Biodiversity–production feedback effects lead to intensification traps in agricultural landscapes
Journal article
Authors | Burian, A., Kremen, C., Shyan-Tau Wu, J., Beckmann, M., Bulling, M., Garibaldi, L., Krisztin, T., Mehrabi, Z., Ramankutty, N. and Seppelt, R. |
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Abstract | Intensive agriculture with high reliance on pesticides and fertilizers constitutes a major strategy for ‘feeding the world’. However, such conventional intensification is linked to diminishing returns and can result in ‘intensification traps’—production declines triggered by the negative feedback of biodiversity loss at high input levels. Here we developed a novel framework that accounts for biodiversity feedback on crop yields to evaluate the risk and magnitude of intensification traps. Simulations grounded in systematic literature reviews showed that intensification traps emerge in most landscape types, but to a lesser extent in major cereal production systems. Furthermore, small reductions in maximal production (5–10%) could be frequently transmitted into substantial biodiversity gains, resulting in small-loss large-gain trade-offs prevailing across landscape types. However, sensitivity analyses revealed a strong context dependence of trap emergence, inducing substantial uncertainty in the identification of optimal management at the field scale. Hence, we recommend the development of case-specific safety margins for intensification preventing double losses in biodiversity and food security associated with intensification traps. |
Keywords | Intensive agriculture; pesticides and fertilizers; biodiversity ; intensification traps; food security |
Year | 2024 |
Journal | Nature Ecology and Evolution |
Journal citation | pp. 1-18 |
Publisher | Nature |
ISSN | 2397-334X |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02349-0 |
Web address (URL) | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-024-02349-0 |
Publisher's version | License File Access Level Open |
Output status | Published |
Publication dates | |
Online | 06 Mar 2024 |
Publication process dates | |
Deposited | 13 Mar 2024 |
https://repository.derby.ac.uk/item/q531z/biodiversity-production-feedback-effects-lead-to-intensification-traps-in-agricultural-landscapes
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