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Evaluating On-Farm Biodiversity: A Comparison of Assessment Methods

Author

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  • Vanessa Gabel

    (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), CH-5070 Frick, Switzerland
    Institute of Organic Agriculture, University of Bonn, D-53115 Bonn, Germany)

  • Robert Home

    (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), CH-5070 Frick, Switzerland)

  • Sibylle Stöckli

    (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), CH-5070 Frick, Switzerland)

  • Matthias Meier

    (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), CH-5070 Frick, Switzerland)

  • Matthias Stolze

    (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), CH-5070 Frick, Switzerland)

  • Ulrich Köpke

    (Institute of Organic Agriculture, University of Bonn, D-53115 Bonn, Germany)

Abstract

Strategies to stop the loss of biodiversity in agriculture areas will be more successful if farmers have the means to understand changes in biodiversity on their farms and to assess the effectiveness of biodiversity promoting measures. There are several methods to assess on-farm biodiversity but it may be difficult to select the most appropriate method for a farmer’s individual circumstances. This study aims to evaluate the usability and usefulness of four biodiversity assessment methods that are available to farmers in Switzerland. All four methods were applied to five case study farms, which were ranked according to the results. None of the methods were able to provide an exact statement on the current biodiversity status of the farms, but each method could provide an indication, or approximation, of one or more aspects of biodiversity. However, the results also showed that it is possible to generate different statements on the state of biodiversity on the same farms by using different biodiversity assessment methods. All methods showed strengths and weaknesses so, when choosing a method, the purpose of the biodiversity assessment should be kept in the foreground and the limitations of the chosen methods should be considered when interpreting the outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Vanessa Gabel & Robert Home & Sibylle Stöckli & Matthias Meier & Matthias Stolze & Ulrich Köpke, 2018. "Evaluating On-Farm Biodiversity: A Comparison of Assessment Methods," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-14, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:12:p:4812-:d:191130
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Swinton, Scott M. & Lupi, Frank & Robertson, G. Philip & Hamilton, Stephen K., 2007. "Ecosystem services and agriculture: Cultivating agricultural ecosystems for diverse benefits," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 245-252, December.
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    3. Gallai, Nicola & Salles, Jean-Michel & Settele, Josef & Vaissière, Bernard E., 2009. "Economic valuation of the vulnerability of world agriculture confronted with pollinator decline," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(3), pages 810-821, January.
    4. Andy Purvis & Andy Hector, 2000. "Getting the measure of biodiversity," Nature, Nature, vol. 405(6783), pages 212-219, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jan Paul Lindner & Horst Fehrenbach & Lisa Winter & Judith Bloemer & Eva Knuepffer, 2019. "Valuing Biodiversity in Life Cycle Impact Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-24, October.
    2. Richard A. Niesenbaum, 2019. "The Integration of Conservation, Biodiversity, and Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-11, August.

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