Biological diversity in cultivated farmlands has considerably declined in the past 50 years due to changes in agricultural practices. The Swiss Ornithological Institute (SOI), in collaboration with the Federal Agency of Environment, Forests and Landscape (FAEFL) and farmers, has been establishing, since 1991, a programme of fallow strips to bring back some heterogeneity in the landscape, and promote biological diversity. The aim of the project is to study the effects of these improved habitats on behaviour and populations of selected bird species in order to evaluate the success of the measures taken and to make suggestions for a sustainable use of the agricultural landscape.
The main research area is in the Klettgau region of Switzerland (Canton of Schaffhausen), where up to the present, about 10% of the agriculturally used area has been improved with wildflower strips and other ecological compensation areas or low-input crops.
Information to improve public awareness has been an integral part of the programme from the beginning and has led to marked changes of land use by farmers, to a greater understanding in the general public and to increased support by politicians and authorities.
The experimental system of fallow strips established by the SOI provides a unique opportunity for other projects within the Integrated Project Biodiversity to study, in a collaborative way, the effects of improved habitats on various aspects of agricultural landscapes (Projects Peter Edwards, Padruot Fried, Urs Niggli). For example, the projects Peter Edwards and Padruot Fried will provide information on plants and arthropods crucial for the survival of the birds in this area.
