide any concrete figures relating to birdlife, though they found many more small mammals in agroforestry plots.

The Cranfield researchers also concluded that the sustainable farming technique, which is widely implemented across the world "can lead to reduced numbers of some pests, such as grain aphids," though they noted that slug problems can develop in some circumstances. Since that time, Jim McAdam of Queen’s University, Belfast has conducted ongoing research into the biodiversity of agroforestry systems. He said agroforestry, "appears to encourage birds normally associated with the hedgerow or the woodand onto grassland, creating a more diverse farmed landscape."

Approach gaining ground in Europe

In France, agroforestry is undergoing a renaissance and new projects are also burgeoning in Germany and the United States. However, the high costs associated with setting up agroforestry systems and resistance from the industrial farm lobby have hampered uptake. Nevertheless, the approach ensures dramatic increases in biodiversity, improvements in soil quality and the trees themselves can provide an extra source of income.

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Fabien Liagre, president of French agroforestry research institute Agroof commented on agroforestry’s profile in the country; "Farmers are becoming increasingly aware of how poor their soil has become, leading to a fall in production. Trees are a very good way of improving the soil while producing wood, which is an additional source of revenue. This type of farming, where crops and trees grow in the same field, is an age-old practice that has been updated by recent agronomic research."

Agroforestry is deeply linked with agroecology, a field of agriculture which gives equal consideration to the social and environmental effects of farming. UN rapporteur on the Right to Food and vocal champion of agroecology, Olivier de Schutter has said of the approach, "Conventional farming relies on expensive inputs, fuels climate change and is not resilient to climatic shocks. It simply is not the best choice anymore today. A large segment of the scientific community now acknowledges the positive impacts of agroecology on food production, poverty alleviation and climate change mitigation."

In France, around 3,000 hectares are being converted to agroforestry each year and in 2006 INRA succeeded in gaining European Commission recognition for agroforestry systems in the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) for the first time. INRA researchers said this could lead to Several million hectares being planted in Europe over the next thirty years.

Evidence from the UK Agroforestry Research Trust suggests that, although trees may account for only 5 percent of the farmed land area in agroforestry systems, they account for over 50 percent of the biodiversity, "improving wildlife habitat and harbouring birds and beneficial insects which feed on crop pests."

Nevertheless, although the resurgence of agroforestry may bring some benefits, supporting the recovery of a number of bird species will prove a gruelling and complex task; uptake of the approach is proving slow while declines in biodiversity are worsening at an alarming rate.

Furthermore, the European Birdlife Census and British Trust for Ornithology both suggest that, whilst the 19 species of generalist farmland birds, which can survive in a wider range of conditions, are faring well across Europe, 'specialists', species which are reliant on arable in-field habitats, are suffering severe declines. If these species are to be effectively supported, their niche habitats must be protected.

It remains to be seen whether agroecology, or other types of intervention, can achieve this.

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