Breeding Conditions for Birds in the Nowaday Farmlands of the European Russia: The Impact of Agriculture Intensification and Polarization. Part I. Habitats

The recession of agriculture in Russia approximately from mid 2000s changed to an increase, accompanied by the reversion to intensive technologies, market transition to cultivation of quick payback crops (potatoes, rapeseed, sunflower) and raising pigs and poultry instead of the cattle; transition from grazing of cattle to indoor keeping system. The rates of this increase are not equal in different economic sectors and regions of European Russia. It is more pronounced in the Black Soil zone and in the south of European Russia as well as in some of regions in the south of Non-Black Soil zone. These changes have been particularly evident during the last decade and resulted in changes of the crop structure and development in some regions new for them directions of agriculture. They are determined both by socio-economic factors and current climate changes. In general, the nowaday trend of agriculture development is that pastures and most hayfields are becoming irrelevant, whereas the demand for arable fields is increasing. Modern agriculture intensification is different from the intensification of the mid-20th century, as large areas are still abandoned and therefore getting more overgrown. As a result the considerable polarization of bird habitats formed in European Russia exhibited splitting into extensive abandoned lands, of low suitability for nesting by typical grassland species, and into increasingly intensively cultivated fields.

1. Agroekologicheskoe sostoianie i perspektivy ispolzovaniia zemel Rossii, vybyvshikh iz aktiv-nogo selskokhoziaistvennogo oborota [Agroecological Condition and Perspectives of Utilization of Lands of Russia, not Involved in Intensive Agricultural Production]. Moscow, FGNU “Rosinfor-magrotekh” Publ., 2008. 64 p. (in Russian).

2. Amosov P. N., Asoskova N. I. The influence of agriculture on populations of birds in the north of European Russia. In: T. K. Zheleznova, L. V. Malovichko, eds. Ptitsy i selskoe khoziaistvo: materialy I mezhdunarodnoi ornitologicheskoi konferentsii “Ptitsy i selskoe khoziaistvo: sovremennoe sostoianie, problemy i perspektivy izucheniia” [Birds and Agriculture: Materials of the Conference “Birds and Agriculture: Up-to-date State, Problems and Prospects of Study”]. Moscow, Znak Publ., 2016, pp. 11-15 (in Russian).

3. Antonov S. A. Dinamika agroklimaticheskikh resursov agrolandshaftov Stavropolskogo kraia i napravleniia optimizatsii sistem zemledeliia [Dynamics of agroclimatic resources in agricultural landscapes of the Stavropol Territory and directions for optimization of agricultural systems]. Thesis Diss. Cand. Sci. (Biol.). Moscow, 2009. 24 p. (in Russian).

4. Atlas zemel Stavropolskogo kraia. [Atlas of lands of the Stavropol Territory]. Stavropol, DI EHM BI Publ., 2000. 118 p. (in Russian).

5. Belik V. P. Ptitsy stepnogo Pridonia: formirovanie fauny, ee antropogennaia transformatsiia i voprosy okhrany [Birds of the steppe part of the Don river bassin: formation of birds fauna its anthropogenic transfromation and some conservation problems]. Rostov-on-Don, Izdatel'stvo Rostovskogo gosudarstvennogo pedagogicheskogo universiteta, 2000. 376 p. (in Russian).

6. Blokhin N. F., Blokhina T. I. Vodnye resursi Stavropolia. [Water resources of the Stavropol Territory]. Stavropol, Stavropolkraivodkhoz Publ., 2001. 288 p. (in Russian).

7. Butiev V. T., Ezhova S. A. Struktura naseleniia ptits selskokhoziaistvennykh ugodii v uslovi-iakh taigi Evropeiskoi territorii SSSR [Structure of bird populations at the agricultural lands in the taiga region of the European Part of the USSR]. In: V. N. Alekseev, ed. Morfologiia, sistematika i ekologiia zhivotnykh [Morphology, Systematics and Ecology of Animals]. Moscow, Moskovskij oblastnoj pedagogicheskij institut im. N. K. Krupskoj, 1988. pp. 28-38 (in Russian).

8. Vengerov P. D. Ptitsy i maloispolzuemye selskokhoziaistvennye zemli Voronezhskoi oblasti (perspektivy vosstanovleniia stepnoi avifauny) [Birds and set-aside agricultural lands in Voronezh Region: prospects of resumption of steppe ornithofauna]. Voronezh, Krivichi Publ., 2005. 152 p. (in Russian).

