Farmland bird species management areas, Status 11/8/2017

Overview of the areas, located in Flanders, within which a management agreement for field birds (gray bunting, yellowhammer, skylark, partridge, yellow wagtail, tree sparrow and lapwing) can be concluded, as determined by Ministerial Decree. Field birds such as skylark and partridge go in Flanders, as in the rest of Western Europe, very sharply down. This has to do with changes in the agricultural landscape, as a result of which they find insufficient food, breeding and hiding places. In the species protection management areas, measures for farmland birds have the greatest added value, since there are still sufficient large farmland bird populations. By increasing the food supply and providing additional nesting and hiding places, the chances of survival of farmland birds increase. It is important that the measures are sufficiently spread over the area. They are divided into core areas and search zones. Core areas are areas with a current high presence of farmland birds. Search zones are areas with a high potential for the presence of farmland birds. Within the core areas, based on the population density of farmland birds, a distinction is made between priority core areas with the highest densities, the 15,000 ha best areas and the 25,000 ha best areas. In the core areas, each individual farmer can conclude a management agreement. In the remaining area of ​​the management area, the search zones, this is only possible in the context of a farmland bird project. In the management areas for farmland birds, management agreements can be concluded for the construction and maintenance of a 'mixed grass strip plus' and agreements for the cultivation of a seed-producing food crop such as wheat or buckwheat. A 'mixed grass strip plus' is a herb-rich grass strip that attracts insects that serve as summer food for the field birds and their young. In addition, the grass strip offers nesting opportunities and year-round shelter. By leaving seed-producing food crops until spring, the farmland birds can feed on grains during the winter. Moreover, the food crop provides cover at a time when many fields are bare. The farmer receives an annual compensation for five years as compensation.Management areas for farmland birds are part of the management areas for species protection. The management areas for the management objective of species protection are demarcated at the proposal of the Institute for Nature and Forest Research (INBO) on the basis of the most recent monitoring data available.