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Juliana Dänhardt. Photo.

Juliana Dänhardt

Research coordinator

Juliana Dänhardt. Photo.

Collaboration or fragmentation? Biodiversity management through the common agricultural policy

Author

  • Julia Leventon
  • Tamara Schaal
  • Sarah Velten
  • Juliana Dänhardt
  • Joern Fischer
  • David J. Abson
  • Jens Newig

Summary, in English

We argue that the current system of agri-environment management in the European Common Agricultural Policy is ineffective at conserving biodiversity in part because it promotes fragmentation instead of collaboration of actors, thus hindering coordinated biodiversity management. Actor fragmentation is reinforced by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in three ways: (1) through targeting individual farmers; (2) by creating confusion around coordination roles for increasing numbers of actors; and (3) by failing to engage with barriers to collaboration among farmers. Our findings draw on empirical evidence collected through multi-stakeholder workshops in Germany and Sweden. Our argument adds a different dimension to accepted explanations for the ineffectiveness of CAP for biodiversity management. Traditionally, explanations have focussed on low levels of farmer uptake of relevant measures, or the lack of ecological knowledge informing such measures. The level of actor fragmentation identified here suggests that a fundamental rethink of farmland biodiversity management is needed. We propose a new research agenda to identify more effective governance approaches.

Department/s

  • Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC)
  • BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate

Publishing year

2017-05-01

Language

English

Pages

1-12

Publication/Series

Land Use Policy

Volume

64

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Elsevier

Topic

  • Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use
  • Ecology

Keywords

  • Agri-environment schemes
  • Conservation
  • Ecosystem services
  • European Union
  • Social network analysis
  • Social-ecological systems

Status

Published

Project

  • Rural development through governance of multifunctional agricultural land-use

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0264-8377