Actions to conserve biodiversity
We have summarised evidence from the scientific literature about the effects of actions to conserve wildlife and ecosystems.
Review the evidence from the studies
Not sure what Actions are? Read a brief description.
119 Actions found
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119 Actions found
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Order results by:
Action | Effectiveness | Studies | Category | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Provide foraging perches (eg. for shrikes) Action Link | No evidence found (no assessment) | 0 | ![]() | |
Provide medicated grit for grouse Action Link | Evidence not assessed | 1 | ![]() | |
Provide nest boxes for bees (solitary bees or bumblebees) Action Link | Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence) | 14 | ![]() | |
Provide nest boxes for birds Action Link | Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence) | 10 | ![]() | |
Provide or retain set-aside areas in farmland Action Link | Beneficial | 54 | ![]() | |
Provide other resources for birds (water, sand for bathing) Action Link | Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence) | 1 | ![]() | |
Provide otter holts Action Link | No evidence found (no assessment) | 0 | ![]() | |
Provide owl nest boxes (Tawny owl, Barn owl) Action Link | Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence) | 5 | ![]() | |
Provide red squirrel feeders Action Link | No evidence found (no assessment) | 0 | ![]() | |
Provide refuges during harvest or mowing Action Link | Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence) | 3 | ![]() | |
Provide short grass for birds Action Link | Evidence not assessed | 1 | ![]() | |
Provide specialist advice, assistance preparing conservation plans Action Link | No evidence found (no assessment) | 0 | ![]() | |
Provide supplementary food for birds or mammals Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 25 | ![]() | |
Provide training for land managers, farmers and farm advisers Action Link | Evidence not assessed | 1 | ![]() | |
Raise mowing height on grasslands to benefit farmland wildlife Action Link | Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence) | 7 | ![]() | |
Raise water levels in ditches or grassland Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 13 | ![]() | |
Re-wet moorland Action Link | No evidence found (no assessment) | 0 | ![]() | |
Reduce chemical inputs in grassland management Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 18 | ![]() | |
Reduce fertilizer, pesticide or herbicide use generally Action Link | Beneficial | 47 | ![]() | |
Reduce field size (or maintain small fields) Action Link | No evidence found (no assessment) | 0 | ![]() | |
Reduce grazing intensity on grassland (including seasonal removal of livestock) Action Link | Likely to be ineffective or harmful | 30 | ![]() | |
Reduce management intensity on permanent grasslands (several interventions at once) Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 38 | ![]() | |
Reduce tillage Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 46 | ![]() | |
Remove coarse fish Action Link | No evidence found (no assessment) | 0 | ![]() | |
Remove flood defence banks to allow inundation Action Link | Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence) | 2 | ![]() |
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Farmland Conservation - Published 2013
Farmland Synopsis
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What are 'Individual studies' and 'Actions'?
Individual studies
An individual study is a summary of a specific scientific study, usually taken from a scientific journal, but also from other resources such as reports. It tells you the background context, the action(s) taken and their consequences.
If you want more detail please look at the original reference.
Actions
Each action page focuses on a particular action you could take to benefit wildlife or ecosystems.
It contains brief (150-200 word) descriptions of relevant studies (context, action(s) taken and their consequences) and one or more key messages.
Key messages show the extent and main conclusions of the available evidence. Using links within key messages, you can look at the paragraphs describing each study to get more detail. Each paragraph allows you to assess the quality of the evidence and how relevant it is to your situation.
Where we found no evidence, we have been unable to assess whether or not an intervention is effective or has any harmful impacts.