Agrarian nature conservation organisations: management activities
The system of nature management applied by agrarian nature conservation organisations depends on the type of soil.
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Current situation
Agrarian nature conservation organisations (agrarische natuurverenigingen) concern themselves with a variety of different types of nature management. In the peat meadow area, the emphasis is on species management, plot management and plot margin management. This involves mainly meadow birds and ditch banks. In the areas of sandy soil, the focus is on the management and creation of landscape elements. On clay soils, field margin management is predominant.
Types of management
A total of 81% of the organisations are involved in species management. The main focus is on meadow bird management, followed by owl nest boxes and caring for geese. Meadow bird management is the most common type of species management on all types of soils. In the peat areas, all the organisations are in fact involved in meadow bird management. Species management also involves protection of such species as the black tern, the white stork and the common hamster.
Some 75% of agrarian nature conservation organisations are involved in maintenance of landscape elements, for example planting around farmsteads, shelter belts, ponds, amenity spinneys, pollarded trees and hedgerows. The most common of these activities is maintenance of planting around farmsteads (58%). The associations whose members farm on sandy soils are the most intensively involved in maintaining landscape elements. Besides maintenance, the associations create new landscape elements, primarily planting around farmsteads (51%), followed by creating ponds (36%), and planting hedgerows and belts of trees (35%).
A total of 83% of the associations have members who are involved in plot margin management. In the peat areas, this mainly involves management of ditch banks and terrace slopes. In the sand and clay areas, the focus is on the management of "field, flower and fauna margins".
Some 72% of the associations are involved in plot management, with the most common type of management (66%) involving postponing mowing so as not to disturb meadow birds, followed by botanical management (35%) and the creation of wet areas in fields (19%), and the setting aside of arable land for wildlife.
Technical note
The figure indicates the percentage of agrarian nature conservation organisations (for each of the major soil types in the Netherlands) that carry out a particular type of management. The total is given for each type of management (for example species management in general), together with a breakdown of the details. The plot margin management category in the figure (a component of plot margin management in general) primarily involves grassland margins on sandy soils, but may also involve a few ditch banks and field margins.
The data are from a survey of agrarian nature conservation organisations carried out early in 2001. The questionnaire was sent to all known agrarian nature conservation organisations (total: 110). The Boermarken in Drenthe - long-standing partnerships between farmers who manage communal land - were not included in the survey. The response was 68%, but in some cases respondents did not answer all the questions. Absolute numbers therefore need to be interpreted with caution. The primary significance of the results is that they enable comparisons to be made.
References
- LBN (1998). Handboek agrarisch natuurbeheer. Landschapsbeheer Nederland. Utrecht.
- Oerlemans, N., J. A. Guldemond en E. van Well (2001). Agrarische natuurverenigingen in opkomst. Een eerste verkenning naar natuurbeheeractiviteiten van agrarische natuurverenigingen. Planbureau-werk in uitvoering. Intern werkdocument 2001/12 Natuurplanbureau. Wageningen.
