BIOBIO – Betriebsmanagement-Indikatoren für Biodiversität in biologischen und extensiven Anbausystemen

In dem EU FP7-Projekt „BioBio“ soll ein allgemeines Set von Indikatoren für Biodiversität in biologischen und extensiven Anbausystemen in Europa entwickelt und getestet werden. Neben direkten Indikatoren für Habitat-, Arten- und genetische Diversität werden auch indirekte Indikatoren zur Bewirtschaftung der landwirtschaftlichen Betriebe und Flächen erfasst. In Fallstudien wird der Zusammenhang zwischen den ausgewählten Indikatoren, den Betriebsystemen und direkten Indikatoren untersucht. Die Auswahl der Indikatoren erfolgte nach wissenschaftlichen Kriterien sowie nach Gesichtspunkten der Praktikabilität und Anwendbarkeit. Hauptergebnis des Projektes wird ein Handbuch mit Factsheets der ausgewählten Indikatoren sein

Regenwurmvorkommen auf konventionellen und ökologisch bewirtschafteten Ackerbaubetrieben im Marchfeld, Ostösterreich

Auf acht konventionell und acht ökologisch wirtschaftenden Ackerbaubetrieben im Marchfeld / Niederösterreich wurden im Frühjahr 2010 in allen festgestellten Habitattypen Regenwürmer erhoben. Es wurden v.a. endogäische Arten (Aporrectodea rosea, Aporrectodea caliginosa, Allolobophora chlorotica) gefunden. Weder das Bewirtschaftungssystem noch die Art der Bodenbearbeitung hatten einen Einfluss auf die Regenwurmabundanz. Anözische Regenwürmer wurden überwiegend auf naturnahen Habitaten gefunden. Ihre Abundanz könnte durch eine Erhöhung des Anteils dieser Habitattypen auf den Betrieben gefördert werden

Indikatoren für die Vitalität von Lumbricus terrestris Populationen – Eine Anwendung von Partial Least Squares Pfadmodellen (PLS-PM) zur Analyse komplexer Zusammenhänge

Information on biodiversity and related population parameters are of key importance for assessing ecosystem services or impacts of management decisions in agriculture. However information on this parameters is often not directly measurable. Indicators are a convenient way to gain information on these variables. Here we present Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM) to develop and evaluate complex indicators for biodiversity and related parameters. As an example we use data on Lumbricus terrestris from 76 plots on Bavarian mixed farms to create complex indicators for population viability, management intensity and site potential and model their causal relations

Betriebliche Bewirtschaftungsindikatoren für Biodiversität im Ökologischen Landbau und in extensiven Anbausystemen in Europa

Farming practices are the key to maintaining and restoring farmland biodiversity. Selected farm management indicators, regarded as scientifically sound, practicable and attractive to stakeholders, were tested against species indicators in various farm types in 12 case studies across Europe. A set of eight farm management indicators is recommended, reflecting the pressure on biodiversity by farm management via energy and nutrient input, mechanical operations, pesticide use and livestock

Indicators for the on-farm assessment of crop cultivar and livestock breed diversity: a survey-based participatory approach

International audienceAgrobiodiversity plays a fundamental role in guaranteeing food security. However, still little is known about the diversity within crop and livestock species: the genetic diversity. In this paper we present a set of indicators of crop accession and breed diversity for different farm types at farm-level, which may potentially supply a useful tool to assess and monitor farming system agrobiodiversity in a feasible and relatively affordable way. A generic questionnaire was developed to capture the information on crops and livestock in 12 European case study regions and in Uganda by 203 on-farm interviews. Through a participatory approach, which involved a number of stakeholders, eight potential indicators were selected and tested. Five of them are recommended as potentially useful indicators for agrobiodiversity monitoring per farm: (1) crop-species richness (up to 16 crop species), (2) crop-cultivar diversity (up to 15 crop cultivars, 1-2 on average), (3) type of crop accessions (landraces accounted for 3 % of all crop cultivars in Europe, 31 % in Uganda), (4) livestock-species diversity (up to 5 livestock species), and (5) breed diversity (up to five cattle and eight sheep breeds, on average 1-2).We demonstrated that the selected indicators are able to detect differences between farms, regions and dominant farm types. Given the present rate of agrobiodiversity loss and the dramatic effects that this may have on food production and food security, extensive monitoring is urgent. A consistent survey of crop cultivars and livestock breeds on-farm will detect losses and help to improve strategies for the management and conservation of on-farm genetic resources

