Field sizes and the future of farmland biodiversity in European landscapes

Conservation Letters, Journal Year: 2020, Volume and Issue: 13(6)

Published: Oct. 5, 2020

Abstract Lower diversity of plant and animal farmland species are usually reported where cropland has been aggregated into larger fields, which raises prospects curbing declines in European biodiversity associated ecosystem services by halting trends to field size increases agricultural intensification, without having set aside arable land for conservation. Here, we consider the factors underlying trade‐offs between farmer income as mediated at local landscape scales, how these may be overcome. Field sizes still increasing, facilitated increasing farm consolidation. Decreases working time fuel expenses when fields larger, uptake machinery subsidies favoring farms provide incentives manage units, putting further risk. Yet, size‐mediated ecological–economic largely ignored policy research. We recommend internalizing ecological effects changes landscape‐scale consolidation scheme design, ensuring that EU Common Agricultural Policy post‐2020 rewards farmers maintain recreate fine‐grained landscapes essential targets, reducing economic–ecological stimulating research innovation economically efficient yet biodiversity‐friendly farming landscapes.

Language: Английский

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Biologia Futura: landscape perspectives on farmland biodiversity conservation

Biologia Futura, Journal Year: 2020, Volume and Issue: 71(1-2), P. 9 - 18

Published: June 1, 2020

Abstract European nature conservation has a strong focus on farmland harbouring threatened species that mainly co-occur with traditional agriculture shaped way before the green revolution. Increased land-use intensity in caused an alarming decline biodiversity during last century. How can landscape perspective contribute to fostering our understanding causes and consequences of improving effectiveness measures? To answer these questions, we discuss importance compositional configurational heterogeneity, ecological mechanisms determining how structure affects considering interplay ecosystem service conservation.

Language: Английский

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A multitaxa assessment of the effectiveness of agri-environmental schemes for biodiversity management

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 118(10)

Published: March 1, 2021

Agri-environmental schemes (AES) aim to restore biodiversity and biodiversity-mediated ecosystem services in landscapes impoverished by modern agriculture. However, a systematic, empirical evaluation of different AES types across multiple taxa functional groups is missing. Within one orthogonal design, we studied sown flowering with temporal continuity, size, landscape context used calcareous grasslands as seminatural reference habitat. We measured species richness 12 taxonomic (vascular plants, cicadas, orthopterans, bees, butterflies, moths, hoverflies, flower visiting beetles, parasitoid wasps, carabid staphylinid birds) representing 5 trophic levels. A total 54,955 specimens were identified using traditional methods, bulk arthropod samples through DNA metabarcoding, resulting 1,077 2,110 taxa, respectively. Species most groups, well multidiversity pollinators, increased continuity types. Some responded size context, but pollinators natural enemies not affected. fields supported assemblages than grasslands, became more similar those increasing continuity. Our results indicate that function synergistically. Flowering support even when they are relatively small few remaining habitats. therefore recommend network smaller, temporally continuous ages, combined permanent maximize benefits for conservation service delivery agricultural landscapes.

Language: Английский

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Landscape crop diversity and semi-natural habitat affect crop pollinators, pollination benefit and yield

Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, Journal Year: 2020, Volume and Issue: 306, P. 107189 - 107189

Published: Oct. 23, 2020

Agricultural intensification has led to the conversion of natural habitats into agricultural fields, increased field sizes and simplified crop rotations. The resulting homogenisation landscape a decline in bees, which provide an essential ecosystem service agriculture. It been suggested that increase diversity supports higher biodiversity by providing more diverse continuous resources without taking land out production. We selected 14 faba bean (Vicia minor L.) fields southern Sweden along uncorrelated gradients proportion semi-natural habitat within 1.5 km radii surrounding focal fields. Pollinator surveys pollinator exclusion experiments were conducted assess whether affected densities, foraging behaviour (i.e. legitimate flower visitation, nectar robbing or extra-floral nectary visitation), pollination yield formation. Landscape enhanced bumble bee densities. Insect-pollinated plants produced, on average, 27 % weight per plant than bagged insect benefit decreased with increasing cover. Bumble honey bees as well habitat. densities not driver high yields associated proportions because observed was unrelated driven excluded from visits. Insect pollination, however, clearly gap low landscape. Our results highlight agri-environmental policies should promote retention existing encourage pollinators sufficient food nesting resources.

Language: Английский

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Global agricultural trade and land system sustainability: Implications for ecosystem carbon storage, biodiversity, and human nutrition

One Earth, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 4(10), P. 1425 - 1443

Published: Oct. 1, 2021

Global land systems are increasingly shaped by international trade of agricultural products. An increasing number studies have quantified the implications for single different aspects system sustainability. Bringing together across sustainability dimensions, this review investigates how global flows affected and resulting impacts on food nutrient availability, natural habitat conversion, biodiversity loss, ecosystem carbon storage. We show that effects highly heterogeneous regions commodities, revealing both synergies trade-offs between improved nutrition environmental conservation. For instance, we find while concentration cereal production in North America has spared land, increased demand tropical products induced negatively impacted ecosystems. Based current state knowledge, identify six pathways future research can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding positively meeting goals.

Language: Английский

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