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Improving biodiversity monitoring of agricultural landscapes

It’s been suggested that global wildlife populations have decreased by 60% in the last 40 years, with around 30,000 species in immediate danger of extinction and up to one million species at risk of future extinction, primarily as a result of habitat loss from agricultural expansion. The magnitude of this crisis has led to the development of biodiversity conservation schemes designed to reverse biodiversity decline. However the success of these schemes is critically reliant on effective biodiversity monitoring.
Improving biodiversity monitoring of agricultural landscapes provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of farmland biodiversity monitoring schemes. It reviews the strengths and weaknesses of key national monitoring programmes, as well as regional initiatives developed by the EU and FAO. The book also assesses developments in techniques used to collect and analyse data for more effective biodiversity monitoring.
Dr Felix Herzog was previously Head of a team of 50 in the Agricultural Landscape and Biodiversity Research Group at Agroscope, Switzerland before retiring from his position in 2025. With 30 years’ experience and over 150 publications, Dr Herzog is internationally renowned for his research on understanding and enhancing the critical role of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. He is on the editorial boards of a number of journals, including Agronomy for Sustainable Development, and has participated in a number of major EU research projects relating to biodiversity and agriculture.
Part 1 Current farmland biodiversity monitoring schemes
- 1.Key challenges in developing national or regional farmland biodiversity monitoring programmes: Felix Herzog, formerly Agroscope, Switzerland;
- 2.Farmland biodiversity monitoring in Europe: Finland: Terho Hyvönen, Natural Resources Institute (LUKE), Finland;
- 3.Farmland biodiversity monitoring in Europe: Germany: Christian Levers, Thünen Institute, Germany;
- 4.Farmland biodiversity monitoring in Europe: Norway: Wendy Fjellstad, NIBIO, Norway;
- 5.Farmland biodiversity monitoring in Europe: Sweden: Anna Allard, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Sweden;
- 6.Farmland biodiversity monitoring in Europe: Switzerland: Eliane Meier, Agroscope, Switzerland;
- 7.Farmland biodiversity monitoring in Europe: UK: Claire Wood, UK Center for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), UK;
- 8.Farmland biodiversity monitoring in the Americas: USA: Amielle DeWan, Impact by Design, USA;
- 9.Farmland biodiversity monitoring in the Americas: Canada: Juli Carrillo, University of British Columbia, Canada;
- 10.Farmland biodiversity monitoring in Africa, Asia and the Pacific: Australia: David Lindenmayer, Australian National University, Australia;
- 11.Farmland biodiversity monitoring in Africa, Asia and the Pacific: China: Meichun Duan, Southwest University, China;
- 12.Farmland biodiversity monitoring in Africa, Asia and the Pacific: Africa: Inza Koné, Swiss Center for Scientific Research in Côte d'Ivoire, Côte d'Ivoire;
Part 2 Regional and international farmland biodiversity monitoring programmes
- 13.Regional and international farmland biodiversity monitoring programmes: biodiversity indicators in the FAO agroecology indicator framework: Anina Gilgen, Agroscope, Switzerland;
- 14.Regional and international farmland biodiversity monitoring programmes: agricultural biodiversity indicators in the European Union: Laura Sutcliffe, Institute for Agricultural Ecology and Biodiversity, Germany;
- 15.Assessing the cost of farmland biodiversity monitoring programmes: Stefano Targetti, University of Bologna, Italy;
Part 3 Techniques and technologies for collecting data for agricultural biodiversity monitoring
- 16.Classical species recording methods to monitor biodiversity in farmed landscapes: Philippe Jeanneret, Agroscope, Switzerland;
- 17.Challenges and solutions in using satellite data, LIDAR, aerial photography and UAV/drone images to monitor biodiversity in farmed landscapes: Caterina Barrasso, Technical University of Dresden, Germany;
- 18.Improving biodiversity monitoring by farmers: Cathy Hawes, James Hutton Institute, UK;
- 19.Optimising the role of citizen science in biodiversity monitoring in farmed landscapes: Erik Öckinger, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Sweden;
- 20.Developing biodiversity indicators to monitor biodiversity in farmed landscapes: key issues and challenges: Irene Petrosillo, University of Salento, Italy;
- 21.Challenges and solutions in data management for biodiversity monitoring for farmed landscapes: Anabela Plos, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, Argentina;
- 22.Developing biodiversity monitoring tools for use in farmed landscapes: Michael Curran, FiBL, Switzerland;
- 23.Measuring below-ground biodiversity: Florian Gschwend, Agroscope, Switzerland;
Part 4 Conclusion
- 24.From farmland biodiversity monitoring to protection: Felix Herzog, formerly Agroscope, Switzerland;