Files
Abstract
Species diversity on arable land and associated ecosystem services have decreased due to
intensified agricultural production and loss of non-crop habitats in boreal agricultural
landscapes. There have been attempts to mitigate this negative trend by agri-environmental
schemes, but applied measures have often proved to be both ineffective and expensive.
Research on the cost-effectiveness of measures is therefore required.
We considered three biodiversity measures in southern Finland: A) a biodiversity zone
established on the margin of a forest abutting on a field, B) a biodiversity strip on a field at a
forest border and C) an environmental fallow. In our study, a forest biodiversity zone (measure
A) consists of a 5-m wide meadow-like treeless strip and a 20-m wide transitional zone which is
managed by repeated selection cuttings to create a mixed-species uneven-aged stand structure.
A biodiversity strip on the margin of a field (measure B) refers to a 5-m wide uncropped strip
covered by wildflowers or perennial grasses. An environmental fallow (measure C) is either a
biodiversity field established by a meadow-plant seed mixture or a grass field established by
perennial grasses.
The effectiveness of measures in promoting pollination services was determined by the achieved
increase in bumblebee abundance compared with the prevailing land use. Control areas of
measure A were managed according to the recommended good practices in forestry (even-aged
management). Control treatments of measures B and C were the corresponding areas of a field
in conventional feed-barley production. Costs of measures incurred to a private landowner were
calculated by subtracting the present value of a net income stream obtained from an area where
the measure is applied from the present values of net incomes received from the corresponding
forests and fields managed according to current practices and recommendations.
The results indicate that the cost-effectiveness of the measures applied on fields is better than
those applied in forests even though the price of cereals is assumed to retain its current high
level. The best outcome with least costs was obtained by using a meadow-plant seed mixture
including brown and wig knapweeds (Centaurea jacea and Centaurea phrygia), daisy
(Leucanthemum vulgare), white clover (Trifolium repens) and common bent (Agrostis
capillaris). For a landowner, the use of field measures is also supported by the fact that, on
fields, land use can be changed quickly if necessary.