Management of U.S. Agricultural Lands Differentially Affects Avian Habitat Connectivity

Justin P. Suraci (), Tina G. Mozelewski, Caitlin E. Littlefield, Theresa Nogeire McRae, Ann Sorensen and Brett G. Dickson
Additional contact information
Justin P. Suraci: Conservation Science Partners, Inc., Truckee, CA 96161, USA
Tina G. Mozelewski: Conservation Science Partners, Inc., Truckee, CA 96161, USA
Caitlin E. Littlefield: Conservation Science Partners, Inc., Truckee, CA 96161, USA
Theresa Nogeire McRae: American Farmland Trust, Washington, DC 20036, USA
Ann Sorensen: American Farmland Trust, Washington, DC 20036, USA
Brett G. Dickson: Conservation Science Partners, Inc., Truckee, CA 96161, USA

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 4, 1-20

Abstract: Despite frequently being implicated in species declines, agricultural lands may nonetheless play an important role in connecting wildlife populations by serving as movement corridors or stopover sites between areas of high-quality habitat. For many North American bird species, agricultural intensification over the past half century has substantially impacted populations, yet recent studies have noted the potential for supporting avian biodiversity on agricultural lands through the promotion of functional connectivity. To support avian conservation efforts on agricultural lands across the United States, we used publicly available data from eBird to quantify and map the effects of agriculture on habitat suitability (using random forest models) and functional connectivity (via circuit theory) for three focal species that have experienced agriculture-linked declines or range contractions in recent decades: Greater Sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus ), American Black Duck ( Anas rubripes ), and Bobolink ( Dolichonyx oryzivorus ). Our analysis drew on novel, remotely sensed estimates of agricultural management intensity to quantify the effects of management practices on avian habitat and movement, revealing complex, species-specific relationships between agriculture and habitat value for the three focal species. Rangelands and croplands exhibited relatively high connectivity values for Greater Sage-grouse and Bobolink, respectively, mirroring these species’ strong habitat preferences for open sagebrush and cultivated grasslands. By contrast, American Black Duck migratory connectivity was low on all agricultural cover types. Mapping our model results across each species’ geographic range in the U.S. revealed key areas for agricultural management action to preserve high-quality habitat and connectivity, and we link these spatial recommendations to government incentive programs that can be used to increase wildlife-friendly management on U.S. agricultural lands.

Keywords: Greater Sage-Grouse; American Black Duck; Bobolink; random forest model; circuit theory; agroecology; conservation planning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/4/746/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/4/746/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:4:p:746-:d:1107723

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().