Biodiversity – why bother?

The benefits of going ‘multi-functional’

Avoiding ‘Bad Biodiversity’

Getting more bang for your biodiversity

buck

Where biodiversity fits in ‘sustainable

intensification’

Improving yields and

on-farm biodiversity

David George, Stockbridge Technology Centre

david.george@stc-nyorks.co.uk

Biodiversity – how do I relate to it?

Biodiversity is akin to a live-in house keeper

You provide food and shelter, biodiversity provides

services that you’d otherwise have to pay for

But how good a job does it do?

This time next year in a world with no constraints

on pest populations*…

The 200 000 million

descendants of 1

pair of houseflies

cover the earth to a

depth of 15km

The descendants of 1

aphid mother – at 250

million tonnes – circle

the equator a million

times

The descendants of 1

pair of cabbage whites

- with wings closed -

cover Austrailia with a

tower rising into the

stratosphere faster

than the speed of light *Assumes max. fecundity and zero mortality…fortunately unrealistic!

So if I stick in a flower strip for my EFA /

NELMs, my pests will be controlled?

Polli

nato

r m

ix

Bio

contr

ol m

ix

Com

bin

ation Selective field

margin flower

mixes do this…

OK in a garden, but

using finite non-

cropped agri land

in such a restricted

way is a waste!

Not quite. As a ‘live-in house keeper’ biodiversity can

be a fussy eater and snobby about accommodation

‘Multi-functional’ field margins can do this…

YIELD

YEAR Carrots Cereals Peas Cabbages

2010 No difference No difference Could not be

analysed: poor crop

No difference

2011 No difference Yield increased

near margin by

22.5%max

Yield increased near

margin by 41.1%max

Yield increased near

margin by 15.8%max

2012 No difference No difference Yield higher near

margin and field

centre by 74.2%max

Yield increased near

margin by 29.9%max

2013 Yield decreased

near margin by

25.4%max

No difference No difference No difference

Biological systems are inherently variable and benefits of even the very

best seed mixes may not be seen year-on-year

This ‘multi-functionality’ may be harder to

design, but not to implement on-farm

Ecostac seed

mixes took

years to fully

develop, but the

hard work has

already been

done

They’re still just seed mixes - they costs the same

and can be treated the same as any standard mix

Є153bill (global)

$4.5bill (US)

Waste

disposal:

$760bill

Soil

formation:

$25bill

Nitrogen

fixation:

$90bill

Chem. bio-

remediation:

$121bill

Pollination:

$200bill

Biocontrol of

pests:

$100bill

£440mill (UK)

Losey & Vaughn 2006

Gallai 2009

Pimental et al 1997: Global TOTAL: $3000 billion

What else can biodiversity do?

Can we make biodiversity more efficient?

But beware ‘Bad Biodiversity’: Some house-

keepers may run off with the family silver!

• Knapweeds often feature in seed

mixes for field margins as they’re

attractive to bees and butterflies

• BUT, many butterflies are pests!

• Brown knapweed around sprouts =

more cabbage white adults/larvae

•

How do I get more bang for my biodiversity

buck?

Be ‘multi-functional’ in your approach to ‘CAP

greening’ and environmental stewardship and you

could get ‘paid’ twice – once by the EU and again by

an in-kind contribution to production from biodiversity

Approach non-crop areas as you would crop fields -

plan, maintain and manage them to ensure optimum

biodiversity ‘yields’ whilst avoiding ‘losses’

Consider other on-farm activities and how they can

add value: Biodiversity alone is unlikely to

achieve ‘sustainable intensification’, but it can’t

be achieved without it

Fortunately, biodiversity is compatible with

other cogs in the ‘SI’ machine

IN FIELD:

Precision

farming;

controlled

traffic; min. till

IN CROP:

Resistant

varieties;

biopesticides;

biocontrol

ON FARM

BIODIVERSITY:

Shelter, Alternative

prey, Floral resources,

Environment

(SAFE)

Removes variability

to increase yield

and reduce

chemical inputs

Reduces reliance

on conventional

chemical PPPs

Provides services

that would

otherwise have to

be paid for

Tru-Nject

“Producing enough food for the

world’s population in 2050 will

be easy. But doing it at an

acceptable cost to the planet will

depend on research into

everything from high-tech seeds

to low-tech farming practices.”

Nature 466: 531-532

Combining high-tech and low-tech is the

key to the ‘SI’ lock

Recent in crop innovations typically good

for biodiversity as well as yield

IN FIELD:

Precision

farming;

controlled

traffic; min. till

IN CROP:

Resistant

varieties;

biopesticides;

biocontrol

ON FARM

BIODIVERSITY:

Shelter, Alternative

prey, Floral resources,

Environment

(SAFE)

Removes variability

to increase yield

and reduce

chemical inputs

Reduces reliance

on conventional

chemical PPPs

Provides services

that would

otherwise have to

be paid for

SUSTAINABILITY

Conclusions - conventional

Conclusions – Biodiversity can pay!

Pollination Nutrient

retention

Trap crop

biomass

ES points £ pest

control:

COST

GAIN