The effect of management practices and landscape context on vineyard biodiversity

Abstract

Context and purpose of the study – Intensification is considered one of the major drivers of biodiversity loss in farmland. The more intensive management practices that have been adopted the last decades, contributed to species declines from all taxonomic groups. Moreover, agricultural intensification has led to an important change of land use. Complex, mixed agro-ecosystems with cultivated and non-cultivated habitats have been converted to simplified, intensive and homogeneous ones with severe effects on biodiversity. The present study aimed at reviewing the most recent literature of the effects of agricultural practices and surrounding landscape on biodiversity in Mediterranean vineyards.

Material and methods – Several scientific papers and research projects, studying the effects of managements practices and landscape on vineyard biodiversity and the methods already used to assess and moderate species decline, were reviewed.

Results – Tillage, irrigation, pesticide and fertilizer use as well as the destruction of the natural vegetation in hedgerows and field margins are some of the agricultural practices that are responsible for most declines in species richness. In addition to management practices, a higher or lower landscape heterogeneity provides a higher or lower probability for the species to find food resources, shelter or sites for reproduction, over-wintering or oviposition. A plethora of metrics have been developed to quantify landscape and measure the landscape heterogeneity. The development of a biodiversity metric tool that quantifies and evaluates the effect of vineyard management practices is crucial to help farmers to choose the most sustainable option that will benefit both biodiversity and production.