Vpliv načinov gospodarjenja s travišči na ptice gnezdilke Ljubljanskega barja (osrednja Slovenija)
In spite of the extensive drainage works carried out in the bogs of Ljubljansko barje, the area is ...still important for breeding birds, particularly wet meadow species. Existence of these meadows nowadays depends very much on human management, which can be more or less intensive. Lately, more and more wet meadows are being transformed into pastures. The aim of this research was to find out how different grassland management regimes affect breeding birds at Ljubljansko barje. Intensively managed meadows, extensively managed meadows, pastures and litter meadows were compared. As birds were counted by a method adapted to pastures, counts were made from the edge of the plots. From the end of April till mid June 2003, every plot was visited four times in the morning and once during the night. Management intensity of the plot was determined by the beginning and extent of the area being mown or grazed, speed of mowing progress, number of irrigation ditches and proportion of area fertilized. The largest numbers of breeding birds were recorded in litter meadows, slightly fewer in extensively managed meadows and the least in intensively managed meadows. Considering the numbers of breeding birds, pastures were more similar to intensively than to extensively managed meadows. The beginning of mowing, extent of area mown and proportion of fertilised area were in significant negative correlation with density of nesting birds. It turned out that grazing, as practiced in the year of the research, is not suitable for maintaining wet meadows as habitats for grassland birds. The question remains, however, would less intensive grazing be a suitable alternative solution for maintaining conservationally very important wet grasslands at Ljubljansko barje, which would otherwise be abandoned.
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