9. Vengerov P. D. Exploitation of Agricultural Lands and the State of Vertebrate Fauna in the Steppe of the Voronezh Region after 1991. Steppe Bulletin, 2010, no. 29, pp. 42-48 (in Russian).

10. Vinogradova O. L. Evolution of Models of Agricultural Practices in Baltic Countries and Kaliningrad Region (from 1890 to 2016). Vestnik Baltiiskogo Federalnogo Universiteta im. I. Kanta, Ser. Estestvennye iMeditsinskie nauki, 2017, no. 3, pp. 21-28 (in Russian).

11. Volkov S. V., Grinchenko O. S., Sviridova T. V. Changes in climate and weather parameters and their correlation with spring arrival of the Common crane (Grus grus) in northern Moscow Region. Zoologicheskii zhurnal, 2013, vol. 92, no. 7, pp. 834-840 (in Russian).

12. Galushin V. M., Belik V. P., Zubakin V. A. Bird responses to recent social-economic transformations in northern Eurasia. In: E. N. Kurochkin, I. I. Rakhimov, eds. Achievements and Problems of Ornithology of Northern Eurasia on a Boundary of Centuries. The works of the International Conference “Urgent Problems of Bird's study and Protection in East Europe and Northern Asia”. Kazan, Magarif Publ., 2001, pp. 429-449 (in Russian).

13. Grishanov G. V. Ptitsy na selskokhoziaistvennykh zemliakh v Kaliningradskoi oblasti -predvaritelnaia otsenka osnovnykh izmenenii [Birds of the agricultural lands of the Kaliningrad Region: a preliminary assessment of principal changes]. In: A. L. Mischenko, ed. Programma “Monitoring lugo-polevykh ptits”: predvaritelnye itogi i perspektivy [The Program “Monitoring of common farmland birds: preliminary results and prospect”]. Moscow, Ttsifrovichok Publ., 2007, pp. 18-22 (in Russian).

14. Grishanov G. V. Evolution of agricultural landscapes as a driver of biological diversity of birds in the south-east of the Baltic region. In: T. K. Zheleznova, L. V. Malovichko, eds. Ptitsy i selskoe khoziaistvo: materialy I mezhdunarodnoi ornitologicheskoi konferentsii “Ptitsy i selskoe khoziaistvo: sovremennoe sostoianie, problemy i perspektivy izucheniia” [Birds and Agriculture: Materials of the Conference “Birds and Agriculture: Up-to-date State, Problems and Prospects of Study”]. Moscow, Znak Publ., 2016, pp. 66 - 72 (in Russian).

15. Golovanova E. N. Ptitsy i selskoe khoziaistvo [Birds and Agriculture]. Leningrad, Lenizdat Publ., 1975. 168 p. (in Russian).

16. Doklad o sostoianii ispolzovaniia zemel selskokhoziaistvennogo naznacheniia Rossiiskoi Federatsii v 2015 g. [A Report on the State of Exploitation of Agricultural Lands in the Russian Federation in 2015]. Moscow, FGBNU “Rosinformagrotekh” Publ., 2017. 196 p. (in Russian).

17. Korovin V. A. Ptitsy v agrolandshaftakh Urala [Birds of the Agricultural Landscapes of the Urals]. Ekaterinburg, Izdatel'stvo Ural'skogo universiteta, 2004. 504 p. (in Russian).

18. Lyuri D. I., Goryachkin S. V, Karavaeva N. A., Denisenko E. A., Nefedova T. G. Dynamics of Agricultural Lands of Russia in XX century and Postagrogenic Restoration of Vegetation and Soils. Moscow, GEOS Publ., 2010. 416 p. (in Russian).

19. Malovichko L. V., Blokhin G. I. Influence of agriculture on the living conditions of birds in the south of Russia. In: T. K. Zheleznova, L. V. Malovichko, eds. Ptitsy i selskoe khoziaistvo: materialy I mezhdunarodnoi ornitologicheskoi konferentsii “Ptitsy i selskoe khoziaistvo: sovremennoe sostoianie, problemy i perspektivy izucheniia” [Birds and Agriculture: Materials of the conference “Birds and Agriculture: Up-to-date State, Problems and Prospects of Study”]. Moscow, Znak Publ., 2016, pp. 202-209 (in Russian).

