Format: ORAL

Anna Corli1,2, Simone Orsenigo1,2, Thomas Abeli2,3, Fiona Jane White1, Micol Orengo1, Margherita Tognela1, Martina DAgostino3, Graziano Rossi1

1 Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy 2 National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy 3 Department of Science, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy

Agricultural practices are among the most significant threats to plant diversity worldwide. Many threatened species strictly linked to agroecosystems have already disappeared from agricultural areas, particularly in more intensively farmed countries such as in Europe. The recovery of species listed in the Habitat Directive 92/43/CEE, the main legal conservation framework in the EU, is mandatory. However, the reintroduction of threatened species to agroecosystems is constrained by difficulties in recolonizing the original habitat after extirpation. Where populations do avoid destruction, they remain confined to relict habitats which are highly fragmented within an agricultural landscape (on farm). There has been a paradigm shift in conservation to restore biodiversity not only in natural habitats but also in semi-natural areas deemed worthy of conservation. Organic and conventional farms with low-input practices have been suggested as having a potentially biodiversity-friendly approach to farming. The increased demand of food from sustainable sources, especially from organic agriculture, has led to improved environmental conditions and consequently assisted in species conservation. However, for nature conservation and agricultural productivity to co-exist, the needs of stakeholders must be considered. These include concerns with detrimental effects on crop yields, a perception of focal species as potential weeds, legal constraints for species protection, and increased costs associated with conservation. However, there are several benefits to farmers of biodiversity conservation in agroecosystems such as ad hoc financial incentives (e.g., from the EU Rural Development Plan), improved ecosystem services provisioning, and opportunities for marketing sustainable products. We discuss the implications and limitations of biodiversity conservation in agroecosystems using examples from Europe of the threatened species Marsilea quadrifolia, Isotes malinverniana, Lindernia procumbens, Bromus interruptus, B. grossus, Agrostemma githago and Centaurea cyanus.