Indikatoren zur Erfassung genetischer Vielfalt in biologischen und nicht-biologischen Landwirtschaftssystemen

Genetic variability is the fundament of life. Large genetic variability within species is the basis for adaptation to changing environmental conditions. Farmers and breeders have developed a multitude of crop cultivars and animal breeds to stabilize and increase quality and productivity. This study evaluated genetic diversity within different organic and non-organic farming systems using crop-cultivar and livestock-breed information as simple indicators. Data was collected using on-farm surveys in 15 case study regions in Europe and beyond. Selected indicators revealed strong differences of cultivar diversity between different countries and farming systems across Europe. No or only small differences were detectable between organic and non-organic farming systems. Landraces, as on-farm genetic resources, were under-represented in European case study regions

Strikingly high effects of geographic location on fauna and flora of European agricultural grasslands

International audienceWild bees, spiders, earthworms and plants contribute considerably to biodiversity in grasslands and fulfil vital ecological functions. They also provide valuable services to agriculture, such as pollination, pest control and maintenance of soil quality. We investigated the responses of wild bees, spiders, earthworms and plants to geographic location, agricultural management and surrounding landscape variables using a dataset of grassland fields within 88 farms in six European regions. Regions and taxonomic groups were selected to have contrasting properties, in order to capture the multiple facets of European grasslands. Geographic location alone had a dominant effect on the fauna and flora communities. Depending on the taxonomic group, various agricultural management and surrounding landscape variables alone had an additional significant effect on observed species richness, rarefied species richness and/or abundance, but it was always small. Bee species richness and abundance decreased with increasing number of mechanical operations (e.g. cutting). Observed spider species richness and abundance were unrelated to measured aspects of agricultural management or to surrounding landscape variables, whereas rarefied species richness showed significant relations to nitrogen input, habitat diversity and amount of grassland habitats in the surroundings. Earthworm abundance increased with increasing nitrogen input but earthworm species richness did not. Observed plant species richness decreased with increasing nitrogen input and increased when there were woody habitats in the surroundings. Rarefied plant species richness decreased with mechanical operations. Investigating multiple regions, taxonomic groups and aspects of fauna and flora communities allowed identifying the main factors structuring communities, which is necessary for designing appropriate conservation measures and ensuring continued supply of services

BIOBIO – Indikatoren für Biodiversität in ökologischen und ex-tensiven Anbausystemen

Organic and low-input farming systems provide habitats for wildlife on farmland. The EU FP7 project BIOBIO has identified a core set of 23 indicators relating to the diversity of habitats, of species, of crops and of livestock. Management indicators capturing the pressure on biodiversity are also proposed. The indicators were identified in an iterative process between scientists and stake-holders to make sure that they are not only scientifically sound but also practicable and attractive. They were tested in 12 case study regions on four major farm types. Allocating 0.25 % of the CAP budget to a farm scale biodiversity monitoring would allow to measure and analyse the indicators on 50,000 farms across Europe

Indicateurs de biodiversité dans les exploitations agricoles biologiques et conventionnelles des Vallées et Coteaux de Gascogne, cas d’étude français du projet européen BIOBIO

Dans le cadre du projet européen BIOBIO, nous avons comparé entre pays les richesses en habitats et richesses spécifiques cumulées de quatre groupes taxonomiques (plantes, abeilles sauvages, araignées, vers de terre), de 169 exploitations biologiques ou conventionnelles appartenant à 10 pays. Pour le cas d’étude français, Vallées et Coteaux de Gascogne, les corrélations entre indicateurs directs (richesses spécifiques des taxons et habitats) et indirects (pratiques agricoles) de biodiversité, relevés dans 8 exploitations conventionnelles et 8 biologiques, ont été recherchées. Les résultats montrent que le nombre d’habitats cultivés et surtout semi-naturels par exploitation est le principal facteur déterminant le niveau de biodiversité à cette échelle, pour le cas d’étude français comme pour les autres cas d’étude. Ce facteur explique en partie le plus haut niveau de biodiversité observé pour le cas d’étude français. Néanmoins, les pratiques, spécifiques ou non des modes de production biologique et conventionnelle, gouvernent généralement les paramètres de biodiversité à l’échelle de l’habitat. In fine, le projet propose la méthode BIOBIO de suivi de la biodiversité dans les exploitations agricoles