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1177. Sustainable High-yielding Farming is Essential to Avoid Biodiversity Loss

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1177. Sustainable High-yielding Farming is Essential to Avoid Biodiversity Loss

 

Humans have altered more than 70% of the Earth's land area, halved the biomass accumulated in terrestrial vegetation, and more than a quarter of the species assessed are now threatened with extinction, with numerous studies suggesting that these impacts will increase significantly throughout this century. Despite international agreements, calls to action, and investments in conservation interventions, the global community continues to struggle in effectively halting the decline of biodiversity.

It has been pointed out that food production has more impact on biodiversity than any other field of human activity. Agriculture occupies about 50% of habitable land and continues to expand. At least 90% of tropical deforestation in recent years has taken place in areas where agriculture is the main driver, and about half of the newly cleared land is used for livestock and crop production, with arable land continuing to expand. In light of this, it is not surprising that agriculture is the greatest threat to terrestrial biodiversity.

Biodiversity conservation in agriculture requires innovative thinking and bold responses. However, there is a great deal of debate about how best to limit the impact of food production on biodiversity. A review paper published in Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B. argued that sustainable agricultural intensification that maintains high yields per unit area is essential to curb biodiversity loss.

Farmland is needed to meet the growing demand for food, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. In Africa, a combination of chronic underinvestment in agriculture, stagnant agricultural production, rapid population growth, and increasing per capita food demand suggests that between 2010 and 2060, half of the continental U.S. area will need to be expanded for farmland, with 13 countries needing to more than quadruple their farmland area. The resulting habitat loss impact on biodiversity is devastating, with the risk of extinction of large mammals, for example, projected to quadruple in 50 years.

While a low-environmental diet and food loss and waste are essential to halt the extinction of species, a supply-side approach to maintaining and increasing yields per farmland remains crucial. From the perspective of biodiversity conservation, it is important to consider whether to accept the biodiversity cost of agricultural land expansion (Land Sharing) instead of preserving the local biodiversity benefits of existing farmland, or to pursue sustainable, high-yielding agriculture in some parts of the landscape and protect or restore large natural habitats elsewhere (Land Sparing). It is necessary to take a holistic view of productive land and evaluate the benefits of conservation interventions. Globally, the evidence seems to be that improving the yield of existing farmland has contributed to improving biodiversity.

The global food system accounts for about one-third of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, and considering the opportunity cost of carbon sequestration through sustainable land use, the significance of sustainable high-yield agriculture increases from the perspective of mitigating climate change.

 

Reference
Balmford Andrew, Bateman Ian J., Eyres Alison, Swinfield Tom and Ball Thomas S. 2025. Sustainable high-yield farming is essential for bending the curve of biodiversity loss. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B. 38020230216 http://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2023.0216

Contributor: IIYAMA Miyuki, Information Program

 

 

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