The varying impact of agri-environment schemes on birdlife in two regions of Poland

The implementation of agri-environment schemes (AES) in Poland began in 2004, yet the effects of their implementation were not systematically monitored until 2010. Using monitoring data collected in 2011 from two regions of Poland, the foothills and the lowlands, we examined the impact of environmental variables and the AES on 1) the number of species, 2) the number of territories of all breeding species, 3) the number of territories of target species for bird-oriented AES, and 4) the numbers of territories of the eight most frequent farmland species. More species and a larger number of territories were recorded in the lowland study plots than in the foothill ones. The proportion of land covered by AES on the study plots had no impact on the number of species or the numbers of territories of all species in either region. Furthermore, the relationship between the number of territories of target species and the proportion of land covered by AES in the lowland region was negative. Environmental variables significantly affected the numbers of territories of two numerous farmland species in the foothill region and three species in the lowlands. The implication of these results is that the AES dedicated to bird conservation need further assessment. To he more effective, the AES have to allow for regional variation; they definitely require further, detailed study.