Land used for agriculture provides habitat for a diversity of wildlife.  However, the intensification of agricultural practises, increased use of pesticides and encroachment of urban centres have been linked to the widespread decline of many species associated with agricultural land in Europe. Less is known about the extent to which recent changes to agricultural land use and practices in the Fraser Valley have impacted wildlife. Barn owls have been closely associated with humans and agriculture for centuries, but are declining in many parts of their range.

We are currently examining:

• how changes to farm structures and agricultural land have impacted the distribution of barn owls over the last decade
• how land use patterns influence the foraging ecology and breeding performance of barn owls
• the extent to which barn owls are exposed to rodenticides.

David Green
Sofi Hindmarch