Description: The loss of farmland heterogeneity has triggered a farmland biodiversity crisis. Agri-environmental schemes are voluntary programmes designed to restore farmland biodiversity by financially supporting farmers who modify their farming practice to provide environmental benefits. Although some 25Prozent of European farmland is under some sort of agri-environmental contract, these programmes provide only mixed benefits for biodiversity. The restoration of farmland wildlife is believed to require changes that go further than the traditional extensification suggested by most programmes. In 2008-2011, the Swiss federal government provides more than CHF 11 billions to direct payments, part of which supporting incentives for biodiversity. It is thus essential to ensure that these measures provide the best return on investment for biodiversity. In the Swiss lowlands, low intensity managed grasslands are by far the most common and most extended type of Ecological Compensation Area. It is therefore where the greatest biodiversity restoration potential exists in the lowlands. Here we experimentally modify mowing regime in low-intensity managed grasslands so as to increase spatial, structural and ecological heterogeneity. Mountain agro-ecosystems are undergoing rapid land use changes in the Alps, partly due to intensification of meadowland management, which causes a dramatic decrease of biodiversity. Here we study experimentally the effect of aerial irrigation and liquid manure spraying, two novel, seemingly detrimental management regimes for wildlife, on mountain grassland biodiversity. Changes in biodiversity, taxon-specific biomasses and food chain functionalities will be estimated using responses from different plant and animal taxa representative for grassland communities. In addition, changes in hay yield and quality will be assessed. The expected outcome will help understanding the dynamics of grassland communities and ecosystem functions in both lowland and mountain farmland in response to implementable changes in management practice. By confronting agronomic data with biodiversity and biomass metrics we shall provide guidance for better agri-environmental policies, which will help in optimizing the biodiversity benefits expected from the flow of subsidies towards agri-environmental schemes.
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Tags: Gülle ? Insekt ? Agrarpolitik ? Contracting ? Biodiversitätsverlust ? Agrarökosystem ? Ökologische Ausgleichsmaßnahme ? Landnutzungsänderung ? Grünland ? Konservierung ? Ackerfläche ? Bewässerung ? Studie ? Subvention ? Pflanze ? Tier ? Weideland ? Wildlebende Tiere und Pflanzen ? Alpen ? Agrarbiodiversität ? Nahrungskette ? Flora ? Biomasse ? Landwirtschaftliche Fläche ? Daten ? Biodiversität ? Fauna ? Vertrag ? Naturschutz ? Ökosystemfunktion ? conservation biology ? farmland biodiversity ? agro-ecosystem management ? grassland ecology ?
License: cc-by-nc-nd/4.0
Language: Englisch/English
Time ranges: 2010-03-01 - 2013-02-28
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