Rewilding, organic farming and the so-called ‘nature friendly farming’ measures included in some government conservation policies may accelerate global biodiversity loss, say two leading researchers.
These ‘Green’ farming policies risk worsening the global biodiversity crisis by reducing how much food is produced in a region, driving up food imports and increasing environmental damage overseas.
In an article published today in the journal Nature, Professor Andrew Balmford at the University of Cambridge, and Professor Ian Bateman at the University of Exeter, urge policy-makers to consider a bolder approach known as ‘land sparing’ - which they argue is cheaper, more effective, and avoids displacing food production and worsening the loss of wildlife habitats overseas.
Land sparing involves finding lower-impact ways to boost yields in farmed areas, and allow larger, non-farmed areas of the landscape to be put aside for nature - without increasing imports and damaging overseas wildlife.
The researchers say the approach has been overlooked by policymakers because of a failure to consider the wider consequences of changes in land management. They argue that changes that boost wildlife locally seem superficially attractive, but if food production is reduced there are unavoidable knock-on effects elsewhere that must also be taken into account.
They also cite the influence of the ‘Big Farm’ lobby in maintaining the status quo in agricultural policy, with land-sharing subsidies allocated using a flat rate per hectare, which disproportionately benefits the biggest farms – resulting in the largest 12 per cent of farms taking 50 per cent of all UK taxpayer subsidies.
Their article debunks some of the benefits to biodiversity of three widely-advocated green farming approaches.
They argue that while policy funded measures such as reducing the use of pesticides and fertilisers can sometimes increase populations of more common animals and plants on farms it does little for endangered birds, invertebrates, plants and fungi species that need larger stretches of non-farmed habitat – and by lowering yields can also make matters far worse for overseas biodiversity.
Rewilding initiatives, where large areas of land are taken out of farming, can indeed benefit locally endangered species. But unless other areas see compensating increases in food output then this reduces local production, increases demand for food imports, and so damages biodiversity overseas.
More on:
Posted On: 22/06/2023