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114,357 ha of Taiwan Farmland Was Modelled as Suitable for Four Bird Species

Black drongo perched in Taipei, Taiwan
Conservation · Habitat protection

A modelling study of Taiwan’s agricultural landscape identified 114,357 hectares of farmland where suitable habitat overlapped for four focal birds: black drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus), common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), zitting cisticola (Cisticola juncidis) and scaly-breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata). The authors highlighted these overlapping areas as candidate OECMs—land outside formal protected areas that could still contribute to long-term biodiversity conservation while remaining in other uses.

Suitable habitat overlapped across 114,357 hectares

The analysis covered 747,226 hectares of farmland on Taiwan’s main island. Researchers combined species-distribution models with land-use simulations to map present-day habitat suitability and project changes to 2050 under four climate pathways ranging from low to very high emissions, together with two land-use scenarios.

All four species had extensive areas of modelled suitable farmland in 2020. Black drongo had the largest suitable area, followed by zitting cisticola, common moorhen and scaly-breasted munia. Monthly precipitation was generally the strongest habitat predictor across the species, while slope and temperature also mattered, with their importance differing among species.

Future changes differed among species and scenarios

The future projections did not show one uniform response. Built-up land expanded substantially in the land-use simulations, while total farmland declined more modestly, and suitable habitat shifted differently among species and climate pathways. Scenarios that restricted land conversion within the candidate OECM areas generally retained more suitable habitat and reduced habitat loss for several of the focal species, although the size of the benefit varied.

The 114,357 hectares are therefore model-based conservation priorities, not areas that have already received formal OECM recognition. The authors present the approach as a way to include working farmland in long-term conservation planning where expansion of conventional protected areas is difficult.

Sources and image credit

  1. Agricultural landscapes supporting conservation planning: Spatial prioritization of conservation areas for farmland birdsPrimary peer-reviewed study in Ecological Modelling, volume 519 (September 2026). It modelled current and future suitable farmland habitat for black drongo, common moorhen, zitting cisticola and scaly-breasted munia on Taiwan and identified 114,357 ha of overlapping suitable habitat as candidate OECMs.

Image: Black drongo perched in Taipei, Taiwan. Photo: Gulumeemee / Wikimedia Commons. Representative image for this story; not presented as an animal or scene from the reported study or event. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

Habitat protection

SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus Explore species Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Explore species Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis Explore species

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