20. Melnikov V. N., Khruyova O. B. Post-technogenic successions of the ornithocomplexes of the Eastern Upper-Volga region. Part II. Bird population dynamics in the course of overgrowing of neglected arable lands. Povolzhskiy J. of Ecology, 2011, no. 4, pp. 532-536 (in Russian).

21. Mischenko A. L., Sukhanova O. V., Amosov P. N., Melnikov V. N. Meadow birds at the waning traditional pasture animal husbandry]. In: A. B. Popovkina, S. P. Kharitonov, eds. Pervyi Vserossiiskii Ornitologicheskii Kongress. Tezisy dokladov [First All-Russian Ornithological Congress]. Tver, 2018, pp. 227-228 (in Russian).

22. Neronov V. V. Dinamika rastitelnosti i naseleniia gryzunov na iuge Kalmykii v izme-niaiuschikhsia usloviiakh sredy [Dynamics of vegetation and rodent populations in southern Kal-mykya in changing environment]. Thesis Diss. Cand. Sci. (Biol.). Moscow, 2002. 24 p. (in Russian).

23. Nefedova T. G. Desiat akutalnykh voprosov o selskoi Rossii: otvety geografa [Ten topic issues about rural Russia: answers of a geographer]. Moscow, Lenand Publ., 2013. 456 p. (in Russian).

24. Nefedova T. G. Twenty-five years of Post-Soviet Russian agriculture: geographic trends and contradictions. Izvestiya Rossiiskoi akademii nauk. Seriya geograficheskaya, 2017, no 5, pp. 7-18 (in Russian).

25. Nikiforova E. O. Measures to involve unused agricultural lands in economic turnover. Ros-siiskii elektronnyi nauchnyi zhurnal, 2016, no. 2, pp. 32-42 (in Russian).

26. Otkrytye dannye Rosreestra [Open data of Rosreestr]. Moscow, 2017. Available at: https://rosreestr.ru/wps/portal/cc_ib_opendata (accessed 25 October 2017) (in Russian).

27. Prirodno-selskokhoziaistvennoe raionirovanie i ispolzovanie zemelnogo fonda SSSR [Natural and Agricultural Zonation and Exploitation of Lands in the USSR]. Moscow, Kolos Publ., 1983. 336 p. (in Russian).

28. Rol kulturnykh pastbisch v razvitii molochnogo skotovodstva Nechernozemnoi zony Rossii v sovremennykh usloviiakh [Role of improved pastures for deveopment of the dairy cattle breeding in the non-black earth zone of the Russian Federation in current conditions]. Moscow, Ugreshskaia tipografiia Publ., 2010. 240 p. (in Russian).

29. Ryabov L. S., Likhatskyi Yu. P., Vorobyov G. P. The Bustard (Otis tarda) and the Little Bustard (Otis tetrax) in the Voronezh Region. Ornithologia, 1984, iss. 19, pp. 164-170 (in Russian).

30. Sviridova T. V. Dinamika chislennosti i raspredeleniia kulikov (podotriad Charadrii) v sel-skokhoziaistvennykh landshaftakh Podmoskovia [Dynamics of numbers and distribution of waders (Charadrii) in agricultural landscapes of the Moscow Region]. Thesis Diss. Cand. Sci. (Biol.). Moscow, 2008. 24 p. (in Russian).

31. Sviridova T. V., Volkov S. V., Grinchenko O. S., Zubakin V. A., Kontorschikov V. V., Konovalova T. V., Koltsov D. B. Impact of farming intensity on birds of agricultural landscapes in the north of Moscow region. In: V. P. Belik, ed. Razvitie sovremennoi ornitologii v Severnoi Evrazii. Trudy XII mezhdunarodnoi ornitologicheskoi konferentsii [Current advances of ornithology in Northern Eurasia: Proc. of XII International Ornithological Conference]. Stavropol, Iz-datel'stvo Stavropol'skogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta, 2006, pp. 371-399 (in Russian).

32. Sviridova T. V., Volkov S. V., Grinchenko O. S., Koltsov D. B. Monitoring of birds and their habitats in agricultural landscapes in the north of Moscow Region: results of 20 years of observations. In: T. K. Zheleznova, L. V. Malovichko, eds. Ptitsy i selskoe khoziaistvo: materialy I mezhdunarodnoi ornitologicheskoi konferentsii "Ptitsy i selskoe khoziaistvo: sovremennoe sostoianie, problemy iperspektivy izucheniia” [Birds and agriculture: Materials of the conference “Birds and Agriculture: Up-to-date State, Problems and Prospects of Study”]. Moscow, Znak Publ., 2016, pp. 268-277 (in Russian).

