Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Use repellents on baits for predator control A replicated, randomised and controlled experiment in the USA found that methyl anthanilate and aminoacetophenone did not reduce consumption of baits by American kestrels Falco sparverius. A replicated, randomised and controlled experiment in New Zealand found that treating baits with pulegone or Avex™ reduced pecking rates in North Island robins Petroica australis longipes. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F159https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F159Tue, 15 May 2012 13:51:05 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Ensure connectivity between habitat patches A replicated, controlled study in Canada found significantly higher abundances of some birds, but not forest specialists, in forest patches connected to a continuous area of forest, than in isolated patches. Another study of the same system found evidence that corridors were used by some bird species more than clearcuts between patches, although corridors near cut forest were not used more than those near uncut stands. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F160https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F160Tue, 15 May 2012 14:47:42 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Mark or tint windows to reduce collision mortality Two randomised, replicated and controlled studies (one ex situ) found that marking windows did not appear to reduce bird collisions. However, when windows were largely covered with white cloth, fewer birds flew towards them. A randomised, replicated and controlled study found that fewer birds collided with tinted windows than with un-tinted ones, although the authors noted that the poor reflective quality of the glass could have influenced the results. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F167https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F167Sat, 19 May 2012 20:22:28 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Leave refuges in fields during harvest A replicated study in France found that fewer gamebirds came into contact with mowing machinery when refuges were left in fields than when they were not left. A review from the UK found that Eurasian skylarks Alauda arvensis did not nest at higher densities in uncut refuges than in the rest of the fields.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F193https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F193Wed, 27 Jun 2012 17:35:08 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Offer per clutch payment for farmland birds One of two replicated and controlled studies from the Netherlands found that farms with per clutch payments held slightly higher breeding densities of waders, but not higher overall numbers than control farms. One study found no population effects over three years. A replicated and controlled study found higher hatching success on farms with payment schemes than control farms.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F196https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F196Wed, 27 Jun 2012 17:50:57 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Reduce conflict by deterring birds from taking crops using bird scarers A controlled paired study in the USA found reduced levels of damage to almond orchards when American crow Corvus brachyrhynchos distress calls were broadcast, compared to the previous year. There were no decreases in control orchards. A replicated study in Pakistan found that four pest species were less abundant when reflector ribbons were hung above crops, compared to when ribbons were not used.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F199https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F199Thu, 28 Jun 2012 11:34:06 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Use ‘mosaic management’ A replicated, controlled before-and-after study from the Netherlands found that northern lapwing Vanellus vanellus population trends changed from decreases to increases following the introduction of mosaic management. Three other waders did not show such a response. A replicated, paired sites study in the Netherlands found that black-tailed godwits Limosa limosa had higher productivity under mosaic management than other management types, and nests were less likely to be trampled by livestock.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F202https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F202Thu, 28 Jun 2012 11:52:32 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Maintain species-rich, semi-natural grassland A before-and-after study from the UK found five species of conservation concern increased after the implementation of management designed to maintain unimproved grasslands. A replicated study from Switzerland found that wetland birds appeared to preferentially choose managed hay meadows; birds of open farmland avoided it.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F218https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F218Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:27:00 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Raise mowing height on grasslands to benefit birds A review from the UK found that raising mowing height may have increased productivity of Eurasian skylarks, but not sufficiently to maintain the local population. A randomised, replicated and controlled study from the UK found that no more foraging birds were attracted to plots with raised mowing heights, compared to plots with shorter grass.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F222https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F222Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:06:08 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Protect nests from livestock to reduce trampling A before-and-after study from the Chatham Islands, New Zealand found that the population of Chatham Island oystercatcher increased following several interventions including the erection of fencing around individual nests. A replicated, controlled study in Sweden found that no southern dunlin nests were trampled when protected by cages; some unprotected nests were destroyed.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F237https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F237Tue, 17 Jul 2012 16:44:30 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Maintain traditional orchardsTwo site comparison studies from the UK and Switzerland found that traditional orchards did not benefit many birds. In Switzerland, one species was associated with orchards; in the UK, the focal species was negatively related to the presence of orchards.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F240https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F240Wed, 18 Jul 2012 10:42:12 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Use electric fencing to exclude fish-eating birdsTwo before-and-after studies from the USA found that electric fencing reduced the use of fish ponds by great blue herons Ardea herodias and great egrets Casmerodius albus.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F247https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F247Wed, 18 Jul 2012 11:52:28 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Disturb birds using foot patrolsTwo replicated studies from Belgium and Australia found that using foot patrols to disturb birds from fish farms did not reduce the number of birds present or fish consumption.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F249https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F249Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:05:00 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Translocate birds away from fish farmsA study from the USA cited in a review found that translocating birds away from a fish farm appeared to reduce the number of birds at the farm. A study from Belgium found that translocating herons did not seem to be an effective way to reduce bird numbers at fish farms.