Addressing Biodiversity and Habitat Preservation Through Measures Applied Under the Common Agricultural Policy
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Addressing biodiversity and habitat preservation through measures applied under the Common Agricultural Policy Jana Poláková Graham Tucker Kaley Hart Janet Dwyer Matt Rayment i This study, financed by the Commission of the European Communities, has been carried out by the Institute for European Environmental Policy, and the consultant has full responsibility for the content. The conclusions, recommendations and opinions presented in this report reflect those of the consultant, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Commission. September 2011 Jana Poláková Graham Tucker Kaley Hart Janet Dwyer Matt Rayment With contributions from: Andrew J. McConville, Evelyn Underwood, Ben Allen, Francesca Solca, Jane Mills and Juliet Ingram. ii The report should be cited as follows: Poláková, J, Tucker, G, Hart, K, Dwyer, J, Rayment, M (2011) Addressing biodiversity and habitat preservation through Measures applied under the Common Agricultural Policy. Report Prepared for DG Agriculture and Rural Development, Contract No. 30-CE- 0388497/00-44. Institute for European Environmental Policy: London. Corresponding author: Jana Poláková, IEEP ([email protected]). Acknowledgements The authors of this report would like to express many thanks to a great number of people for their expert contributions. They would like to thank: Henrietta Menadue, Clunie Keenleyside, Sonja Gantioler, Stephanie Newman, Laura Baroni and Caitlin McCormack for their additional research support. David Baldock for invaluable support and important contributions to individual chapters. The case study partners, for collecting a large proportion of the empirical material upon which the analysis in the report rests: Raluca Barbu, HighClere Consulting, Romania. Yann Desjeux, INRA, France. Simone Schiller and Nadja Kasperczyk, Institut für Ländliche Strukturforschung of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Jaroslav Pražan, Czech Republic. George Vlahos, Greece. Ben Allen and Henrietta Menadue, IEEP, UK. Dr Simon Butler (at the time University of Reading, now University of East Anglia) carried out the trait-based modelling of biodiversity impacts commissioned for this study. The biodiversity expert panel for their advice and valuable comments: András Báldi from the Institute of Ecology and Botany of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences; Nigel Boatman from the Food and Environment Research Agency, UK; Irina Herzon from the University of Helsinki; Juan José Oñate from the Autonomous University of Madrid; Rainer Oppermann from the Institute for Agroecology and Biodiversity (IFAB) in Mannheim; Chris van Swaay from the Dutch Butterfly Conservation; Chris Stoate from the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, UK; and Peter Veen. The agricultural and agri-environmental policy expert panel for their contribution to the development of the policy aspects of the study: Guy Beaufoy from the European Forum on Nature Conservation and Pastoralism; Pille Koorberg and Iiri Selge from the Agricultural Research Centre Estonia; Trees Robijns from BirdLife International; Nigel Boatman; Juan José Oñate; Irina Herzon; and Gábor Figeczky from WWF Hungary. iii Delphine Dubray for the French translation of the Executive Summary. To the following for allowing us to use their photos on our front cover: C Keenleyside G Beaufoy Institute for European Environmental Policy R Barbu B Allen And finally, the authors are grateful for the support and invaluable comments by Caroline Raes, the Project Officer at DG Agriculture. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS ........................................................................................................................ XIV EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...................................................................................................... XVII RESUME ............................................................................................................................ XXX 1 INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE OF THE STUDY ............................................................. 1 1.1 Framing the Study ...................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Purpose and structure of the report .......................................................................... 3 2 THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN AGRICULTURE AND BIODIVERSITY IN EUROPE .............. 6 2.1 The development of agricultural habitats.................................................................. 6 2.1.1 Forms of agriculture and field-scale habitats ....................................................... 6 2.1.2 Landscape-scale influences on biodiversity ........................................................ 13 2.2 The interrelationships between agricultural practices and biodiversity .................. 17 2.3 The biodiversity importance of agricultural habitat types ....................................... 21 2.3.1 Overview ........................................................................................................... 21 2.3.2 Natural and semi-natural habitats ..................................................................... 23 2.3.3 Improved grasslands and croplands ................................................................... 24 2.3.4 Permanent crops ............................................................................................... 27 2.3.5 Ecosystem services and agricultural habitat type ............................................... 28 2.4 Agricultural drivers and recent trends in the structure of the agricultural sector ... 30 2.5 Impacts of agricultural change on agricultural habitats and species ....................... 35 2.5.1 Natural and semi-natural habitats ..................................................................... 35 2.5.2 Biodiversity trends and their causes in improved grasslands and cultivated crops 40 2.5.3 Permanent crops ............................................................................................... 43 2.6 Future prospects for biodiversity in agricultural habitats in the EU ........................ 45 2.6.1 Driving forces affecting agriculture and the rural economy ............................... 45 2.6.2 Likely impacts of future agricultural change on biodiversity .............................. 46 3 EU POLICY MEASURES FOR THE DELIVERY OF BIODIVERSITY THROUGH AGRICULTURE 48 3.1 Identifying policy measures for the delivery of biodiversity through agriculture .... 48 3.2 Effectiveness of legislative measures for delivery of farmland biodiversity ............ 57 v 3.3 Effectiveness of CAP Pillar 2 measures for delivery of biodiversity ......................... 61 3.3.1 The agri-environment measure ......................................................................... 61 3.3.2 Other CAP Pillar 2 measures .............................................................................. 76 3.4 Effectiveness of CAP Pillar 1 measures for delivery of biodiversity ......................... 80 3.4.1 Pillar 1 direct payments ..................................................................................... 80 3.4.2 Pillar 1 cross compliance.................................................................................... 81 3.4.3 Pillar 1 eligibility rules ........................................................................................ 87 3.4.4 Other CAP Pillar 1 and other CAP measures ....................................................... 91 3.5 The effectiveness of the set-aside measure – the case of a re-designed policy response ............................................................................................................................. 93 3.6 Effectiveness of other EU policies for delivery of farmland biodiversity ................. 95 3.6.1 EU LIFE and LIFE+ programme ........................................................................... 95 3.7 Effectiveness of other national, voluntary, and market based measures for delivery of biodiversity .................................................................................................................... 96 4 FACTORS OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE ........................................................................... 98 4.1 Measure and Scheme Design at Member State level............................................... 98 4.1.1 Developing a coherent mix of policy measures .................................................. 99 4.1.2 Targeting and tailoring .................................................................................... 101 4.1.3 Accessibility and attractiveness of schemes ..................................................... 103 4.1.4 Payment Rates ................................................................................................ 104 4.1.5 Ongoing evaluation and review ....................................................................... 105 4.2 Farmer Attitudes and the Role of Advice and Training .......................................... 106 4.3 Institutional Factors ............................................................................................... 110 4.4 Implementation of other policies .......................................................................... 112 4.5 Other Intervening Factors ...................................................................................... 114 5 ACHIEVING BIODIVERSITY GOALS THROUGH AGRICULTURE WITHIN A SUSTAINABILITY PERSPECTIVE..................................................................................................................... 119 5.1 EU rural