A new report by IFOAM Organics Europe highlights the contribution of organic farming to protecting Europe’s biodiversity. The report recommends Member States to fully use Eco-schemes and agro-environmental measures in their CAP Strategic Plans to maximise the contribution of organic farmers to the objectives of the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the new CAP.

"Organic farming and biodiversity - Policy options" had four key objectives: 

• Review the evidence on the biodiversity impacts of organic farming in Europe;
• Analyse how organic farming practices, including the avoidance of most agrochemical inputs, contributes to these impacts;
• Review how European policies to support organic farming and the environment have been used;
• Consider and make recommendations on how future CAP and EU policies could be used to expand organic farming and enhance its biodiversity impacts.

There is now a substantial body of research evidence that demonstrates the positive impacts of organic farming on biodiversity in Europe. While most studies have been conducted in the context of temperate arable systems, there are an increasing number of studies relating to grassland, horticulture and Mediterranean olive and other systems that also support the general conclusions that: 

• Organic farming increases both the abundance and species richness of biodiversity across a range of habitats and farming types, when compared with similar, non-organic systems;
• In arable farming, plant species biodiversity is enhanced both within field (in the crops) and in field margins, with 20-95% more species and up to 150% greater abundance recorded in organic systems, with the greatest differences recorded within fields;
• Soil microbial diversity, insects and bird populations are also positively influenced by organic management. In arable contexts, insect species numbers have been reported at 23% higher, and pollinators 30% higher, on average across a number of studies;
• For grassland, studies have shown more limited benefits for plant and soil microbial biodiversity in permanent grassland, where non-organic management tends also to be less intensive;
• Temporary grassland, normally grass/clover leys or lucerne, may be dominated by a limited range of sown species, but will have more unsown species, and the use of flowering legumes can benefit pollinators if managed appropriately – the contribution of organic matter in the rotation also has positive impacts on soil microbial diversity and earthworms; 
• In horticulture greater diversity is found within fields as for cultivated arable crops, but also in the understoreys of fruit production systems, with insectivorous bird species also benefitting;
• Relatively few studies have been conducted in Mediterranean olive and vine systems, with some showing benefits, but landscape effects also being important. 

Other details can be found in the IFOAM Organics Europe web-site at this LINK

The report can be downloaded HERE

Source: IFOAM Organics Europe