Agricultural practices play a decisive role in the preservation or degradation of protected areas, research shows

New research shows that modern agriculture is impacting biodiversity inside protected areas in Europe, while some traditional agricultural practices may help preserve it. The Natura 2000 is the largest network of protected areas in the world, established to conserve the most valuable habitats and species in the European Union (EU).

Researchers conducted a large-scale survey among Natura 2000 protected area managers across all Europe focusing on management practices, funding and threats to biodiversity facing the Natura 2000 network. The findings have been published in Conservation Biology.

The findings are quite clear: “The main threat to biodiversity conservation inside protected areas in Europe comes from the intensification of agricultural practices, like the use of pesticides, overgrazing and hedgerow removal. It was alarming to learn how managers of protected areas feel that biodiversity is not safe from these harmful practices,” says doctoral researcher Giorgio Zavattoni from the University of Turku, Finland.

Indeed, 80% of habitats of community interest in the European Union are in an unfavorable state of conservation, with national reports suggesting that the main driver for habitat degradation is intensive agriculture, a process characterized by increased use of inorganic fertilizers, pesticides, and new crop types including winter crops.

The findings of this study reveal that these agricultural pressures pose in fact significant challenges for protected area managers, who often cannot address them fully. This highlights how the simple designation of a protected area does not itself ensure the effective conservation of its habitats and species, because stakeholder involvement and active management is often essential.

Are protected area managers against agriculture inside protected areas? The answer is no. In fact, some of the most common measures implemented by Natura 2000 managers to improve the state of biodiversity coincide with some traditional low-intensity farming methods. Practices such as sustainable grazing and mowing play a key role in preserving important habitats vital for many endangered species.

“Grasslands and marshes are among the most biodiversity-rich ecosystems in Europe, and protected area managers may use extensive grazing to ensure the conservation of these habitats” explains Elie Gaget, researcher at the Tour du Valat, research institute for the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands (France), and co-author of the study.

Unfortunately, with the intensification of agriculture, these traditional practices are disappearing in the European Union.

Funding available to manage Natura 2000 protected areas often relies on the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which Member States apply through their own national program. The same instrument also provides subsidies, among other things, to intensive agricultural practices even inside protected areas.

Professor Jon Brommer, co-author of the study based at the University of Turku (Finland), explains, “The Natura 2000 network aims at protecting biodiversity without excluding human activities. However, it is confusing to use public money to support two very different approaches, with mixed effects on biodiversity.”

Overall, the study highlights the urgent need to strengthen agricultural regulations inside protected areas if the European Union is to achieve its biodiversity conservation goals. Many of the biodiversity-friendly measures that were included in the initial proposals of the European Green Deal were removed after spring 2024.

The study highlights how low-intensity agricultural practices, both within and around natural sites, are necessary for the conservation of European biodiversity.