Rebhuhn. Schlussbericht 1991–2000 - BAFU

Summary
In the last forty years, the Swiss lowlands have lost much of their former value as
habitat for wild plants and animals. This is the result of intensive land use practices.
Restructuring of the landscape, increasing mechanisation, restricted crop rotation
and the heavy use of synthetic substances led to severe reductions of populations of
breeding bird species of open farmland. Since 1993 the Swiss agricultural policy, in
view of the environmental problems, but also for economic reasons, has encouraged
farmers by financial incentives to establish «ecological compensation areas» in order
to enhance biodiversity. Against this background the Swiss Agency for the Environment,
Forests and Landscape mandated in 1991 the Swiss Ornithological Institute
with a ten-year project in order to support the breeding bird species of open
farmland, in particular the grey partridge, as well as brown hares, and to acquire
practical experience with the application of «ecological compensation measures».
The study areas «Champagne genevoise» (Geneva) and «Klettgau» (Schaffhausen)
were chosen for the project «grey partridge» because these were the last regions
remaining in Switzerland which still held small populations of grey partridge.
Thanks to the commitment of the Swiss federation, the cantons and of private sponsors
the ecological quality of several square kilometres of intensively managed
arable farmland was improved by specific habitat enhancement measures. In order
to achieve this result, farmers had not only to be motivated and instructed continuously,
but also further financial incentives were paid in addition to the expenditures
of the Swiss federation. Sown and spontaneous wild-flower strips were promoted
especially. The aim was to improve 5% of the productive land with ecological
compensation areas of superior quality.
In the Klettgau, old cereal species two-grained spelt and small spelt were grown organically
and commercialised regionally. Thus ecological and commercial matters
of concern could be combined.
In 1993 the Swiss federation introduced the payment for ecological compensation
areas, which gave hope for an enhanced habitat quality for plant and animal species
on productive land. Following the statistics, in 1999 ecological compensation areas
(without orchards with tall fruit trees) made up for 7.1% of the productive land in
the canton of Geneva and 7.4% in Schaffhausen. In the study areas the proportion
was 18.9% (Champagne genevoise) and 1.5%, 3.3%, 5.2% and 5.3% (different
parts of the study area in the Klettgau).
From 1991 onwards, the area covered by ecological compensation areas with superior
quality increased also in the intensively managed arable farmland in the study
sites. Thanks to intensive consulting and a high financial effort the goal of the project,
5% of ecological compensation areas with superior quality, was reached in the
Champagne genevoise with 5.2%. In two study sites, which were enhanced by specific
habitat enhancement measures in the Klettgau, the percentages were 2.9% and
3.5%; in the reference site where the creation of ecological compensation areas
followed strictly the agricultural legislation, the percentage of compensation areas
Rebhuhn. Schlussbericht 1991–2000 17