Training Material for auditors

More and more certification systems require biodiversity criteria for certification. But certifiers are often not sufficiently trained to verify that biodiversity criteria are correctly implemented so that they actually support biodiversity. To certify certain requirements, such as the quality of an action plan to conserve biodiversity (or a conservation plan) or the sustainability of wildlife collection, special expertise is required.  So far, however, no specific training on biodiversity has been offered to certifiers & auditors.

The training material of the project EU LIFE Food & Biodiversity offers comprehensive and detailed information for auditors to guarantee that biodiversity measures are properly assessed.

Content

• Biodiversity, agriculture and the food sector
• Biodiversity Management
• Very good practices for more biodiversity
• Biodiversity Performance Tool

Biodiversity, agriculture and the food sector

Protecting biological diversity is an important goal of the European Union. The EU Biodiversity Strategy aims to halt the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU and to help stop biodiversity loss globally. As micro-enterprises, farmers are also subject to legal conformity, i.e. they must be familiar with and comply with the respective laws and regulations of the European Union.

What is biodiversity and what is the relation between biodiversity and agriculture? Why should and how can auditors improve biodiversity performance? This guideline and the presentations provide a comprehensive overview of the interrelationships between biodiversity and the food sector.

Guideline

• Guideline Legislation on biodiversity and agriculture - International conventions and European legislation

Presentations

• 1.1. Introduction overview webinar
• 1.2. Biodiversity agriculture and food sector
• 1.3. Legal Compliance
• 1.4. Biodiversity in Standards and Companies extended
• 1.4. Biodiversity in Standards and Companies short

For more information about biodiversity in agriculture, visit the Knowledge Pool.

Biodiversity Management

Biodiversity Management refers to measures for the creation, protection or enhancement of habitats (e.g. creation of semi-natural habitats and biotope corridors) on the farm to support biodiversity. One proposed instrument to address biodiversity at farm level is the Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP). These guidelines, presentations and fact sheets provide a comprehensive overview of possible biodiversity measures and the development of a BAP.

Guidelines

• Guideline on the protection of primary ecosystems
• Guideline Biodiversity Action Plan
• Guideline on Wild Harvesting (For information on wild harvesting and collection, see the work and standard of The Union of Ethical Biotrade (UEBT) (Ethical bioTrade standard))

Presentations

• 2.1. Introduction overview webinar
• 2.2. Biodiversity - status quo
• 2.3. Biodiversity management tools - BAP
• 2.4. Possibilities of improvement

Action Fact Sheets

The Action Fact Sheets describe actions that help to create habitats and support biodiversity on the field. All measures presented were tested in the EU LIFE Food & Biodiversity project. Landscape elements and best practices are applicabale for all production systems. Some measures for crop production and permanent pastures apply in particular to the Mediterranean (M) and temperate regions (T)

Landscape Elements

• Areas with Flower Strips
• Biodiversity Patches
• Ecological infrastructures
• Field Margins
• Hedgerow
• Nesting Aids for Wild Bees
• Nesting Aids for Birds and Bats
• Protection of Water Bodies
• Riparian Strips
• Solitary Trees
• Stone and Wood Piles
• Waterponds

Crop production

• Catch Crop over Winter
• Cereal Strips over Winter
• Crop diversification
• Fallow Land
• Not managed Stripes in Clover Grass
• Late Stubbles
• Old Crop Varieties
• Spring Crops
• Drill Gaps (T)
• High Cut in Clover Grass (T)
• Light Fields (T)
• Protected Plots for Wild Herbs (T)
• Rare Wild Herbs (T)
• Skylark Plots (T)
• Semiburied drip irrigation (M)

Permament Crops

• Green covers
• Grazing for weeding
• Incorporation of prunings to soils
• Old crop varieties
• Alpeorujo (mill compost) (M)
• Crop management (M)

Grassland production

• Ecopastoral management plan
• Livestock Grazing Management
• Manure and nutrient management in grasslands
• Pest control and plant protection in grasslands
• Sown Biodiverse Permanent Pastures Rich in Legumes
• Sustainable animal feed

Very good practices for more biodiversity

With very good practices for more biodiversity we aim to reduce negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems (e.g. reduction of pesticides). The very good practices can be applied in different areas: for example in the preparation of the soil, nutrient management, pest control and water management. This guidelines, presentations and fact sheets provide a comprehensive overview about very good practices to support biodiversity on the field.

Guidelines

• Guideline on Livestock Production
• Guideline for Promoting Agro-Biodiversity
• Guideline on Pesticide Management 
• Guideline on Soil and Fertilization
• Guideline on Water Use and Biodiversity

Presentations

• 3.1. Introduction overview webinar
• 3.2. Soil and fertilizer
• 3.3. Livestock production
• 3.4. Plant protection
• 3.5. Water
• 3.6. Agro-biodiversity

Biodiversity Fact Sheets

In several Biodiversity Fact Sheets, we provide information on the impacts of the production of different crops in different climate regions on biodiversity, as well as junctions to very good practices and biodiversity management.

There are Fact sheets are available for the following cultivation systems:

• Arable Cropping: Cultivation of Wheat, and of Sugar Beet
• Vegetable Production: Cultivation of Vegetables
• Permanent Crops: Cultivation of Apples, Vineyards and Olive Groves, and of Cacao
• Animal Husbandry: Dairy Production and Livestock Production

Biodiversity Performance Tool

will be available soon

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