Eiderstedt im Spannungsfeld zwischen Naturschutz- und Agrarpolitik - Entwicklung eines methodischen Ansatzes für ein nachhaltiges Ressourcenmanagement

Agricultural land on the Eiderstedt peninsula in Schleswig-Holstein (Germany) is traditionally dominated by extensively used grassland. These grassland areas are home to many (endangered) bird species, making Eiderstedt one of the prime bird habitats at the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein. During the last few years large shares of grassland have been converted to arable farm land to grow crops needed in an intensified dairy production and for biofuels. The possible impacts of such conversions on breeding bird populations of four key species are determined. The results indicate that the increase of arable farm land during the past six years has drastically reduced suitable bird habitat, which considerably diminishes the number of breeding pairs supported by the environment. Further land conversion is likely to have a less pronounced impact on bird populations compared to the consequences of the latest shift from grassland to arable farm land. Recent declarations of additional bird sanctuaries are supposed to alleviate the pressure on endangered bird species. Assessments using a combination of GIS and dynamic optimization models will be conducted to determine the expected efficiency of such management measures.