| Title | Changes in rice cultivation affect population trends of herons and egrets in Italy |
| Abstract | The breeding populations of colonial herons, egrets and allied waterbirds in Northwestern Italy increased since 1972, when a long-term monitoring was initiated, up to the end of the 20° century. Populations of continental importance for some heron species were concentrated mostly in the district of intensive rice cultivation, where the paddies offered wide foraging opportunities. After 2000, new cultivation techniques caused a progressive reduction in paddy flooding. We found a significant relationship between the post-2000 decrease in the number of nests of the three most abundant species of waterbirds, Grey Heron, Little Egret and Black-crowned Night-heron, and the diminishing extent of paddy flooding estimated on satellite-derived images. On the other hand, outside the paddies district the same three species continued to increase or remained mostly stable. The recent agronomic changes in the paddies of Northwestern Italy compromise their role as surrogates of natural wetlands and their importance for environmental conservation. The spread of dry rice fields, and the consequent loss of their value for conservation of aquatic biodiversity, call for a revision of the regulations and incentives to farmers under the Common Agriculture Policy by the European Union and by local authorities. Return to early-submerged rice fields and adoption of environmental-friendly practices, such as the creation of compensatory wetlands, should become mandatory for rice to maintain its status as "green" crop. |
| Source | Global Ecology and Conservation 36, pp. e02135 |
| Keywords | Grey HeronLittle EgretBlack-crowned Night-heronPopulationRiceConservation |
| Journal | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| Editor | Elsevier, Amsterdam, Paesi Bassi |
| Year | 2022 |
| Type | Articolo in rivista |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02135 |
| Authors | Mauro Fasola (a), Elisa Cardarelli (a), Luigi Ranghetti (b), Eleonora Boncompagni (a), Daniele Pellitteri-Rosa (a), Daniele Delle Monache (c), Michelangelo Morganti (d) |
| Text | 466614 2022 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02135 Grey Heron Little Egret Black crowned Night heron Population Rice Conservation Changes in rice cultivation affect population trends of herons and egrets in Italy Mauro Fasola a , Elisa Cardarelli a , Luigi Ranghetti b , Eleonora Boncompagni a , Daniele Pellitteri Rosa a , Daniele Delle Monache c , Michelangelo Morganti d a Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell Ambiente, Universita di Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy b Istituto per il Rilevamento Elettromagnetico dell Ambiente, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via Bassini 15, 20133 Milano, Italy c Dipartimento di Scienze Ecologiche e Biologiche, Universita della Tuscia, Largo dell Universita, 01100 Viterbo, Italy d Istituto di Ricerca sulle Acque, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via del Mulino 19, 20861 Brugherio, Italy The breeding populations of colonial herons, egrets and allied waterbirds in Northwestern Italy increased since 1972, when a long term monitoring was initiated, up to the end of the 20° century. Populations of continental importance for some heron species were concentrated mostly in the district of intensive rice cultivation, where the paddies offered wide foraging opportunities. After 2000, new cultivation techniques caused a progressive reduction in paddy flooding. We found a significant relationship between the post 2000 decrease in the number of nests of the three most abundant species of waterbirds, Grey Heron, Little Egret and Black crowned Night heron, and the diminishing extent of paddy flooding estimated on satellite derived images. On the other hand, outside the paddies district the same three species continued to increase or remained mostly stable. The recent agronomic changes in the paddies of Northwestern Italy compromise their role as surrogates of natural wetlands and their importance for environmental conservation. The spread of dry rice fields, and the consequent loss of their value for conservation of aquatic biodiversity, call for a revision of the regulations and incentives to farmers under the Common Agriculture Policy by the European Union and by local authorities. Return to early submerged rice fields and adoption of environmental friendly practices, such as the creation of compensatory wetlands, should become mandatory for rice to maintain its status as green crop. 36 Published version https //www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989422001378 20/04/2022 Changes in rice cultivation affect population trends of herons and egrets in Italy Published version 1 s2.0 S2351989422001378 main.pdf Articolo in rivista Elsevier 2351 9894 Global Ecology and Conservation Global Ecology and Conservation Global Ecology and Conservation GECCO luigiranghetti RANGHETTI LUIGI michelangelo.morganti MORGANTI MICHELANGELO |
