Bird-friendly wine country through diversified vineyards

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Viticulture
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• Vinecology integrates ecological and viticultural practices for sustainable wine-grape production.
• Mediterranean-climate biomes face challenges in balancing agriculture with species conservation.
• Maintaining native vegetation in agricultural landscapes is a key conservation strategy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the influence of remnant native vegetation and surrounding natural areas in vineyards on bird community richness and composition.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of vinecology practices for bird conservation in working landscapes.

Main Methods:

• Conducted bird surveys across 120 vineyard sites in central Chile during spring and summer.
• Utilized generalized linear mixed models to analyze species responses to vegetation types at plot and landscape scales.
• Employed the Horn similarity index to compare bird community differences, including endemic species and guilds.

Main Results:

• Nine bird species showed a positive association with remnant vegetation within vineyards; three were negatively associated.
• Endemic species, insectivores, granivores, and omnivores were more abundant in vineyards with remnant native vegetation.
• Despite higher richness in continuous forests, 84.9% of species were detected in vineyard remnants.

Conclusions:

• Maintaining and restoring natural vegetation remnants in vineyards is a valuable tool for bird conservation.
• Vinecology practices can be effectively applied in New World Mediterranean climate regions to support avian biodiversity.
• The study highlights the importance of integrating habitat conservation into agricultural working landscapes.