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F251https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F251Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:15:27 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Use in-water devices to reduce fish loss from ponds A before-and-after study from the USA found a 95% reduction in the number of double-crested cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus at two ponds in a fish farm following the installation of underwater ropes. A replicated study at a fish farm in Australia found that hanging gill nets in ponds did not decrease the number of cormorants swimming in ponds.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F254https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F254Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:54:38 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Translocate petrels and shearwatersTwo studies from Australia and one from New Zealand found that colonies of burrow-nesting Procellariiformes were successfully established on two islands, and in uninhabited areas of another following the translocation and hand-rearing of chicks.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F568https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F568Sun, 30 Sep 2012 12:54:24 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Translocate rails Three reviews of two translocation programmes in the Seychelles and New Zealand found high survival amongst translocated rails. All studies found that translocated birds bred successfully, although one found that translocated takahe Porphyrio hochstetteri had lower reproductive success than birds in the source population. The other New Zealand study found no differences in breeding success between recently and formerly translocated takahe.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F573https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F573Sun, 30 Sep 2012 13:58:55 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Use captive breeding to increase or maintain populations of songbirds A replicated study from Australia and two small studies from the USA found that three species of songbird were successfully bred in captivity. Four out of five pairs of wild-bred, hand-reared puaiohi, Myadestes palmeri, formed pairs and laid a total of 39 eggs in 1998 and a breeding population of helmeted honeyeaters, Lichenostomus melanops cassidix, was successfully established through a breeding programme. Only one pair of loggerhead shrikes, Lanius ludovicianus, formed pairs from eight wild birds caught and their first clutch died.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F598https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F598Sat, 13 Oct 2012 15:24:35 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Can captive breeding have deleterious effects on individual fitness? Three studies of wild populations, wild and captive populations and museum specimens, one replicated, found evidence for  potentially deleterious physiological or genetic changes due to captive breeding. These studies did not investigate fitness. A study of a wild Mauritius kestrel, Falco punctatus, population derived totally from captive individuals found high inbreeding and a loss of genetic diversity, but this was caused more by the very low population size (four wild birds) than by captivity per se. The museum-based study found reduced relative brain volume in captive wildfowl, compared with wild birds, whilst a comparison of wild and captive populations of white-headed ducks Oxyura leucocephala found lower genetic diversity in captive populations.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F599https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F599Sat, 13 Oct 2012 16:00:16 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Freeze semen for use in artificial insemination A small controlled trial in the USA found that using frozen semen for artificial insemination resulted in lower fertility in falcons, and a second small trial from the USA found that an American kestrel Falco sparverius had only 33% fertility when inseminated with frozen semen. A small trial from the USA found that fertility rates were highest when semen contained 10% dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO, a cryoprotectant), compared to semen containing 6% or 8% DMSO.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F602https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F602Sat, 13 Oct 2012 16:27:01 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Artificially incubate and hand-rear wildfowl in captivity Two replicated studies in Canada and India found high success rates for hand-rearing buffleheads Bucephala albeola and bar-headed geese Anser indicus in captivity. Eggs were artificially incubated or incubated under foster parents. A replicated, controlled study in England found that Hawaiian geese (nene) Branta sandvicensis chicks showed less well-adapted behaviours if they were raised without parental contact, compared to chicks raised by parents.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F606https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F606Sat, 13 Oct 2012 17:11:00 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Use puppets to increase the survival or growth of hand-reared chicksThree replicated studies from the USA and Saudi Arabia found that corvids and bustards raised using puppets did not have higher survival, dispersal or growth than conventionally hand-reared chicks.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F617https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F617Sun, 14 Oct 2012 12:43:41 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Release captive-bred individuals into the wild to restore or augment wild populations of rails One replicated study from Australia found that released Lord Howe Island woodhens Tricholimnas sylvestris successfully bred in the wild, re-establishing a wild population. A replicated study from the UK found high survival of released corncrake Crex crex in the first summer (although no data were available on overwinter survival or breeding). A replicated study in New Zealand found very low survival of North Island weka Gallirallus australis greyi following release, mainly due to predation by invasive mammals.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F620https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F620Sun, 14 Oct 2012 13:58:52 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Release birds in ‘coveys’ A replicated study in Saudi Arabia found that houbara bustard Chlamydotis undulata macqueenii survival was low when chicks were released in coveys with flightless females. A review of cackling goose Branta hutchinsii conservation and a replicated study in England found that geese and grey partridge Perdix perdix releases were more  successful for birds released in coveys than for young birds released on their own or adults released in pairs.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F635https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F635Sun, 14 Oct 2012 23:35:50 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Provide supplementary food after release Three studies from found that malleefowl Leipoa ocellata, Andean condors Vultur gryphus and pink pigeons Nesoenas mayeri used supplementary food when it was provided after release. A replicated, controlled study from Australia found that malleefowl had higher survival when supplied with supplementary food. A study in Peru found that supplementary food could be used to increase the foraging range of condors after release, or to guide them back to suitable feeding areas.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F639https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F639Sun, 14 Oct 2012 23:54:01 +0100
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What Works in Conservation

What Works in Conservation provides expert assessments of the effectiveness of actions, based on summarised evidence, in synopses. Subjects covered so far include amphibians, birds, mammals, forests, peatland and control of freshwater invasive species. More are in progress.

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