Avian Use of Dairy Farm Ponds and Landowners’ Perceptions of Their Management for Wildlife Conservation

Farm ponds are among the last remaining lentic wetland habitats in human-dominated agricultural and suburban landscapes. However, their wildlife value and farmers’ willingness to maintain them for the conservation of regionally declining biodiversity are often both poorly documented. The objectives of this study of 61 dairy farm ponds located in Southern Quebec (Canada) were to (1) describe their biophysical features and birds’ use, (2) determine habitat and landscape characteristics that influence the bird community, and (3) assess the willingness of farmers to support wildlife use. The studied ponds were small (0.17 ha) and had rectangular shape with rocky/muddy steeply slopes (21°), surrounded by 3 m wide riparian strips and pastures, hayfields, and fallows. They were located about 300 m from farmhouses, buildings, streams, and adjacent ponds. A total of 1963 individuals belonging to 46 bird species were observed. The abundance of all bird species, of species with declining populations, and of crop damaging species were positively related to the area of fallow land and to the width of riparian strips; the areas of cereals and of mixed-wood forest had a negative influence. Only two habitat variables had influence on species richness: the width of riparian strips (+) and the distance to the closest farm buildings (–). Most pond landowners (>80%) were in favour of increasing wildlife use if they were given access to associated financial support and logistical assistance. Wider riparian strips and adjacent uncultivated field margins are recommended.

Characterisation of rice fallow period for increasing cropping intensity in Khordha district of Odisha

The possibility of increasing the cropping intensity in Khordha district was assessed by block-wise characterisation of rainfall, soil texture, available water holding capacity of soil and district level temperature during the rice fallow period as well as deciding the appropriate sowing window for both kharif and rabi crops. More than 50% chances of occurrence of wet weeks at the beginning of the kharif season (20-22 SMW) indicated that the summer ploughing and initial seed bed preparation could be taken up during the period followed by sowing of rice from 23 SMW. The 42-43 SMW with greater than 30% initial probability of wet week at 20 mm threshold limit. Considering the length of growing period (LGP) available, the adjustment of rice variety duration by 10-15 days in medium land and advancement of pulse sowing almost by 15 days before harvest of the rice crop (Pira crop) in low land was registered as the best su suitable option for rabi pulses to ensure better utilisation of rice fallow. In addition to these, harvesting surplus water during kharif and storing in farm ponds for judicious utilisation during rabi season further enhanced the possibility of utilisation of rice fallow and increasing the cropping intensity. In the event of delayed monsoon the rice duration has to be adjusted accordingly not to sacrifice the designated suitable period for rabi pulses.

Aquatic Macrophytes Occurrence in Mediterranean Farm Ponds: Preliminary Investigations in North-Western Sicily (Italy)

Mediterranean wetlands are severely affected by habitat degradation and related loss of biodiversity. In this scenario, the wide number of artificial farm ponds can play a significant role in the biodiversity conservation of aquatic flora. In the present contribution we show the preliminary results of a study on Mediterranean farm ponds of north-western Sicily (Italy), aimed to investigating the environmental factors linked to the occurrence of submerged macrophytes (vascular plants and charophytes). We studied the aquatic flora of 30 ponds and determined the chemical and isotopic composition of their water bodies on a subset of the most representative 10 sites. Results show that (1) farm ponds host few but interesting species, such as Potamogeton pusillus considered threatened at regional level; (2) Chara vulgaris, C. globularis and P. pusillus behave as disturbance-tolerant species, occurring both in nitrates-poor and nitrates-rich waters, whereas Stuckenia pectinata and Zannichellia palustris occur only in nitrates-poor waters. Although farm ponds are artificial and relatively poor habitats, these environments seem to be important for the aquatic flora and for the conservation of the local biodiversity, and can give useful information for the use of macrophytes as bioindicators in the Mediterranean area.

