Outputs

Result-based management

Habitats for meadow birds

The ideal habitats for meadow birds are meadows that remain wet well into the summer, are not fertilised and are mown late in the season. In the Special Protection Area (SPA) Dümmer in Lower Saxony – one of the most important areas for meadow birds in Germany and Europe – more than 2,300 hectares have been managed in a way that suits meadow birds for many years.

The result: At the Dümmer area, the meadow bird population is increasing since 2000 – contrary to the trend across Lower Saxony as a whole. Currently, 1,400 pairs of meadow birds are breeding at Dümmer across 2,300 ha of public grassland.

A line chart showing an increase of breeding pairs for Godwits, Redshanks, Lapwings,...
Development of the meadow bird populations in the Special Protection Area Dümmer. Data: Database of the Nature Conservation Station Dümmer/NLWKN, Naturschutzring Dümmer e. V.
Vast open grassland area with shallow water in the front and blank, wet soil in the...
Open landscape and short vegetation: ideal habitat for meadow birds in spring at Lake Dümmer. Photo: K. Obracay/NLWKN
Vast open grassland area with shallow water patches scattered around the landscape.
Meadow birds need flat-flooded areas to forage. Photo: K. Obracay/NLWKN
Grassland area with many hay bales.
Current situation: plenty of meadow birds, but vast amounts of poor-quality hay. This means losses for farmers. Photo: K. Obracay/NLWKN

The problem

For farmers, meadow bird-friendly management practices mean difficult conditions, hay of poor feed quality and, ultimately, financial losses. Consequently, more and more farmers are ceasing to maintain such wet grassland areas.

Meadow bird habitats, however, depend on being maintained. Without maintenance, open areas become overgrown and, after just a few years, are no longer suitable as breeding habitats for meadow birds. As a result, the birds’ breeding populations decline.

The solution

As part of the LIFE IP GrassBirdHabitats project, we have developed a payment model for farming on public land in meadow bird habitats: “The Agricultural Farmer Becomes a Bird Farmer”.

By managing wet grassland areas appropriately, farmers create favourable breeding habitats for meadow birds. They receive payment based on the number of breeding pairs nesting on their land – taking into account the additional management challenges posed by the extent of waterlogging. The principle is: the more birds, the more money.

Agricultural services:

  • Maintaining very good management conditions in wet and nutrient-poor grassland areas
  • Very low vegetation at the end of October
  • Fewer than 1,000 rushes per hectare
  • Mowing and grazing while protecting the meadow birds’ broods
Large open grassland area with parts of the grassland covered in water.
Mowing in autumn results in very low vegetation. When water accumulates in these areas subsequently, they provide ideal breeding habitats for meadow birds the following spring. Photo: K. Obracay/NLWKN
Wet grassland that is dominated by many tall and dense patches of rush.
Excessive growth of soft rush (Juncus effusus) makes the habitat unsuitable for meadow birds. Therefore, a density of fewer than 1,000 rushes per hectare is a prerequisite for participation in the Bird Farmer model. Photo: K. Obracay/NLWKN

Hand in hand

With this result-based payment model, farmers and conservationists are pursuing the same goal: optimal habitats for meadow birds. For the economically-minded farmers, the “production” of meadow birds brings financial success. The more meadow birds breed on their land, the higher their income.

This result-based payment model, “The Agricultural Farmer Becomes a Bird Farmer”, was developed in collaboration with farmers (tenants of public land) in the Dümmer area. It is to be tested during a pilot phase on the 2,300 ha of wet grassland in the SPA Dümmer. At the same time, it is planned to adapt the model for other meadow bird areas in Lower Saxony.

A schematic representation of areas of varying wetness situated side by side. The areas...
The wetter the area, the more meadow birds there are, but the more difficult the management. Therefore, as a first step, the cost of managing wet grassland in a way that is suitable for meadow birds was calculated, depending on the degree of wetness. Figure: T. Gibmeier/NLWKN

Economic basis

As the basis for the payment model, agricultural economist Prof. Dr. Albrecht Mährlein has calculated the costs to farmers of managing public grassland in a way that is suitable for meadow birds. Prof. Dr. Mährlein’s full report is freely available and can be downloaded below (in German). The findings of the report apply exclusively to the specific situation in the SPA Dümmer. Further calculations for other regions and soil types are currently being developed by the LIFE project.

  • Gutachten zur betriebswirtschaftlichen Bewertung der Bewirtschaftung von Extensivgrünlandflächen im EU-Vogelschutzgebiet V39 "Dümmer" (German)

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