The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Portrait of Henrik Smith. Photo.

Henrik Smith

Professor

Portrait of Henrik Smith. Photo.

Biodiversity and the landscape ecology of agri-environment schemes

Author

  • Henrik Smith
  • Erik Öckinger
  • Maj Rundlöf

Summary, in English

Loss of biodiversity in European farmland has been attributed to agricultural intensification and the resulting loss of ecological heterogeneity. To alleviate the effect of agricultural intensification, farmers are compensated via agri-environment schemes for carrying out farming in ways to preserve and restore biodiversity. However, the effectiveness of these schemes has been questioned and evaluations of their effect have produced partly contrasting results. One aspect that has received little attention is how the spatial context and configuration of agri-environment measures affect the results. We have evaluated the consequences of the spatial context of organic farming and other agri-environment measures on the abundance and diversity of flower-visiting insects and birds. We demonstrate that the effect of agri-environment schemes on insect and bird diversity depends on both landscape complexity and the proportion of the landscape that is under agri-environment schemes. We discuss implications this have for the formulation of efficient agri-environment schemes.

Department/s

  • Biodiversity
  • Department of Biology
  • BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate
  • Biodiversity and Conservation Science

Publishing year

2010

Language

English

Pages

225-232

Publication/Series

Aspects of Applied Biology

Volume

100

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Association of Applied Biologists

Topic

  • Ecology

Keywords

  • organic farming
  • Agri-environment schemes
  • biodiversity
  • semi-natural pastures

Status

Published

Research group

  • Biodiversity and Conservation Science

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0265-1491