Integrating synergistic effects of biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services into nature conservation...

Synergies between biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services are important to support spatial planning and management of agroecosystems, but studies in regions with limited land are rare. Thus, to assess the spatial distribution of bird habitats and carbon storage, we selected farmland ecosystems on Taiwan Island as the study site. We also integrated the synergistic preferences into conservation strategies and evaluated their impacts on farmland ecosystems. The results show that (1) 33 native bird species associated with farmland habitats were identified and categorized into four ecological groups: omnivores, insectivores, granivores, and carnivores. (2) Land use intensity affects bird populations differently depending on specific species groups. (3) About 51 % and 66 % of the current farmland area indicate high habitat suitability and carbon storage values, respectively. (4) To minimize the impacts of land use change, farmland areas with high habitat suitability, coupled with the potential for both low and high carbon storage, were prioritized for the conservation strategy. (5) In future projections, our simulation indicates that farmland habitats within conservation-interest zones remained intact and experienced a significant increase in the extent of being highly suitable for bird populations. Our study potentially contributes to effectively managing farmland resources, serving as a valuable reference for ecologically sustainable development.