The European Landowners’ Organization (ELO) has released a new study entitled “Small wildlife of fields and meadows,” which looks at the decline in biodiversity in such areas and how to tackle these issues going forward.

It suggests that an increase in predator numbers, as well as practices such as crop intensification, agricultural land consolidation, use of pesticides and urbanisation have all contributed to declining small fauna populations.

In order to protect and restore biodiversity in fields and meadows, the authors put forward a number of suggestions and policy recommendations that should be implemented.

In particular, they focus on the need to work towards sustainable hunting in the future as part of any potential solutions.

It is stated that hunting as a conservation tool can contribute towards species management; predator control is one example of this in practice. In addition, it is argued that nature conservation in fields and meadows is most efficient when done in coordination with hunters and farmers, with a symbiotic relationship between them and wildlife management contributing towards balanced agricultural and environmental development.

Further policy recommendations are given within the context of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). These recommendations focus on habitat management, nature-based agriculture, stakeholder cooperation in the countryside, among other issues.

The CIC would like to congratulate ELO and the authors for their work on this study, and joins them in stressing the importance of sustainable hunting and these other solutions when looking restore small fauna in fields and meadows.

To download a copy of the study, please click here.