Power pylons offer pockets of habitat for mammals in intensively farmed landscapes

Around 10 million kilometres of power lines are spread across the EU, and research has shown that the lines and their pylons can both benefit and harm wildlife.

On the one hand, they can lead to the loss of natural habitats and cause the death of birds through collisions and electrocution. On the other hand, power lines and pylons provide habitats where birds can nest, rest and sing. On agricultural land, unfarmed patches under pylons can be high-quality habitat for insects, birds and small mammals, such as mice and voles.

The new study explored the value of unfarmed land under pylons for medium-sized mammals. The researchers placed video cameras under 41 high-voltage pylons on intensively farmed cropland in Czechia. From the footage, they counted how many mammals visited the pylons over a 14-day period in winter. The results were compared with those for 41 farmed patches in the same field.

They spotted eight species of medium-sized mammals altogether. These included badgers and wild boar, but European hares, roe deer and red foxes were the most sighted species by far.

All three of these dominant species visited the pylon patches more than the farmed patches, especially the hares and the deer. They spent more time under pylons, where they rested and foraged. They were also more likely to pass through, rather than use, the farmed patches.

For hares in particular, the surrounding landscape affected their likelihood of using the pylon patches. They were more likely to visit them if they were near the edge of the field, and less likely if they were close to shrubs.

Significantly, hares were more likely to use pylon patches that were dense in shrubs themselves. These results could be used to support the conservation of hares, the numbers of which have rapidly declined in recent decades. The researchers suggest that the shrubs could help protect the hares from harsh weather and birds of prey.

These results are in line with other studies which show that even small patches of habitat can be attractive, offering year-round cover and foraging ground for a variety of declining farmland species.

The researchers recommend that conservation planners account for these benefits and suggest that the ecological value of these habitats could be improved further, by growing more shrubs and/or by planting wildflowers for insects. Communication between conservation managers, farmers and energy suppliers might facilitate this.

It is important to note that the study did not compare the impact of unfarmed land with pylons to unfarmed land without pylons. It may be the case that pylons have a negative impact on mammals, but that this is offset by the positive impact of unfarmed land; hence, separating these two variables should be a priority.

Source:

Šálek, M, Riegert, J., Krivopalova, A., Cukor, J. (2023) Small islands in the wide open sea: The importance of non-farmed habitats under power pylons for mammals in agricultural landscape. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2023.108500.

To cite this article/service:

“Science for Environment Policy”: European Commission DG Environment News Alert Service, edited by the Science Communication Unit, The University of the West of England, Bristol.

Notes on content:

The contents and views included in Science for Environment Policy are based on independent, peer reviewed research and do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Commission. Please note that this article is a summary of only one study. Other studies may come to other conclusions.