IUCN's flagship report comprehensively explores the complex relationship between agriculture and conservation.
Impact of Agriculture on Biodiversity
- Negative Impacts
- Agriculture directly threatens 34% of species assessed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- Direct threats from agriculture include conversion of natural habitats to croplands, pasturelands, plantations and irrigation.
- Indirect impacts through introduction of invasive alien species, nutrient loading, soil erosion, agrochemicals, and climate change.
- Positive Impact: About 17% of species on IUCN Red List have agriculture documented as a habitat.
Impact of Biodiversity on Agriculture
- Positive Impact: Ecosystems support agriculture through two main categories:
- Provisioning services i.e. production of biomass and genetic materials), and
- Regulating and maintenance services i.e. climate regulation, sediment retention, nutrient cycling, water flow regulation, pollination etc.
- Negative Impact: Ecosystem disservices such as crop predation, pests and pathogens.
Recommendations for aligning agriculture with conservation
- Agriculture Sustainability: Safeguard places and species that cannot persist with agriculture, and undermining food security or economic output.
- Maintain ecosystem services such as natural state of climate, soil, or water for agriculture.
- Aligning agricultural and economic policies with conservation of living nature: Globally, less than 5% of agricultural subsidies are green subsidies.
- Reforming food policy: Reducing food wastage and incentivise positive dietary change towards reduced meat consumption.