Challenges for post-2013: biodiversity Davy McCracken

1. Rural Policy Centre Challenges for post-2013: biodiversity Davy McCracken Presentation to Scottish Government Conference Future Common Agricultural Policy for Scotland Holyrood Hotel, Edinburgh, 16 March 2011

2. Biodiversity: not just “nice to have” or a “luxury to support” Essential in underpinning the final ecosystem services associated with our agricultural ecosystems From Norris et al. (forthcoming) Biodiversity. UK National Ecosystem Assessment

3. Biodiversity Challenges: Achieving an appropriate balance • Between Pillar 1 and Pillar 2: • need ‘greening’ of Pillar 1 and agri-environment in Pillar 2 • Between actions supported within Pillar 2: • need more emphasis on environment and better balance across actions funded

4. Biodiversity Challenges: Achieving an appropriate balance The ten SRDP Rural Priority options to which the most amount of funding had been committed by the end of March 2010 (SG website accessed 13/03/2011) Funding for broad biodiversity actions c. 51% of funding of top 10 actions Funding for all broad biodiversity actions c. 54% of funding of all actions

5. Biodiversity Challenges: Achieving an appropriate balance • Between actions taken to address environmental concerns, e.g.: • Climate Change • Water Framework Directive • Delivery of Ecosystem Services • Biodiversity and 2020 targets “to halt biodiversity loss …. and …. restore them in so far as feasible”

6. Biodiversity Challenges: Recognising scale of action needed Farmland biodiversity Intensity of agriculture • Intensification of management practices • Abandonment of management practices • Simplification of agricultural landscapes Graph from presentation by: Hoogeveen Y.R., Petersen J.E. & Gabrielsen P. (2001). Agriculture and biodiversity in Europe. Background report to the High-Level European Conference on Agriculture and Biodiversity, 5–7 June, Paris. STRA-CO/AGRI (2001) 17. Council of Europe/UNEP.

7. Biodiversity Challenges: Recognising scale of action needed Scotland: 1995-2007 (BTO) • Stable (but at low levels): • Linnet • Skylark • Starling • Yellowhammer • Declined: • Curlew (-51%) • Kestrel (-38%) • Lapwing (-33%) • Meadow Pipit (-25%) Action needed in protected areas and wider countryside UK Wild bird population index: 1970-2007

8. Biodiversity Challenges: Recognising scale of action needed Lowlands – fragmentation and loss of connectivity

9. Biodiversity Challenges: Recognising scale of action needed Lowlands – fragmentation and loss of connectivity

10. Biodiversity Challenges: Recognising scale of action needed Lowlands – fragmentation and loss of connectivity

11. Biodiversity Challenges: Recognising scale of action needed Uplands and islands – changes and loss of High Nature Value farming systems 11

12. Biodiversity Challenges: Recognising scale of action needed Uplands and islands – changes and loss of High Nature Value farming systems Need to establish baseline of how much HNV and where – Scottish Government working on this Need also to consider appropriate support mechanisms and policy framework required 12

13. Biodiversity Challenges: Joining up the actions being taken • Need action in protected areas and wider countryside • Need ‘greening’ of Pillar 1 and agri-environment in Pillar 2 • Need appropriately targeted suites of complementary biodiversity actions on the ground • Need collaborative actions at the landscape-scale • Need greater focus on proactive follow-up once biodiversity actions are implemented • Need underlying policies and schemes to be flexible to allow for implementation of adaptive management – learning by doing

14. Biodiversity Challenges: The status quo is not an option • If changes to the way that overall CAP support is targeted does not result in an increased focus on biodiversity actions and targeting these effectively, then in Scotland and across the rest of the EU 27: • natural and semi-natural habitats will continue to be lost within intensively farmed areas • HNV farming systems will continue to decline • the biodiversity that underpins the ecosystem services arising from EU agriculture, including production, will be adversely impacted • the resilience and capacity of EU farming systems to cope with shocks and pressures will be adversely impacted

15. Davy McCracken davy.mccracken@sac.ac.uk www.sac.ac.uk/ruralpolicycentre A briefing on Estimating the scale of future environmental land management requirements can be found at: http://www.sac.ac.uk/ruralpolicycentre/publs/changinenvironment/landmanagementrequirements/

16. natural and semi-natural habitats will continue to be lost within intensively farmed areas • HNV farming systems will continue to decline • the biodiversity that underpins the ecosystem services arising from EU agriculture, including production, will be adversely impacted • the resilience and capacity of EU farming systems to cope with shocks and pressures will be adversely impacted

18. Biodiversity: what is it? • ‘Biological diversity’ means the variability among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.’ Convention on Biological Diversity, Earth Summit, Rio 1992 • ‘Biodiversity is defined as the total diversity and variability of living things and of the systems of which they are part’. Global Biodiversity Assessment (UNEP Cambridge University Press 1995)

19. Farmland Biodiversity: what is it in reality?