Writing for researchers, professionals and graduate students, the authors summarize the collapse of populations of many farmland bird species in the 20th century, one of the biggest conservation problems of the day. They firstly set the historical context of change in agriculture and bird communities since the 18th century, and introduce the bird communities of agricultural land today. They then provide an overview of this very active area of applied conservation science, including in-depth case studies of 16 species that, taken together, illustrate the many ways that agricultural intensification has affected bird populations. Moreover, they show how this evidence base, coupled with recent greening of agriculture policy, has provided opportunities to manage agricultural land to better integrate the needs of food production and bird conservation. They conclude by looking forward to challenges that the conservation of bird populations on agricultural land is likely to face in the near future.

This gripping and chillingly realistic novel from "New York Times" bestselling author Sharon Draper shows that all it takes is one bad decision for everything to change. Diamond knows not to get into a car with a stranger. But what if the stranger is well-dressed and handsome? On his way to meet his wife and daughter? And casting a movie that very night--a movie in need of a star dancer? What then? Then Diamond might make the wrong decision. It's a nightmare come true: Diamond Landers has been kidnapped. She was at the mall with a friend, alone for only a few brief minutes--and now she's being held captive, forced to endure horrors beyond what she ever could have dreamed, while her family and friends experience their own torments and wait desperately for any bit of news. From "New York Times "bestselling author Sharon Draper, this is a riveting exploration of power: how quickly we can lose it--and how we can take it back.

This book brings together scientific evidence and experience relevant to the practical conservation of wild birds. The authors worked with an international group of bird experts and conservationists to develop a global list of interventions that could benefit wild birds. For each intervention, the book summarises studies captured by the Conservation Evidence project, where that intervention has been tested and its effects on birds quantified. The result is a thorough guide to what is known, or not known, about the effectiveness of bird conservation actions throughout the world. The preparation of this synopsis was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and Arcadia.

Farming is the single largest land-use in Europe. It accounts for nearly one half of the total land area of the European Union and is consequently home to many of our most common and widespread birds, as well as to those adapted to particular agricultural landscapes. However, until relatively recently, the conservation importance of farmlands went unrecognised. Furthermore, much of the special value of farmlands has been lost or degraded in recent years as a result of the unprecedented rate of development of new and environmentally damaging land management techniques. Many farmland birds are now in sharp decline, or threatened with local extinction, as a result of the sorts of agricultural intensification encouraged by the Common Agricultural Policy and other related national policies. In this book, an international cast of authors highlight all aspects of these problems from the socio-political pressures on farm policy to the effects of management on a variety of bird species throughout the more and less developed parts of the EU. They go on to consider how the much needed changes in the CAP have and can be tailored to benefit birds and wildlife through such initiatives as the Agri-environment Regulation.

Issues In Agroecology – Present Status and Future Prospectus not only reviews aspects of ecology, but the ecology of sustainable food production systems, and related societal and cultural values. To provide effective communication regarding status and advances in this field, this series connects with many disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, environmental sciences, ethics, agriculture, economics, ecology, rural development, sustainability, policy and education, and integrations of these general themes so as to provide integrated points of view that will help lead to a more sustainable construction of values than conventional economics alone. Such designs are inherently complex and dynamic, and go beyond the individual farm to include landscapes, communities, and biogeographic regions by emphasizing their unique agricultural and ecological values, and their biological, societal, and cultural components and processes.

In this unique book an international cast of authors highlight all aspects of the problems associated with farming and bird conservation. Discussion ranges from the socio-political pressures on farm policy to the effects of management on a variety of bird species throughout the more and less developed parts of the European Union. Potential changes in the Common Agricultural Policy are considered in terms of how they have been and can be tailored to benefit birds and wildlife through such initiatives as the new Agri-Environment Regulation. Farming and Birds in Europe addresses the need for policy efforts to focus on both the concerns of conservation and sensible farm production in a timely manner. An opportunity not to be missed is at hand, and this book provides much of the importance in seeing that a sensible conclusion is reached, both for the needs of the farmer and consumer and for the birds and wildlife of the European countryside. Key Features * Provides a detailed, up-to-date account of n Common Agricultural Policy and Bird Conservation * Important resource for aid in developing land use policy * Includes an integrated approach to policy making