Effects of vegetation management intensity on biodiversity and ecosystem services in vineyards: A meta‐analysis

Abstract

At the global scale, vineyards are usually managed intensively to optimize wine production without considering possible negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services (ES) such as high soil erosion rates, degradation of soil fertility or contamination of groundwater. Winegrowers regulate competition for water and nutrients between the vines and inter‐row vegetation by tilling, mulching and/or herbicide application. Strategies for more sustainable viticulture recommend maintaining vegetation cover in inter‐rows, however, there is a lack of knowledge as to what extent this less intensive inter‐row management affects biodiversity and associated ES.We performed a hierarchical meta‐analysis to quantify the effects of extensive vineyard inter‐row vegetation management in comparison to more intensive management (like soil tillage or herbicide use) on biodiversity and ES from 74 studies covering four continents and 13 wine‐producing countries.Overall, extensive vegetation management increased above‐ and below‐ground biodiversity and ecosystem service provision by 20% in comparison to intensive management. Organic management together with management without herbicides showed a stronger positive effect on ES and biodiversity provision than inter‐row soil tillage.Soil loss parameters showed the largest positive response to inter‐row vegetation cover. The second highest positive response was observed for biodiversity variables, followed by carbon sequestration, pest control and soil fertility. We found no trade‐off between grape yield and quality vs. biodiversity or other ES. Synthesis and applications. Our meta‐analysis concludes that vegetation cover in inter‐rows contributes to biodiversity conservation and provides multiple ecosystem services. However, in drier climates grape yield might decrease without irrigation and careful vegetation management. Agri‐environmental policies should therefore focus on granting subsidies for the establishment of locally adapted diverse vegetation cover in vineyard inter‐rows. Future studies should focus on analysing the combined effects of local vineyard management and landscape composition and advance research in wine‐growing regions in Asia and in the southern hemisphere.

Organic farming expansion drives natural enemy abundance but not diversity in vineyard‐dominated landscapes

“…Beyond the type of farming systems, specific farming practices such as pesticide use intensity, tillage intensity, and crop productivity are key factors impacting natural enemy abundance and species richness. Our results clearly highlight that reducing management intensity at the field scale is beneficial for natural enemy abundance and diversity (Winter et al, ). Field age was also a strong factor explaining natural enemy richness.…”

Response of wild bee diversity, abundance, and functional traits to vineyard inter‐row management intensity and landscape diversity across Europe

“…The strong positive effect of extensive vegetation management agrees with other studies reporting the benefits of extensive agricultural management practices for wild bees in different crop systems (Nicholson et al, ; Shuler, Roulston, & Farris, ), as well as vineyards (Kehinde & Samways, , , ). Moreover, a recent meta‐analysis confirmed that positive affect of extensive management on overall biodiversity and ecosystem services (Winter et al, ). Ground‐nesting bees benefit from undisturbed soil conditions and can utilize vineyard inter‐rows as nesting habitat.…”

“…The implementation of pollinator‐friendly management ultimately benefits other ecosystem services like for example soil erosion mitigation, surface water runoff reduction, or biological pest control as well as biodiversity conservation (Wratten et al, ). Many of those ecosystem services are relevant for winegrowers and positively affected by extensive inter‐row management intensities in vineyards (Winter et al, ). For example, extensive vegetation management significantly improves soil loss mitigation (Winter et al, ), which is highly relevant in vineyards that are situated on hilly terrain.…”

“…Many of those ecosystem services are relevant for winegrowers and positively affected by extensive inter‐row management intensities in vineyards (Winter et al, ). For example, extensive vegetation management significantly improves soil loss mitigation (Winter et al, ), which is highly relevant in vineyards that are situated on hilly terrain. Extensive management contributes to sustainable farming contributing to the UN sustainable development goals responsible consumption and production as well as life on land (UN, ).…”

“…Further, larger species may compensate low landscape diversity with their increased activity range and forage in more fragmented landscapes (Zurbuchen et al, ). A meta‐analysis included only two studies about the effects of vineyard vegetation management on pollinators and concludes that knowledge about the effects of inter‐row vegetation management on wild bee diversity is scarce (Winter et al, ). Further until now, studies about wild bee diversity and functional traits in response to vineyard management and in relation to landscape diversity in different climatic regions (i.e., different European countries) have not yet been carried out.…”