Sustainable agricultural management can contribute to the maintenance of basic ecosystem services (e.g. water quality, erosion prevention, nutrient cycle, pollination, habitat for wildlife, biological pest control). Our ability in the future to benefit from these ecosystem services and to live on a healthy planet will depend entirely on how we perceive, evaluate and manage them today, especially within agricultural production processes. To achieve this, it is imperative to turn towards a balanced agriculture highlighting its key and vital role in building a sustainable future.
TYTO" is the first Civil Society Organization in Greece that introduces a holistic approach in agricultural management based on the concept of circular economy, a sustainable philosophy through the "Barn Owl Project". Through managing a higher predator (Barn owl - nocturnal bird of prey) that preys exclusively on small mammals and rodents particularly, and strategically positioning artificial nesting sites, it is possible to reduce the number of harmful rodents in its agricultural habitats.
Thus, "TYTO" aims to reduce the release of rodenticides that burden the agri-food chain, threaten biodiversity and regulate and control naturally harmful rodents that destroy crops. Implementing this method boosts the economy as part of the agricultural production that is not lost, and can create added-value products with potential certification (biodiversity friendly products). This is the first time that a holistic approach, with a positive impact on biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems, will be attempted in this way.
The "Barn Owl Project" is currently implemented through a pilot-program in areas of Thessaly, and preparations have begun for its future implementation in:
- Crete
- Boeotea
- Evia
- Areas owned or managed by companies operating in the Renewable Energy Sources sector
- The implementation of the program is being thoroughly investigated testing the management of another senior predator in semi-mountainous areas of Greece
"TYTO" offers services that seek to address a number of key causes/problems/impacts on agriculture, focusing on the horizontal impact of biodiversity loss and the degradation of ecosystem services on agricultural holdings.
Don’t hesitate to contact us at info@tyto.org.gr and we will find solutions together for your farm or for your area of responsibility.