Biodiversity Fact Sheets

The LIFE Food & Biodiversity project supports food standards and food companies to develop efficient biodiversity measures and to implement them in their pool of criteria or sourcing guidelines.

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.

The Fact Sheets target people who assess the implementation of requirements regarding cultivation methods (standard advisors, cooperatives, suppliers) and people who take decisions on product quality, supply chain and sustainability aspects in food processing companies and retailers in the EU. We wish to raise understanding for the importance of biodiversity and related key ecosystem services as the fundamental basis for agricultural production.

Stefan Hörmann

Global Nature Fund
Business and Biodiversity
+49 228 1848694 11
hoermann@globalnature.org

Arable Cropping, Cultivation of Wheat

Arable farming as a production system includes a variety of different crop types, ranging from foliage crops such as sugar beet to cereals. In this document, we focus on the cultivation of conventionally produced wheat as one of the most important crops in Europe. The production of wheat is part of a highly intensified production system and as such only leaves little space for biodiversity on the fields and also negatively influences the surrounding nature.

Download: Biodiversity Fact Sheet - Cultivation of Wheat

Arable Cropping, Cultivation of Sugar Beet

Root crop farming as production system includes different crop types, such as potatoes, sugar beet, maize, onions, carrots and other vegetables and herbs. Agricultural methods vary slightly from one crop to another, depending on the requirements of every plant species. In this document, we focus on the cultivation of conventional produced sugar beet.

Download: Biodiversity Fact Sheet - Cultivation of Sugar Beet

Vegetable Production, Cultivation of Vegetables

Vegetable farming as a production system includes a wide variety of crops. Consequently, the applied agricultural methods vary significantly. In this document, we try to include recommendations for all of them, except for vegetables grown under greenhouses. Although most of the recommendations may apply to vegetable production under greenhouses, this production system needs dedicated attention. The production of vegetables is part of a highly intensified production system and has a very significant weight within the agrifoodindustry all over Europe.

Download: Biodiversity Fact Sheet - Cultivation of Vegetables

Permanent Crops, Cultivation of Apples

Permanent crops include a variety of different cultures. They are characterised by the fact that they are not included in crop rotation. Based on the wide range of crops, agricultural production methods are also very different. In this document, we try to include recommendations for all cultures, but the focus is on the cultivation of pome fruit. 

Download: Biodiversity Fact Sheet - Cultivation of Apples

Permanent Crops, Vineyards and Olive Groves

Permanent crops include a variety of different cultures. Based on that fact, agricultural production methods are also very different. In this document, we have included recommendations focused on the most important cultures in the countries of the European Mediterranean Region: grapes for wine and olives. Grape cultivation is one of the ancient activities of civilization in the Mediterranean Basin and also the olive tree is a typical Mediterranean species, present in the landscapes of the Iberian Peninsula as an element of Mediterranean ecosystems and culture.

Download: Biodiversity Fact Sheet - Vineyards and Olive Groves

Permanent Crops, Cultivation of Cacao

Due to the climatic demands of the cacao tree, cacao production is still restricted to tropical regions. Today most cacao grows on the small strip 10 degrees north and south of the equator, and hence in an area superimposed with the regions that contain the highest biodiversity on our planet. Since zones of cacao production are congruent with (former) rainforest areas, negative effects on biodiversity always occur.

Download: Biodiversity Fact Sheet - Cultivation of Cacao

Animal Husbandry, Dairy Production

Dairy production is very important within the European Union. The surface area required to feed all animals has steadily increased over the last few decades following higher demands for dairy produce and meat on the world market. Nowadays, many of the crops produced in intensive agricultural systems is assigned to be used as fodder. The production of animal food – thus animal husbandry in general – depends on biodiversity while also playing an important role in shaping it.

Download: Biodiversity Fact Sheet - Dairy Production

Animal Husbandry, Livestock Production

The livestock sector is one of the fastest growing in the agricultural economy, due to the shift in diet and food consumption patterns towards livestock products. It is the world’s largest user of land resources, taking up about 30 % of the Earth’s ice-free terrestrial surface (about 25 % corresponding to grazing land and 5 % to cropland dedicated to the production of feed – which is actually 1/3 of global cropland). Generally, livestock production has been described as having both positive and negative impacts on biodiversity, through five main drivers of change: habitat change, pollution, climate change, over-exploitation and invasive species.

Download: Biodiversity Fact Sheet - Livestock Production

We welcome your Feedback on this publication. This survey helps us to improve our communication services as well as to define next steps in the development of our project.

< back