Private individuals in the U.S. hold 70% of land in the lower 48 states, and half of the entire land mass in the conterminous U.S. is managed in some manner for agricultural production.  Successful fish and wildlife conservation, therefore, relies heavily upon adequate policies that balance agricultural production with biodiversity conservation.  The U.S. Farm Bill includes several provisions aimed at encouraging voluntary actions by farmers to conserve fish, wildlife, and their habitats in agricultural landscapes and predates newer concepts like provisioning for ecosystem services. However, each of these 13 conservation provisions addresses balancing key ecosystem services through differing in eligibility requirements, financial incentives, and conservation targets.  For example, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) pays enrolled farmers annual rental payments under 10-15 year contracts while also financially assisting the establishment of conservation practices (CP) on the land.  CRP covers a wide range of CP and currently has over 25 million acres enrolled.  CP33 Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds targets field borders for establishment of native warm season grasses and forbs; this directly benefits northern bobwhite quail by providing brood rearing habitat not present in crop fields.  CP27 Farmable Wetlands restores wetland habitats that had been converted to agricultural uses, benefitting waterfowl and other wetland-dependent species.  The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) helps farmers improve water quality, reduce soil erosion, and create wildlife habitat by providing financial and technical assistance to the development and implementation of conservation plans for their land.  Soil and water conservation provisions in several Farm Bill programs improve the quality of fish and wildlife habitats by reducing sedimentation of streams and nutrient runoff.  Voluntary conservation programs established by the Farm Bill create several lasting benefits for our nation's soil, water, and fish and wildlife species.

US Farm Bill conservation programs: Benefits to fish and wildlife through voluntary actions

248th National Meeting (2014)

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