Protect European green agricultural policies for future food security

Morales, Manuel B.; Dı́az, Mario; Giralt, David; Sardà‐Palomera, Francesc; Traba, Juán; Mougeot, François; Serrano, David; Mañosa, Santi; Gaba, Sabrina; Moreira, Francisco; Pärt, Tomas; Concepción, Elena D.; Tarjuelo, Rocío; Arroyo, Beatriz; Bota, Gérard

doi:10.1038/s43247-022-00550-2

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…The management of farmland habitats, including pastures, are regulated by the EU Common Agricultural Policy and associated conservation instruments. Within the EU, Spain holds 95% of the BBS population, and the future of this EU population stronghold will strongly depend on the EU Common Agricultural Policy and its commitment to reverse farmland bird declines (Morales et al 2022; Tarjuelo et al 2020b). Indeed, the main threats for this species are linked to the loss or transformation of suitable habitats and the intensification of agriculture: natural habitat or fallow loss, abandonment of rain-fed cereal cultivation or extensive sheep grazing, increase in irrigated crop areas, disappearance of crop rotations, changes from herbaceous to woody crops, or reforestation of agricultural land (Benítez-López and Palacín 2020; Benítez-López et al 2017; Martín et al 2014; Tarjuelo et al 2020a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population decline of the Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis in continental Spain, a main western Palearctic stronghold

Mougeot,

Fernández-Tizón,

Tarjuelo

et al. 2024

Bird Conservation International

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Summary Many European farmland bird populations are rapidly declining because of agricultural intensification and land-use changes. Robust estimates of population sizes and trends, habitat use, and protected area coverage within the distribution range are crucial to inform the conservation and management of threatened species. Here we report on the results of the 2019 Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis (BBS) survey promoted and coordinated by SEO/BirdLife to update its breeding distribution, population size, and trends in continental Spain. A total of 660 grid cells, 10 × 10 km, Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM), were surveyed (81% of the distribution area), with 2,257 visits to 1,750 walked transects (7,001 km in total; 10.6 km per UTM). BBS was detected in 43% of sampled UTMs. At transect level, occupancy was 11% higher inside protected areas. At UTM level, occupancy was estimated at 0.58 (Bayesian credible interval [BCI] 95%: 0.55–0.61), revealing that BBS occupied about half of its previous breeding range (2003–2005). Using hierarchical distance sampling modelling, we estimated an average density of 1.33 individuals/km2 in occupied areas, and a population of 4,025 individuals (confidence interval: 1,840–7,609) within sampled areas, with an additional 697 individuals (confidence interval 461–1,075) in areas that were not surveyed. Further, the relative abundance of BBS (Kilometric Abundance Index) declined by 63% between 2005 and 2019 (annual decline rate of 4.5%). BBS used agricultural habitats (73%) and unprotected areas (54%) despite a higher occupancy within protected areas. Given the recent decline rate and persistent threats, the BBS conservation status should be upgraded to “Endangered” in peninsular Spain. Its future depends on land-use changes and agricultural practices, in particular the maintenance of fallows, semi-natural habitats, and pastures for extensive grazing. Better protection of important areas and targeted conservation initiatives should be promoted to halt and reverse the population decline in this key western Palearctic stronghold.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population decline of the Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis in continental Spain, a main western Palearctic stronghold

Mougeot,

Fernández-Tizón,

Tarjuelo

et al. 2024

Bird Conservation International

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“…Since 2013 the so-called greening instruments have been implemented (Gocht et al, 2017). The new CAP of the EU (2023-2027) aims to reverse the present degradation of the environment and decrease the biological diversity of European agricultural land by achieving three green goals: contributing to mitigating climate change, supporting effective management of the natural resources and preservation of biological diversity (Morales et al, 2022;Rudnicki et al, 2023). The OECD countries also introduced a wide range of policies to reduce the adverse impact of agricultural activity on the environment, such as regulations on input and output use, agrienvironmental payments, taxes, tradable permits and communitybased measures (Guerrero, 2021;Vojtech, 2010).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Green growth in agriculture―New measurement concept and its empirical verification

Kasztelan

Nowak

2023

Sustainable Development

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This paper proposes a new method for evaluating green growth in agriculture (GGA) based on a set of key performance indicators and a synthetic index. To this end, we used the zero unitarisation method. The objects of study were seven countries/groups of countries with the largest share in agricultural production in 2020. This paper attempts to answer the following questions: (1) Has there been any progress in fulfilling the assumptions of the green growth concept implemented in the agricultural sector of the examined countries? (2) Which countries do better, and which do worse in that respect? (3) What are the challenges respective countries need to face? In the analysed years, the mean GGA index increased from 0.3287 to 0.3342, which means that the overall level of ‘greening’ in agriculture grew insignificantly. Out of the seven analysed countries/regions, China did the best in handling the challenges of GGA, while India did the worst. The paper discusses the reasons for this state of affairs, simultaneously making recommendations for improving the existing situation.

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“…Safeguarding European food security and promoting agricultural sustainability remains a prominent political ambition, driving the implementation of the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork strategy 7 , 8 . Yet, current geopolitical instabilities and recovery from the worldwide COVID pandemic could potentially delay or even undermine many of the identified pathways to achieving these goals 9 . In hindsight, these issues might have been foreseeable, highlighting the importance of a forward scanning process to ensure policies are as preemptive as possible, rather than reactive.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emerging threats and opportunities to managed bee species in European agricultural systems: a horizon scan

Willcox,

Potts,

Brown

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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Managed bee species provide essential pollination services that contribute to food security worldwide. However, managed bees face a diverse array of threats and anticipating these, and potential opportunities to reduce risks, is essential for the sustainable management of pollination services. We conducted a horizon scanning exercise with 20 experts from across Europe to identify emerging threats and opportunities for managed bees in European agricultural systems. An initial 63 issues were identified, and this was shortlisted to 21 issues through the horizon scanning process. These ranged from local landscape-level management to geopolitical issues on a continental and global scale across seven broad themes—Pesticides & pollutants, Technology, Management practices, Predators & parasites, Environmental stressors, Crop modification, and Political & trade influences. While we conducted this horizon scan within a European context, the opportunities and threats identified will likely be relevant to other regions. A renewed research and policy focus, especially on the highest-ranking issues, is required to maximise the value of these opportunities and mitigate threats to maintain sustainable and healthy managed bee pollinators within agricultural systems.

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Protect European green agricultural policies for future food security

Abstract: European green agricultural policies have been relaxed to allow cultivation of fallow land to produce animal feed and meet shortfalls in exports from Ukraine and Russia. However, conversion of semi-natural habitats will disproportionately impact long term biodiversity and food security.

Cited by 13 publications

References 13 publications

Population decline of the Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis in continental Spain, a main western Palearctic stronghold

Population decline of the Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis in continental Spain, a main western Palearctic stronghold

Green growth in agriculture―New measurement concept and its empirical verification

Emerging threats and opportunities to managed bee species in European agricultural systems: a horizon scan

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