Systematiek classificeren habitatkwaliteit agrarisch gebied ten behoeve van het ANLb

Summary

Agri environmental schemes (the ‘ANLb scheme’ in Dutch) are implemented in order to conserve specific target species that are highly dependent on the agricultural landscape. In its core, these schemes are designed to improve habitat quality. In this project, we developed a methodology that can be used to identify the habitat quality for a certain species in a specific area, in order to identify which improvements with regards to the management could be made. First, the habitat requirements of 8 species were collected based on a literature review. Subsequently, the bottlenecks for conservation were identified. Finally, we developed a methodology for each habitat requirement with guidelines on how these habitat factors could be measured for a certain area. The system developed iswork in progress, and enabled us to identify important knowledge gaps. The system contributes to the development of a shared language with regards to habitat requirements of target species. It can be a helpful tool to learn from each other by comparing the efforts with regards to the management implemented, the habitat quality it resulted in and ultimately the conservation status of the target species. It is recommended to try this methodology in practice, in order to gain sight on the pros and cons of this method.