Hungry wintering birds and angry farmers: Crop damage and management implications in a protected wetland in China
Wetland degradation can be caused by inappropriate protection and restoration measures and lead to a gradual loss of foraging sites for waterbirds. Consequently, birds are beginning to depend on farmland around protected wetlands, resulting in conflict between agricultural and conservation aims. Avi...
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989425000034 |
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| author | Lanyan Zhong Yanfang Li Yalong Li Chuanyin Dai |
| author_facet | Lanyan Zhong Yanfang Li Yalong Li Chuanyin Dai |
| author_sort | Lanyan Zhong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Wetland degradation can be caused by inappropriate protection and restoration measures and lead to a gradual loss of foraging sites for waterbirds. Consequently, birds are beginning to depend on farmland around protected wetlands, resulting in conflict between agricultural and conservation aims. Avian crop damage often provokes negative attitudes in farmers, which make them reluctant to support conservation. We investigated the characteristics of and local farmers’ responses to avian crop damage in a protected peri-urban wetland in China, where protection has changed its plant community and many wintering waterbirds forage on cropland. Ten species were found to be responsible for crop damage, with the most problematic being the Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis), which mainly damages potato, maize and napa cabbage. The farmers had negative attitudes toward the problematic species and a low tolerance for crop-foraging activity. Both traits were affected by measurable factors related to crop loss. The majority of the farmers interviewed (81.6 %) reported adopting measures to cope with birds’ crop exploitation, but with little effect. We recommend that the local government creates foraging sites within protected wetland in which food quality or density is superior to that of surrounding farmland, for example by modifying the invasive reed community to a suitable foraging site, inviting local farmers to grow crops but leave some unharvested in the planned area, or provisioning birds directly during periods of peak bird damage. Otherwise, financial compensation and insurance against crop losses should be considered. This study highlights the importance of understanding the critical link between wintering birds and farmers in wetland conservation practice. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-be10d073fe39442eb45c7f477d6988ef |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj-art-be10d073fe39442eb45c7f477d6988ef2025-01-23T05:27:02ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942025-01-0157e03402Hungry wintering birds and angry farmers: Crop damage and management implications in a protected wetland in ChinaLanyan Zhong0Yanfang Li1Yalong Li2Chuanyin Dai3Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guilin 541006, China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541006, ChinaKey Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guilin 541006, China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541006, ChinaCaohai Ecological Station, Guizhou Academy of Science, Weining 553100, ChinaKey Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guilin 541006, China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541006, China; Correspondence to: Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, 1 Yanzhong Road, Guilin 541006, China.Wetland degradation can be caused by inappropriate protection and restoration measures and lead to a gradual loss of foraging sites for waterbirds. Consequently, birds are beginning to depend on farmland around protected wetlands, resulting in conflict between agricultural and conservation aims. Avian crop damage often provokes negative attitudes in farmers, which make them reluctant to support conservation. We investigated the characteristics of and local farmers’ responses to avian crop damage in a protected peri-urban wetland in China, where protection has changed its plant community and many wintering waterbirds forage on cropland. Ten species were found to be responsible for crop damage, with the most problematic being the Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis), which mainly damages potato, maize and napa cabbage. The farmers had negative attitudes toward the problematic species and a low tolerance for crop-foraging activity. Both traits were affected by measurable factors related to crop loss. The majority of the farmers interviewed (81.6 %) reported adopting measures to cope with birds’ crop exploitation, but with little effect. We recommend that the local government creates foraging sites within protected wetland in which food quality or density is superior to that of surrounding farmland, for example by modifying the invasive reed community to a suitable foraging site, inviting local farmers to grow crops but leave some unharvested in the planned area, or provisioning birds directly during periods of peak bird damage. Otherwise, financial compensation and insurance against crop losses should be considered. This study highlights the importance of understanding the critical link between wintering birds and farmers in wetland conservation practice.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989425000034Crop damageFarmers’ attitudeHuman–bird conflictWetland conservationWintering waterbirds |
| spellingShingle | Lanyan Zhong Yanfang Li Yalong Li Chuanyin Dai Hungry wintering birds and angry farmers: Crop damage and management implications in a protected wetland in China Global Ecology and Conservation Crop damage Farmers’ attitude Human–bird conflict Wetland conservation Wintering waterbirds |
| title | Hungry wintering birds and angry farmers: Crop damage and management implications in a protected wetland in China |
| title_full | Hungry wintering birds and angry farmers: Crop damage and management implications in a protected wetland in China |
| title_fullStr | Hungry wintering birds and angry farmers: Crop damage and management implications in a protected wetland in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hungry wintering birds and angry farmers: Crop damage and management implications in a protected wetland in China |
| title_short | Hungry wintering birds and angry farmers: Crop damage and management implications in a protected wetland in China |
| title_sort | hungry wintering birds and angry farmers crop damage and management implications in a protected wetland in china |
| topic | Crop damage Farmers’ attitude Human–bird conflict Wetland conservation Wintering waterbirds |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989425000034 |
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