The collapse of biodiversity is – along with climate breakdown – a clear and present danger to our civilisation’s survival (Steffen et al. 2015). In this frame, it is acknowledged that intensive agricultural practices used to increase the provision of food and biomass-based fuels is one of the main causes of biodiversity loss (IPBES 2018). In the EU, agricultural land management is heavily influenced by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Though it is difficult to assess to which degree the CAP is directly impacting biodiversity, it is also recognised that it has a great influence on it, being the largest subsidies scheme the EU runs, and spending 77% (2014-2020 period) of the EU budget allocated to protecting and enhancing biodiversity (ECA Special Report 13/2020). Recognising the need to reinforce the efforts to support and improve biodiversity performance in farmland, the new CAP has set the preservation of landscapes and biodiversity as one of its nine key objectives. There are several elements that can support an improved performance of the policy, among which possibilities offered by the new CAP green architecture, new monitoring techniques, an improved understanding of the impact of farming practices on biodiversity, and ultimately an overall agreement that the current decade is critical to reach the turning point and reverse biodiversity trends. This symposium will highlight emerging challenges and opportunities for the Common Agricultural Policy on supporting and conserving farmland biodiversity. The diverse topics covered in this symposium will also illustrate recent advances on the development of agri-environmental indicators for the CAP, as well as emerging perspectives on policy options.
Presentations
Agriculture and biodiversity in Europe: challenges and opportunities ahead for the CAP
- Harriet Bradley (Institute for European Environmental Policy, Belgium)
(How) can the EU Common Agricultural Policy still address the crisis of farmland biodiversity?
- Guy Pe'er (Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Germany)
The potential for EU Common Agricultural Policy measures to support wild pollinators on farmland
- Lynn Dicks (University of Cambridge, UK)
From citizen science data to policy impact assessment: an integrated modelling approach to calculate the FBI in agricultural policy scenarios
- Karine Princé (Museum National D'histoire Naturelle, France)
Contribution of CAP data and remote sensing to the calculation of a biodiversity indicator for farmers, policy makers and other stakeholders
- Clelia Sirami (INRAE- Dynafor, France)
National strategic planning and result-oriented CAP: a new obstacle or some good news for biodiversity policy integration?
- Tanja Šumrada (University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Slovenia)
Moving towards sustainable agriculture through transformational conflict science
- Juliette Young (Institut National De La Recherche Pour L'agriculture, L'alimentation Et L'environnement - INRAE, France)