33. Smelyansky I. How wide-spread are abandoned lands in the steppe region of Russia? Steppe Bulletin, 2012, no. 36, pp. 4-7 (in Russian).

34. Trofimov I. A., Kosolapov V. M., Trofimova L. S., Yakovleva E. P. Agrolandscape-ecological zoning of grazing lands in european part of Russia. Advances in Current Natural Sciences, 2014, no. 12-1, pp. 116-119 (in Russian).

35. Tselevaia programma Kaliningradskoi oblasti “Razvitie ovtsevodstva i kozovodstva Kalinin-gradskoi oblasti na 2013-2015 gody”. Prilozhenie k Postanovleniiu Pravitelstva Kaliningradskoi oblasti v red. ot 17.09.2013 no. 703 [Dedicated programme of the Kaliningrad region “Development of sheep breeding and goat breeding in the Kaliningrad region in 2013-2015”. Supplement to administrative regulation of the government of the Kaliningrad region on 17.09.2013 no. 703 in edition]. Kaliningrad, 2013. Available at: http://base.garant.ru/9876444/53f89421bbdaf741eb2d1-ecc4ddb4c33/ (accessed 15 January 2018) (in Russian).

36. Shevtsov A. C., Ilyukh M. P., Khokhlov A. N. Antropogennaia eliminatsiia nazemnykh poz-vonochnykh Tsentralnogo Predkavkazia [Anthropogenic elimination of terrestrial vertebrates in the Central Ciscaucasus]. Stavropol, Alfa Print Publ., 2012. 128 p. (in Russian).

37. Shitikov D. A. Prostranstvenno-vremennaia struktura fauny i naseleniia ptits selskok-hoziaistvennykh zemel Evropeiskogo Severa Rossii [Spatio-temporal structure of fauna and populations of birds on agricultural lands of the European North of Russia]. Diss. Cand. Sci. (Biol.). Moscow, 2000. 244 p. (in Russian).

38. Ekologo-geograficheskie raiony Voronezhskoi oblasti [Ecogeographic Districts of the Voronezh Region]. Voronezh, Izdatel'stvo Voronezhskogo universiteta, 1996. 212 p. (in Russian).

39. Donald P. F., Sanderson F. J., Burfield I. J., Van Bommel F. P. J. Further evidence of continent-wide impacts of agricultural intensification of European farmland birds, 1990-2000. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 2006, vol. 116, iss. 3-4, pp. 189-196.

40. Dyulgerova S., Gramatikov M., Pedashenko H., Vassilev K., Kati V., Nikolov S. C. Farmland Birds and Agricultural Land Abandonment: Evidences from Bulgaria. Acta Zoologica Bulga-rica, 2015, vol. 67, no. 2, pp. 223-234.

41. Ioffe G., Nefedova T., de Beurs K. Agrarian transformation in the Russian breadbasket : contemporary trends as manifest in Stavropol. Post-Soviet Affairs, 2014, vol. 30, no. 6, pp. 441-463.

42. Lebedeva E. A., Butiev V. T. Wildlife conservation value of traditional Russian farmland. Farming on the Edge the Nature of Traditional Farmland in Europe. Peterborough, JNCC, 1995, pp. 82-89.

43. Newton I. Farming and birds. London, William Collins, 2017. 628 p.

44. Pain D. J., Pienkowski M. W. Farming and Birds in Europe. London, Academic Press, 1997. 436 p.

45. Robinson R. A., Sutherland W. J. Post War changes in arable farming and biodiversity in Great Britain. J. of Applied Ecology, 2002, vol. 39, iss. 1, pp. 157-176.

46. Stoate C., Baldi A., Beja P., Boatman N. D., Herzon I., van Doom A., Snoo G. R., Ra-kosy L., Ramwell C. Ecological Impacts of Early 21st Century Agricultural Change in Europe - A Review. J. of Environmental Management, 2009, vol. 91, iss. 1, pp. 22-46.

47. Tucker G. M., Evans M. I. Habitat for Birds in Europe. A Conservation Strategy for the Wider Environment. Cambridge, BirdLife International, 1997. 464 p.

48. Verhulst J., Baldi A., Kleijn D. Relationship between land-use intensity and species richness and abundance of birds in Hungary. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 2004, vol. 104, iss. 3, pp. 465-473.