Intensive agriculture is one of the main causes of biodiversity loss and increases in greenhouse gas emissions across the planet. Years after leaving the crops, the plant ecosystem is still not what it used to be. Plants take much longer to spread and colonize areas that were once dominated by agricultural land use..
This biodiversity loss underlines the need for action on this issue caused by intensive agriculture, and interference with conservation actions. Otherwise, media recovery will take too long, and in most cases it won’t even be complete.
This is highlighted by a group of German researchers in an article published in the ‘Journal of Ecology’ where they insist on the need to develop new methods. restoration policies degraded areas
So far, if human ailments Biodiversity will regain what is its own. But reality has shown that it is not that simple. extensive agriculture.
The researchers compared several pastures that were abandoned between 1927 and 2005 with other places where this activity never took place but needed to be restored.
“What we want to see the rate at which biodiversity can be recovered on plowed fields and fully plowed,” explains Emma Ladouceur, first author of the article.
herbs and weeds
The reality was very different from when he was raised. Abandoned fields barely recovered after 80 years compared to untouched sites. Specifically, in those places where agriculture once dominated, the study’s authors reported that new species only increased by 65%.
Plants that already lived there before they were destroyed recovered, but not completely. Moreover, colonizing species was not optimal. Majority of species repopulate crops after abandonment herbs and weedsOr what is the same thing,’bad weed‘ was previously introduced by farmers.
The condition of the pastures is even more desolate than the fields that have not undergone any change in use. Up to 63 special native species have grown in them.
The areas selected to conduct this study are no effort to restore. “By looking closely and in detail at the recovery of these ecosystems, we have a better idea of which species require better treatment and which we should help,” explains co-author Stan Harpole, a professor at Martin Luther University.
control of exotic species
Specific measures the researchers are considering include planting or species cultivation We know that it is not part of the composition of the healing areas. control of exotic species To reduce competition with native species.
The scientists think that this study provides unprecedented data to consider because of, among other things, the long time series it refers to. “Understood Recovery process can give us an idea of how we can help and speed it up restorationAdds Ladouceur.
This type of work is also crucial to achieving the goals set in the Global Biodiversity Framework of the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), which was adopted after the outbreak of the covid.19 pandemic.
One of the purposes of this agreement is Reducing and restoring at least 30% of degraded areas in terrestrial, inland water, coastal and marine ecosystems by 2030 or the same thing, about 1,000 million hectares.
This analysis alsoensure that all areas devoted to agriculture, aquaculture and forestry are managed in a sustainable wayparticularly through its conservation and sustainable use. biodiversityto increase the productivity and durability of these production systems”.
Reference work: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2745.14063
Analysis of the draft Post2020 Global Framework for Biodiversity: https://www.ecologistasenaccion.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/analisis-marco-global-biodiversidad-post2020.pdf
Source: Informacion
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