The Technology Centre of Catalonia is carrying out an agricultural management project for fallow land for the conservation of steppe birds.

The Technology Centre of Catalonia, with the support of the Biodiversity Foundation, has developed the project “Agricultural management of fallow land for the conservation of steppe birds”.

Agricultural birds have been suffering significant declines throughout Europe and also in Spain, for years now, as a result of agricultural intensification and changes in agricultural uses and practices that have occurred in recent decades. Within this group, steppe birds are one of the most threatened groups of birds in Europe. Their European distribution areas are largely restricted to the Iberian Peninsula and, therefore, Spain has a particularly important role in the conservation of these species.

A common denominator for most of these species isthe key role played by fallow land in cereal steppes for their conservation, as they are key agricultural substrates for their survival throughout the year. More specifically, it is known that plant structure and food availability play a key role in understanding the spatial distribution and abundance of these species.

The project has carried out an exhaustive study on the management of fallow land for the conservation of steppe birds in areas of the Natura 2000 Network. The availability of food, the bird population and vegetation structure have been studied in order to analyse the influence that the different types of fallow land management have on the conservation of steppe birds. As a result of the study, the preference in the management of fallow land by farmers was analysed through surveys and, finally, a reference document was generated with the title “Fallow management manual for the conservation of steppe birds”, which includes different guidelines on the management of fallow land and its associated costs to promote the conservation of steppe birds that transit these habitats.