Natural habitat maximizes the benefits of birds for farmers, food safety, and conservation

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/944381

 

 News Release 23-Feb-2022
Bringing out the best in wild birds on farms
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of California - Davis

 

A supportive environment can bring out the best in an individual — even for a bird.

After an E.coli outbreak in 2006 devastated the spinach industry, farmers were pressured to remove natural habitat to keep wildlife — and the foodborne pathogens they can sometimes carry — from visiting crops. A study published today from the University of California, Davis, shows that farms with surrounding natural habitat experience the most benefits from birds, including less crop damage and lower food-safety risks.

The study, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, was conducted at 21 strawberry fields along California’s Central Coast. It found that birds were more likely to carry pathogens and eat berries without surrounding natural habitat.

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