Investigating biodiversity trajectories using scenarios - Lessons from two contrasting agricultural landscapes

Abstract

Analyses of habitat areas, connectedness and landscape diversity suggested that the energy and recreation scenarios had a negative impact on farmland biodiversity, whereas the nature conservation scenario, the current and historically reconstructed landscapes had a higher potential for biodiversity. The farmers appreciated the nature conservation scenario, but also the energy production scenario and they highlighted the need of increased subsidies for management of biodiversity. The farmers in the high production area were less interested in nature quality per se. The executives had similar opinions as the farmers, but disagreed on the advantages with energy production, as this would be in conflict with the high biodiversity and recreational values. The local physical and socio-economical conditions differ between landscapes and potentially shaped the stakeholders emotional attachment to the local environment, their opinions and decisions on how to manage the land. We stress the importance of incorporating local knowledge, visions and regional prerequisites for different land uses in conservation, since site and landscape specific planning for biodiversity together with a flexible subsidy system are necessary to reach the conservation goals within EU. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Diversity; Energy production; Landscape perspective; Landscape scenarios multifunctionality; Nature conservation; Recreation; Sustainable management; Sweden

Published in

Journal of Environmental Management
2009, Volume: 91, number: 2, pages: 499-508 Publisher: ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

SLU Authors

• Bengtsson, Jan

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Berg, Åke

  • Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Associated SLU-program

SLU Swedish Biodiversity Centre


Sustainable Development Goals

SDG2 Zero hunger
SDG12 Responsible consumption and production
SDG15 Life on land


UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use
Agricultural Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.09.018

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/48884