Postdoc Agroecological assessment of farm business models in bird conservation areas

Grassland breeding and migratory birds suffer from intensive agricultural land use practices almost all over Europe and more recently in their wintering grounds in Africa. This led to a dramatic decline of grassland breeding birds, which is still ongoing. Waders, which make up a high proportion of meadow birds, are among the taxonomic group with the highest proportion of endangered species according to the current EU Red List. 40 % experience population declines. Also migrating birds suffer above average (30 %) and a comparison between main habitat types in Europe shows that farmland and grassland habitats have the highest number of associated Threatened and Near Threatened bird species. Land use intensification is among the main drivers of this decline. Fast technological progress and intensification of agricultural practices increased agricultural yields, but at the same time decreased habitat quality and biodiversity in grasslands leading to a sharp decline in numbers of grassland breeding birds.

Biodiversity conservation and recovery are not viable under the current intensive agriculture and livestock production, and the protection of endangered species and habitats are not enforceable when they occur on private land, even in NATURA 2000 areas. The European Project LIFE-IP GrassBirdHabitats (http://www.grassbirdhabitats.eu) aims at contributing to the restoration of grassland bird habitats in agricultural landscapes, through creating new protected sites (e.g., land acquisition) or through promoting alternative, sustainable farming business models that integrate the objectives of conservation and farmers’ livelihoods.

Responsibilities

The primary objective of the postdoctoral researcher is to assess the agricultural socioeconomic and agroecological practices around three core areas in Germany: the Dummer Conservation Area and the Elbe estuary in Lower Saxony and North-Western parts in North Rhine Westphalia, and elaborate alternative business models to contribute to advancing nature-friendly farming systems. Emphasis will be placed on the social, ecological and economic aspects of sustainable farming, considering the perspectives of different stakeholders to create favourable habitats for wet-grassland breeding birds and their trophic network. The position requires implementing a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. The successful candidate will be based in Lower Saxony and be involved in the region, including site visits, interviews with farmers and local stakeholders, and conducting surveys, resource sampling, and conducting short term experiments in collaboration with farmers. Specifically, the research aims to achieve the following objectives:

–     Develop a baseline socioeconomic and agroecological characterization of farming systems in and around conservation areas, including developing farm typologies, analysis of stakeholder perceptions, landscape diversity and trajectories of change, etc. and how these relate to bird populations over time.

–     Investigate the role of (i) alternative bird friendly farming practices on public land in Agri-Environmental schemes and result-based payment schemes based on agroecological evidence based principles in wet-grassland conservation and (ii) sustainable agricultural production in and around conservation areas, including analysing the impact of the result-based payment model on the socio-economy at local and regional level.

–     Strategy development to break down the barrier between agriculture and nature conservation/nature conservation and agriculture in both direction.

–     Contribute to training of farmers with regards to nature conservation content. Development of a strategy for future integration.

–     Investigate conservation strategies that account for the societal responses to biodiversity change, and consider the social, cultural, and economic context of protecting and recovering wet-grassland biodiversity.

–     Take a leading role in the development of agricultural business plans for the conservation of wet-grassland breeding birds and their habitats. To this end, it will be necessary to establish the required database by collecting data from representative agricultural businesses. This plan will be an integral part of a wider conservation and recovery plan developed for the East Atlantic Flyway.

–     Contribute to Layman’s presentations and regular media outreach. In addition to conducting your research, you will have some minor teaching duties (~10% of your time).

This postdoc position will interact with the several PhD positions hired on this project in Germany and The Netherlands. Collaborative work with the broader project team is expected.