Chapter 11 - Management and Conservation

Summary

This chapter presents a brief overview of the status of and threats to the Little Owl. We then offer a conservation strategy for the owl that involves five critical success factors: Knowledge, Limiting Factors, Evolution of Landscape Conditions, Legislation and Policies, and People. Thereafter, we describe four main drivers to implement this strategy, focused on Monitoring, Management, Standardized Methodologies and Data Management. The long-term conservation of the Little Owl is complicated, as the species is largely linked to an agriculturally dominated landscape. This landscape condition can change rapidly and significantly due to human demographics, and changes in policies and management. The conservation strategy described in this chapter requires a multiscale, multidisciplinary approach, with collaboration between different stakeholders (conservationists, scientists, different authorities, farmers) and additional research into the ecology of the species. This strategy must be applied at different levels: local, regional, national and international. We encourage people involved in this conservation strategy to work broadly, openly and to freely co-ordinate on issues, data, and management efforts that will benefit the broader array of species and environments of which the Little Owl is a part.