De Levende Natuur nummer 3 van 2025 (English summary)

Food forest attracts insects and breeding birds

Recent studies have reported alarming declines in insect populations, a pattern that is observed for terrestrial insects worldwide. Despite this being a global trend, local-scale drivers are commonly held responsible. The results of this long-term study in food forest Haarzuilens (6 ha) shows that the establishment of food forests can result in a strong increase in insects, when compared to a nearby reference area. Despite the fact that this study was carried out in a single site, it does underscore the potential importance of food forests in promoting insects in the agricultural landscape. The concomitant increase in - largely insectivorous - breeding birds largely underlines these results. 

Landscape and species restoration can go hand in hand

Landscape restoration and specific measures to help species recovery can reinforce each other. We illustrate this with a practical example in Groote Heide, a water catchment area of Brabant Water. The area was a historical habitat for tree frog and common spadefoot. Despite reclamation for agriculture and forestry, the soil has been well preserved. Together with the reintroduction of these species in adjacent areas, the water catchment area therefore has great potential for these species. Brabant Water has commissioned research into the feasibility of measures for both species. Based on landscape ecological research, these measures seemed - unintentionally - to stand in the way of recovery on a landscape scale in the medium term. As a result, an opportunity for sustainable recovery for both species was in danger of being lost. By combining knowledge of soil, hydrology and species ecology, the task was solved differently. In anticipation of restoration on a landscape scale, wet lowlands have been created which form natural breeding habitat for tree frogs and common spadefoots. The bed is made, now for the amphibians!

The polecat and pine marten do not often show themselves

Between 2016 and 2023, the distribution of the European polecat and pine marten in the Netherlands was monitored with camera traps in regions where the martens could very well occur but were not found in previous years. The polecat was observed in 61 and pine marten in 77 of the 905 sites surveyed; welcome addition to the known distribution.