Blooming landscapes? Only with biodiversity!

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What do chocolate, carrots and tequila have in common? What sounds like the ingredients for an experimental cocktail are foods that would not exist without certain animal species. They are examples of how nature works for us every day, often behind the scenes.

Landscape elements create new habitats and are important for restoring biodiversity © Andrés Verdezoto, GIZ

By NABU

NABU (Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union) is committed to biodiversity and the protection of intact habitats, fresh air, clean water, healthy soil, and the careful use of our finite resources. It is the oldest and, with more than 900,000 members and supporters, and largest environmental association in Germany.

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Fascinating biological processes are responsible for the rich diet that we often take for granted. Despite its dependence, agriculture often has a negative impact on nature with its diversity of species, habitats and genes - in short, biodiversity. This problem - and what we can do about it - is the focus of the NABU (Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union) stand at this year's Green Week. The focus will be on Germany, