Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXVI, Issue 2
Written by Gradimir GRADEV, Stilyana YANEVA, Tatyana BILEVA, Maria MAKRI, Kostas VLACHOPOULOS
The Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni, Fleischer, 1818) strongly attached to agro-environmental landscapes, showing high preferences towards extensively managed wheat crops and extensively grazed or otherwise maintained pastures. The colonies of that species are often nesting in urban areas usually surrounded by agricultural fields or open uncultivated grasslands, securing food resources. This defines the species as a typical representative of farmland birds, whose main foraging and breeding habitats in Bulgaria fall into two main types of ecosystems - agroecosystems and grassland ecosystems, and its breeding habitats cover urban ecosystems. The aim of the present study is to assess the potential ecosystem services provide by Lesser Kestrel after recovering the species as a breeder in Bulgaria by Green Balkans NGO. MAES Ecosystem classification and data from the largest colony of the species in the country, located within SPA Sakar, part of the ecological network NATURA 2000 used. As a result, two major ecosystem services provided by the species: the provision of regulating ecosystem services by suppressing arthropods, reptiles and rodents populations and cultural ecosystem services through opportunities of ecotourism, environmental education, birdwatching were identify. Because of the critically endangered status of the Lesser Kestrel in Bulgaria, the species further contributes to the protection of habitats and thus, to the ecosystem services they provide.
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