Does organic farming benefit biodiversity?

Hole, David G.; Perkins, Allan J.; Wilson, Jeremy D.; Alexander, Ian; Grice, Philip V.; Evans, Andrew D.

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2004.07.018

Cited by 1,219 publications

(838 citation statements)

References 125 publications

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“…539 2. As has been previously noted for other taxa (Hole et al 2005), the underlying mechanism(s) 540 through which bats benefit from organic farming is not clear, and studies to elucidate key 541 drivers are required. 542 3.…”

Section: Lacking 516mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mitigating the impacts of agriculture on biodiversity: bats and their potential role as bioindicators

Park

2015

Mammalian Biology

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1Agriculture is a dominant land use worldwide with approximately 40% of the land's surface used for 2 farming. In many countries, particularly parts of Europe, this figure is substantially higher and most 3 agricultural land is under intensive practices aimed at maximising the production of food. The 4 intensification and expansion of modern agricultural practices led to the biological simplification of 5 the farmed environment, which has resulted in declines in farmland biodiversity during the last 6 century. As with other taxa, many bat species have suffered severe population declines during the 7 20th century, with agriculture believed to be one of the main drivers reducing roost availability and 8 foraging habitat. Lower intensity farming methods, and the creation or management of habitat features 9 on farmland could potentially mitigate some of these negative impacts but the effects of this on bats, 10 in comparison to other taxa, have received relatively little attention. Here, I review evidence on the 11 impacts of efforts to increase biodiversity in agricultural landscapes on bat populations, and explore 12 whether responses of bats to agricultural activities are similar to those of other taxa, a necessary 13 requirement if they are to be used as bioindicator species. 14 The review revealed that there are relatively few studies with which to assess the effects of 15 management interventions on bats in agricultural landscapes, and these are restricted to only a few 16 countries. Nevertheless, there is evidence that bats benefit from lower intensity agricultural systems, 17 specifically organic farming and shaded agroforestry: these systems tend to be associated with higher 18 bat abundance, species richness and diversity, and are more heavily utilised by foraging bats. Whilst 19very few studies have explicitly tested the utility of bats as bioindicators in agricultural landscapes, 20 overall, the response of bats to lower intensity agricultural systems also reflect responses by other 21 taxa. These studies have been largely restricted to temperate regions, however. The review highlights 22 several major gaps in our knowledge of bats in agricultural landscapes and where future research 23 could be usefully directed including: 1) a broader geographical range of studies examining both the 24 efficacy, and the underlying mechanisms through which lower intensity agricultural systems may 25 benefit bats; 2) the potential for lower intensity systems in key crops such as oil-palm; 3) studies of 26 the demographic effects of conservation management on bats; 4) in order to assess the potential of 27 bats as bioindicators, studies quantifying the response of both bats and other taxa to environmental 28 change in a wider range of biomes and regions are needed. 29 30 31

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Section: Lacking 516mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mitigating the impacts of agriculture on biodiversity: bats and their potential role as bioindicators

Park

2015

Mammalian Biology

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“…Within the agricultural sector, an alternative would be to focus on developing certified organic agriculture. This is known to be less harmful to biodiversity than conventional agriculture (Bengtsson et al 2005;Hole et al 2005), would be much more compatible with high nature value farmland (Kuemmerle et al 2009) and would not cause difficulties with respect to Natura 2000 regulations. In addition, Southern Transylvania most likely still exhibits unused potential to develop rural enterprises of greater value, such as agroenvironmental tourism or specialty foods (Davidova et al 2012).…”

Section: Rural Development Goals Cannot Be Pursued In Isolation From mentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating rural development and biodiversity conservation in Central Romania

et al. 2013

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SUMMARYUnlike most parts of the European Union (EU), Southern Transylvania (Central Romania) is characterized by an exceptionally high level of farmland biodiversity. This results from traditional small-scale farming methods that have maintained extensive areas of high nature value farmland. Following the post-socialist transition, Southern Transylvania faces serious challenges such as under-employment and rural population decline, which put traditional farming at risk. With Romania's accession to the EU in 2007, Southern Transylvania became part of a complex multi-level governance system that in principle provides mechanisms to balance biodiversity conservation and rural development. To this end, the most important instruments are the 'Natura 2000' network of protected areas and EU rural development policy. Structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with town hall representatives from 30 villages in Southern Transylvania and local EU experts revealed that EU policies are often poorly aligned with local conditions. To date, the implementation of EU rural development policy is strongly focused on economic development, with biodiversity conservation being of little concern. Moreover, relevant EU funding opportunities are poorly communicated. Bridging organizations should be strengthened to foster the implementation of a rural development strategy that integrates local needs and biodiversity conservation.

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“…Organic farming systems use lower levels of nutrient and pesticide inputs than chemical farming systems and are characterized by improved biological activity and biodiversity (Hole et al 2005). This involves using methods to get good crop yields without damaging the natural environment or the people who live and work in it (Rigby & Cáceres 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intercropping patterns and different farming systems affect the yield and yield components of safflower and bitter vetch

Jalilian

Najafabadi

Zardashti

2017

Journal of Plant Interactions

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This factorial field experiment was done based on a randomized complete block design in Urmia University, Iran, in 2013 and was repeated in 2014. Treatments included two farming systems (high input and organic) and different intercropping patterns that alternated bitter vetch (Vicia ervilia L.) and safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) with row ratios of 2:2, 3:2, 4:2 and 5:2. Sole cropping of bitter vetch and safflower was used as the control. In both years, the 2:2 intercropping pattern had biomass yield advantages compared to sole cropping and the other intercropping ratios, based on greater land equivalent ratio values. Safflower had higher relative crowding coefficients, competitive ratio (CR) and aggressivity (A) values than bitter vetch. High-input farming was more effective than the organic system in both years. Safflower was the superior competitor when grown with bitter vetch, and its productivity dominated the total biomass yields. Thus, intercropping of safflower with bitter vetch has the potential to improve performance with high land-use efficiency.ARTICLE HISTORY

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Does organic farming benefit biodiversity?

Cited by 1,219 publications

References 125 publications

Mitigating the impacts of agriculture on biodiversity: bats and their potential role as bioindicators

Mitigating the impacts of agriculture on biodiversity: bats and their potential role as bioindicators

Integrating rural development and biodiversity conservation in Central Romania

Intercropping patterns and different farming systems affect the yield and yield components of safflower and bitter vetch

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