Category Archives: Agriculture
Greening the Common Agricultural Policy: MEPs vote on environmental measures
As part of the wider EU budget review for the period 2014-2020, the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has been under scrutiny over the past two years. In its current state, the CAP accounts for 40% of the EU budget, … Continue reading
Environmental Stewardship and farmland birds: the evidence base
Declines in biodiversity have been observed across many habitats in the UK over recent decades. This is especially true in farmland habitats. Changes in practices have led to huge increases in productivity in farms, but this has come at the … Continue reading
Climate Change, Agriculture and Forestry in the Pacific
Contributions are invited to a consultation from PACE-Net (the Pacific Europe NETWORK for Science and Technology) on a draft white paper on climate change, agriculture and forestry in the Pacific region. PACE encompasses the 15 member countries of the Africa … Continue reading
Checking the Progress of Government on the Natural Environment
The Government could try harder on the natural environment. That was the conclusion of ‘Nature Check 2012′, an overview of the Government’s progress against the commitments made in the Coalition Agreement, launched by Wildlife and Countryside Link, and endorsed by … Continue reading
Policy Seminars in Brussels – Mountain Hay Meadows
Two policy seminars taking place in Brussels in November will be of interest to all agricultural ecologists. Both are being supported by the Pogány-havas Association, a project that seeks to preserve the regional heritage and conserve the environment in a … Continue reading
The 200 year old debate… to cull…or not to cull?
Badger culling to prevent TB transmission is a topic that has been debated back forth for since the 18th century and it is no different today. Do scientific facts play a big enough role? Or are we just divided by … Continue reading
Talk of the bees … “And Granny said in earnest ‘You’ve got to talk to your bees’”
Britain’s biodiversity may not be abundantly obvious in our everyday lives, nor may it immediately appear as splendid as an image of a tropical rainforest. One staggering example is that of our nation’s bees, of which there are over 260 … Continue reading
New POSTnote encapsulates land sharing vs land sparing debate
A POSTnote from the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology ‘Balancing Nature and Agriculture’ published online this week outlines the ongoing debate over land sparing versus land sharing in sustainable management of agricultural land for biodiversity conservation. Much biodiversity is … Continue reading
Environmental Stewardship Delivers Ecosystem Services Underpinning Food Security
The relationship between agriculture and ecosystem services is a strong one. Farming can contribute to critical services including food security and economic growth, maintenance of cultural landscapes, rural employment and (when managed correctly) provision of valuable habitat for a significant … Continue reading
Science has an important role to play to tackle food insecurity in a changing climate
The input of research scientists will be essential in addressing the issue of food insecurity in the face of a rapidly changing climate. This is the message from a new article produced by members of the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture … Continue reading