Crop protection and biodiversity in agro-ecosystems
BERICHTE UBER LANDWIRTSCHAFT. Bd. 98. H. 1. 2020
Erscheinungsjahr: 2020
ISBN/ISSN: 2196-5099
Publikationstyp: Zeitschriftenaufsatz
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Inhaltszusammenfassung
The Scientific Advisory Board for the National Action Plan on the Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products (NAP) advises the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). The Board has provided its opinion on the impact of crop protection on biodiversity in agro-ecosystems. This publication is based on the Board's position. Crop protection safeguards crop yields and crop quality in arable farming, and especially in the production of specialty crops. Global meta-analyses and expe...The Scientific Advisory Board for the National Action Plan on the Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products (NAP) advises the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). The Board has provided its opinion on the impact of crop protection on biodiversity in agro-ecosystems. This publication is based on the Board's position. Crop protection safeguards crop yields and crop quality in arable farming, and especially in the production of specialty crops. Global meta-analyses and expert assessments estimate the potential yield loss due to pests and diseases to be in the order of 17 to 40%, depending on the crop species. These losses are reduced through the use of direct chemical, biological or physical crop protection, and by means of indirect, systematic, preventative measures. Out of the many effects of crop pesticides, their impact on biodiversity is difficult to grasp. Current intensive farming is geared towards efficiency and global competitiveness. It is bringing about multicausal changes in landscapes and ecosystems, reducing the diversity of natural habitats and agro-ecosystems, and is thus adversely impacting on the biodiversity of numerous groups of species. At the same time, climate change is having a negative impact on biodiversity within the agricultural landscape. The decline in biodiversity within the agricultural landscape is striking. Populations of butterflies and birds, for example, have declined by 50% since 1990 and 1980 respectively, and the biomass of flying insects has fallen by 75% since 1989. Species diversity and the abundance of arable weeds, amphibians, fish, sensitive aquatic invertebrates, wild bees, hover flies, carabids, ladybirds and many other groups of organisms are on the decline. Out of the 14 open habitat types in Germany that are immediately dependent on land-use management, 80% are at risk. Other habitat types (peatland, woodland, shorelines, meadows etc.) are adversely impacted by nearby agricultural land. The direct and indirect consequences of crop pesticides have been documented in a large number of scientific studies conducted in Germany and Europe. The use of pesticides (insecticides, fungicides, herbicides) is a significant factor within the complex overall range of factors impacting on biodiversity in agro-ecosystems. It mostly has significant negative consequences, although a positive impact has been observed in exceptional cases. Crop pesticides end up in and on plants, animals and the soil, in the atmosphere, as well as in water and the groundwater. Their harmful side-effects can manifest quickly or over long periods of time. They can be directly toxic to non-target organisms and indirectly reduce the food supply and habitats for a wide range of different organisms. Moreover, there are also cumulative and sequential impacts, as crop pesticides are often applied together and the combined impact of environmental stressors and crop pesticides is particularly relevant where pesticides are used on open land. » weiterlesen» einklappen
