Diversity and abundance of birds and insects on organic and conventional farms in southern Finland, 2000 - 2006

The data originate from national monitoring on the effects of the Finnish agri-environment support scheme (MYTVAS). The main study area was situated in Pukkila and Orimattila, an agriculturally dominated landscape in southern Finland, and it consists of ca. 30 km2 of arable land. In the study area, organic farming comprised 10 - 11 % of the arable area. Bird territories in the study area were censused in May-June 2000 - 2006 using a two-visit (2000 - 2001) or three-visit (2002 - 2006) application of the standard mapping method (Bibby et al. 2000). Both true field species and species which use both farmland and forest or human settlements were included. Abundances and population trends of birds were compared with data from four other convebtional areas comprising roughly same acreage. Data on butterflies, diurnal moths and bumblebees were collected in 2001-2005 from late May onwards to late August, with two-week intervals on 50-m long sample transects by using a standard line-transect method (Pollard & Yates 1993). Additionally, the abundance of flowering nectar-rich plants on the transects was recorded annually in late July. The methods are described in the following publications: Tiainen, J., Ekroos, J., Piha, M., Rintala, J., Seimola, T. & Vepsäläinen, V. 2008. Luomuviljelyn vaikutus maatalousympäristön luonnon monimuotoisuuteen. In: Kuussaari, M., Heliölä, J., Tiainen, J., Helenius, J. (Eds.). Maatalouden ympäristötuen merkitys luonnon monimuotoisuudelle ja maisemalle: MYTVAS-loppuraportti 2000-2006 (Significance of the Finnish agri-environment support scheme for biodiversity and landscape: Final report 2000-2006, in Finnish). Suomen ympäristö 4/2008: 128-139. Piha, M., Tiainen, J., Holopainen, J. & Vepsäläinen, V. 2007. Effects of land-use and landscape characteristics on avian diversity and abundance in a boreal agricultural landscape with organic and conventional farms. Biological Conservation 140: 50-61. Ekroos, J., Piha, M. & Tiainen, J. 2007. Role of organic and conventional field boundaries on boreal bumblebees and butterflies. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 124: 155-159. Bibby, C.J., Burgess, N.D., Hill, D.A. & Mustoe, S.H. 2000. Bird Census Techniques (second ed.). Academic Press, London. Pollard, E. & Yates, T. 1993. Monitoring butterflies for ecology and conservation. Chapman & Hall. London, UK. 274 p. Results of analyses into these data were published in the following theses and their originial articles: Piha, M. 2007. Spatial and temporal determinants of Finnish farmland bird populations. Ph.D. thesis, University of Helsinki. Ekroos, J. 2010. Effects of management and landscape structure on biodiversity in boreal agricultural landscapes. Ph.D. thesis, University of Helsinki.