Robertson, B.A., R.A. Rice, T.S. Sillett, C.A. Ribic, B.A. Babcock, D.A. Landis, J.R. Herkert, R.J. Fletcher, Jr., J.J. Fontaine, P.J. Doran, and D.W. Schemske. 2012. Are agrofuels a conservation threat or opportunity for grassland birds in the United States? Condor 114:679-688
Abstract
In the United States, government-mandated growth in the production of crops dedicated to biofuel
(agrofuels) is predicted to increase the demands on existing agricultural lands, potentially threatening the persistence
of populations of grassland birds they support. We review recently published literature and datasets to
(1) examine the ability of alternative agrofuel crops and their management regimes to provide habitat for grassland
birds, (2) determine how crop placement in agricultural landscapes and agrofuel-related land-use change
will affect grassland birds, and (3) identify critical research and policy-development needs associated with agrofuel
production. We find that native perennial plants proposed as feedstock for agrofuel (switchgrass, Panicum
virgatum, and mixed grass–forb prairie) have considerable potential to provide new habitat to a wide range of
grassland birds, including rare and threatened species. However, industrialization of agrofuel production that
maximizes biomass, homogenizes vegetation structure, and results in the cultivation of small fields within largely
forested landscapes is likely to reduce species richness and/or abundance of grassland-dependent birds. Realizing
the potential benefits of agrofuel production for grassland birds’ conservation will require the development
of new policies that encourage agricultural practices specifically targeting the needs of grassland specialists. The
broad array of grower-incentive programs in existence may deliver new agrofuel policies effectively but will require
coordination at a spatial scale broader than currently practiced, preferably within an adaptive-management
framework.