Exploring farm pond dynamics in low-order agricultural watersheds: A synthetic analysis and process-based modeling

<p>Farm ponds, which are sometimes numerous and widely distributed in agricultural regions, have faced widespread degradation in recent decades. Although relevant conservation strategies have gradually increased, detailed assessments on their roles in regional biogeochemistry and ecology are lacking. We concluded that farm ponds provided hydrologic, biogeochemical, and socioeconomic benefits to southern China for thousands of years, but they are facing contemporary threats and management challenges, including (1) inadequate planning in terms of construction and conservation regulations; (2) rural nonpoint source and mini-point source pollution; (3) climate change-induced abnormalities in the hydroperiod and disturbance to wildlife; (4) invasive species; and (5) inadequate social and political capacity to consider ecological conservation. As farm ponds function as wetland complexes that are embedded within or integral to larger ecosystems, we recommend multi-disciplinary efforts over scales ranging from within-pond to regional for their assessment and conservation.</p><p>Excessive nitrogen (N) discharge from agriculture is a major factor of widespread problems in aquatic ecosystems. Knowledge of spatiotemporal patterns and source attribution of N pollution in these small, scattered ponds is a critical first step for nutrient management and ecosystem health in low-order agricultural watersheds. We applied the process-based HSPF model for ponds, ditches, and downstream waters in a 4.8 km<sup>2</sup> test watershed in southern China. The results exhibited distinctive spatial-seasonal variations with an overall seriousness rank for the three indicators: total nitrogen (TN) > nitrate/nitrite nitrogen (NO<sub>x</sub><sup>-</sup>-N) > ammonia nitrogen (NH<sub>3</sub>-N). TN pollution was severe for the entire watershed, while NO<sub>x</sub><sup>-</sup>-N pollution was significant for ponds and ditches far from the village, and the NH<sub>3</sub>-N concentrations were acceptable except for the ponds near the village in summer. Although food and cash crop production accounted for the largest source of N loads, we discovered that mini-point pollution sources, including animal feeding operations, rural residential sewage, and waste, together contributed as high as 47% of the TN and NH<sub>3</sub>-N loads in ponds and ditches.</p><p>Our synthetic analysis and process-based modeling studies focused on farm ponds in an agriculturally dominated developing country (China), but similar small, scattered wetlands and their degradation trends are observed worldwide (e.g., vernal pools and prairie potholes in North American, farm ponds in Western and Central Europe, and chain of natural pond system in Australia). Nature-based solutions are becoming increasingly recognized as important for addressing the complex challenges in hydrology, ecology, and biodiversity under anthropogenic and climatic pressures. Apart from proposed conservation policies, including public awareness building, top-down regulations and bottom-up engagement, and sustainable management and utilization, we are also trying techniques that involve interconnected smart sensors and integrated modeling methods to better understand pond hydrological processes. We believe that such solutions can provide a basis for the numerical assessments on their ecosystem services and associated conservation cost analyses.</p>

The Morphology of Evolved Urban Fabric around Farm Ponds

Resilience, water-based ecosystems, and regional urbanization are closely related. Ponds, as a part of water-based ecosystems, are subject to the indicators of urbanization. The farm ponds in Taoyuan, Taiwan, represent a sustainable fulfillment of irrigation demand and are a system that has been resilient to the topological change in plate elevation over time. The old system was developed in three stages and gradually replaced by canals and reservoirs, with lands abolished or demolished for other purposes. This study aimed to investigate the resilience of farm ponds based on a quantitative estimation of the morphologically evolved urban fabric. Based on five types of map resources, case studies were made on the ponds located near or away from the Green Line of the Taoyuan Rapid Transit System in order to explore their potential relationship with urbanization and the concept of transit-oriented development (TOD). The results show high dynamics of land-use changes while each one was surrounded by a specific urban fabric and contributed to the individual history, designated role, and major type of buildings developed. Quantitative estimation made from satellite images found the developing patterns of resilience in different convergence stages. Each of the four pond cases represents a different stage and application pattern to the integration of water and urban resilience and, in the meantime, maintains the old pond culture. The verification of the water surface area was compared between former 3D scans and satellite images.