Search this site:

Effects of Agricultural Land Uses

Agricultural land uses have interrupted the continuity of southern forests, and created forest islands. Wildlife differ in their response to the resulting fragmentation. For some species of birds and small mammals, the forest/agricultural boundary acts as a barrier to movement, fragmenting and isolating populations. The presence of woody, vegetated fencerows may help to facilitate movement of some wildlife, however. Some long distance migrant bird species and species that nest in forest interiors appear to be adversely affected by forest fragmentation particularly in heavily fragmented landscapes with low overall forest cover. The presence of nearby agricultural areas has been shown to reduce the nesting success of some forest bird species. Other taxa of wildlife also exhibit a species-specific response.

Many bird species dependent on open habitats, such as grasslands, prairies, savannas, glades and barrens, are now in serious decline in the Eastern United States. Agricultural areas, especially grasslands and fallow fields, provide habitat for some of these early successional birds and other wildlife, such as eastern cottontails and quail. The presence of vegetated fencerows may further enhance the value of agricultural habitats for some wildlife species while decreasing the value for some grassland species.

Forest wildlife species utilize agricultural areas as foraging habitat. Foraging wildlife can be beneficial for agriculture when they consume insects, mice, or weed seeds. Consumption of crops can also be relatively harmless when it involves consumption of waste grain left behind by mechanical harvesters or consumption of fallen fruit. Still, damage to crops and consumption of agricultural commodities is an important issue, and has resulted in some wildlife species being subjected to lethal and nonlethal depredation control measures. The attraction of wildlife to agricultural areas has also subjected them to injury and death due to faster, more powerful farm machinery, pesticides, and the dangers of other injury and disease.

Old-field successional habitats are important for some wildlife species, but may also serve as introduction points for exotic vegetation into the forest, especially along the edges of forest fragments (Brothers and Spinarn 1992). The former agricultural land use may affect the vegetative structure of the resulting old-field habitat, and restoration to full utility as habitat for forest wildlife may not occur even after a number of years.

Government programs that encourage the removal of land from intensive cultivation, the establishment of stable ground cover for soil conservation, and the deliberate creation of wildlife habitat areas in predominantly agricultural environments can greatly influence the abundance of and diversity of wildlife species (Bolen and Robinson 1995).