Multifunctional benefits of an agri-environment scheme option:Riparian buffer strip pools within 'Arable Reversion

摘要

Riparian set-aside land at Loddington, Leicestershire, was developed to meetmultiple environmental objectives through the 'Arable Reversion' option of theCountryside Stewardship Scheme. Ditches were diverted and field drains broken intosmall pools within the buffer strip to reduce soil and nutrient transport to a streamand create wildlife habitat for birds and invertebrates. The concentration ofphosphorus (the main contributor to eutrophication in freshwater) in pools was abouthalf that in the supplying field drain or ditch. The pools supported amphibians and24-52 species of aquatic macro-invertebrates, including six nationally scarceColeoptera. Fifteen species of Odonata were recorded. Terrestrial invertebratesincluded five Orthoptera species previously absent from the site. Whitethroat andreed bunting numbers increased and the habitat was used by lapwing and yellowwagtail in summer and by mallard and snipe in winter. If adopted more widely, thisapproach would contribute to improved chemical and ecological status ofwatercourses and to government conservation targets.