CONSERVATION OF BIRDS OF PREY IN THE ERA OF CLIMATE CHANGE

As climate change and socio-economic factors gradually lead to the abandonment of agroforestry landscapes and the activities that keep them alive, it seems that birds of prey (“species of conservation concern” for most Natura 2000 sites in Greece) will continue to decline following the trend of European farmland bird species. It is striking that most conservation actions to date have focused on individual measures within limited conservation areas, rather than on broader agriculture sectorial policies that will safeguard their populations in perpetuity. Such policies will increase the connectivity between current core ranges and the recovery of species and their habitats that are threatened with extinction or have already become extinct. The only realistic tool for maintaining robust populations for most species is the recognition of agroforestry as a wider viable solution for the conservation and restoration of landscapes that support the highest abundance and population density of raptors in Greece and Europe.

As 33 of Europe’s 36 species of birds of prey occur in agroforestry landscapes, conservation, particularly of endangered species, is directly linked to the restoration and maintenance of agroforestry landscapes