Semi-natural habitats support biological control, pollination and soil conservation in Europe: A review

John Holland, Jacob Douma, Liam Crowley, Laura Kor, David Stevenson, Barbara Smith

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    179 Citations (Scopus)
    150 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Semi-natural habitats are integral to most agricultural areas and have the potential to support ecosystem services, especially biological control and pollination by supplying resources for the invertebrates providing these services and for soil conservation by preventing erosion and run-off. Some habitats are supported through agri-environment scheme funding in the European Union, but their value for ecosystem service delivery has been questioned. An improved understanding of previous research approaches and outcomes will contribute to the development of more sustainable farming systems, improve experimental designs and highlight knowledge gaps especially for funders and researchers. Here we compiled a systematic map to allow for the first time a review of the quantity of evidence collected in Europe that semi-natural habitats support biological control, pollination and soil conservation. A literature search selected 2252 publications, and, following review, 270 met the inclusion criteria and were entered into the database. Most publications were of pest control (143 publications) with less on pollination (78 publications) or soil-related aspects (31). For pest control and pollination, most publications reported a positive effect of semi-natural habitats. There were weaknesses in the evidence base though because of bias in study location and the crops, whilst metrics (e.g. yield) valued by end users were
    seldom measured. Hedgerows, woodland and grassland were the most heavily investigated semi-natural habitats, and the wider landscape composition was often considered. Study designs varied considerably yet only 24% included controls or involved manipulation of semi-natural habitats. Service providers were commonly measured and used as a surrogate for ecosystem service delivery. Key messages for policymakers and funders are that they should encourage research that includes more metrics required by end users, be prepared to fund longer-term studies (61% were of only 1-year duration) and investigate the role of soils within semi-natural habitats in delivering ecosystem services.

    Publisher Statement: The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13593-017-0434-x
    Original languageEnglish
    Article number31
    Number of pages23
    JournalAgronomy for Sustainable Development
    Volume37
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 24 Jul 2017

    Keywords

    • Agroecology
    • Ecosystem services
    • Agricultural policy
    • Pollinators
    • Sustainable agriculture
    • Integrated pest management
    • Experimental design
    • Agricultural research

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