Authors: Smith, Henrik G.; Brady, Mark V.;Carrié, Romain;Ekroos, Johan;Olsson, Ola;Persson, Anna;Sidemo Holm, William ;Wätzold, Frank;Weber, Julia;

Biodiversity conservation must consider both the preservation of species as such and the maintenance of biodiversity for utilitarian reasons (ecosystem services), but it remains unclear if there are synergies or conflicts between strategies pursuing these targets. We used modelling to demonstrate that spatial targeting of conservation in agricultural landscapes could result in overall more effective conservation than uniform strategies, by pursuing species conservation (i.e. biodiversity at larger scales) in heterogeneous landscapes and focussing on ecosystem services in homogenous landscapes. In an empirical study, we applied this framework to existing EU strategies to conserve farmland plants and pollinators, specifically reduced farming intensity which primarily benefits ecosystem services, or increased farmland heterogeneity through preservation of semi-natural grasslands primarily crucial for conservation of species. A novel tool allowing upscaling of biodiversity consequences demonstrates that semi-natural grasslands may be a more cost-effective strategy for species conservation, but that organic farming is capable of maintaining ecosystem service providers (stable pollinator communities) throughout farmland. Given the infeasibility of creating new semi-natural grasslands, strategies focussing on grasslands may not be sufficient in already homogenous landscapes. Thus, preservation of semi-natural grasslands and reducing external inputs are complementary strategies for benefitting biodiversity and ecosystem services when spatially optimized.