Harnessing degraded lands for biodiversity conservation

Abstract

a b s t r a c tLand degradation affects an estimated 24% of the global land area. While predominantly discussed as an environmental problem, degraded lands have recently been reconsidered as an untapped resource for production industries like agriculture and forestry. Here, we investigate the biodiversity potential of degraded land compared to both used and undisturbed land. First, we find that "degraded lands" and related terms cover a wide variety of socio-ecological settings and that a standardized terminology is clearly needed. Second, degraded lands may support biodiversity levels similar to or even above those of surrounding managed landscapes. However, degraded lands generally support less biodiversity than natural areas. Third, some principles to harness degraded lands for biodiversity conservation have been developed. If applied, degraded areas may provide opportunities to extend nature conservation strategies on a broader spatial scale, and they may serve as a buffer between protected areas and intensively used land. We conclude that efforts to capitalize on degraded lands for commodity crop production generate conflicts with biodiversity conservation that have been disregarded so far.

Bioenergy from “surplus” land: environmental and socio-economic implications

“…GLASOD degradation data, Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands -LADA, FAO TERRASTAT). In the current literature, the term is used for a wide variety of land cover types including abandoned farmland and secondary tropical forests but also postmining areas and badlands (Plieninger and Gaertner 2011). Plieninger and Gaertner (2011) suggest a conceptual separation of degraded and abandoned land.…”

“…In the current literature, the term is used for a wide variety of land cover types including abandoned farmland and secondary tropical forests but also postmining areas and badlands (Plieninger and Gaertner 2011). Plieninger and Gaertner (2011) suggest a conceptual separation of degraded and abandoned land. We follow their suggestion that the use of the term degraded land should be restricted to lands considered as the end product of severe and substantial loss of productivity and soil fertility.…”

“…Although energy crop production on marginal or degraded lands might enrich certain landscape values such as structural heterogeneity or aesthetics (Fernando 2005) if planted not as landscape-wide monoculture but in smaller plots, it might still generate conflicts with biodiversity conservation (Plieninger and Gaertner 2011). In Europe for example, land most susceptible to agricultural marginalisation is likely to be found in extensive farming regions and those where traditional small-scale farming is prevalent (Baldock et al 1996).…”

“…Preventing the abandonment and intensification of HNV farmland is beheld as a key action to halt the decline of biodiversity in Europe (EEA 2009). Because direct land-use change and intensification to bioenergy cultivation could have negative effects on biodiversity (Plieninger and Gaertner 2011), current legislation proposed by Germany and the EU on sustainability requirements for biofuel feedstock prohibit the cultivation of bioenergy crops in protected as well as in HNV areas, unless the biomass cultivation is in conformity with the protection objectives of the area in question (BfN 2010;Fritsche et al 2010). Despite recent findings that SRC and perennial grass crops can potentially benefit farm-scale biodiversity (Dauber et al 2010;Rowe et al 2011;Emmerson et al 2011), establishment of perennial biomass crops on land other than arable fields is still regarded as a threat rather than a benefit to biodiversity (BfN 2010).…”

Prioritising the protection of habitat utilised by southern cassowaries Casuarius casuarius johnsonii

“…Historically, defining the location and boundaries of a reserve has been de cided by economics (Prendergast et al 1999), and a vast majority of protected areas are situated on land unsuitable for commercial development rather than in areas of conservation significance (Fuller et al 2010). More recently, however, there has been a drive to protect ar-eas with high biodiversity value, and even converting degraded habitat (Plieninger & Gaertner 2011). Areas proposed for wildlife protection must be funded from a limited budget, and inevitably not all potential areas can be afforded.…”