Integrating Agriculture & Habitat

The type of farming practices that have historically taken place on the Southlands have not been particularly friendly to wildlife. A decline in the number of individual species and a reduction in the diversity of species on the Southlands has been documented in wildlife studies as farming for cattle corn intensified on the land between 1999 and 2005.

The working development plan for Southlands emphasizes a deliberate strategy to integrate wildlife habitat planning with agricultural planning and farm practices to protect and enhance habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, songbird, birds of prey, small mammals, amphibians/reptiles and invertebrates.

Larger-scale farms (12 acres or larger) will be a part of the agricultural activity on Southlands by providing wintering habitat for waterfowl. To provide the most suitable foraging habitat for waterfowl, farm practices will be managed to provide cover crops. Crops will be rotated to provide bare fields where waterfowl, including shorebirds and geese, will roost in the winter.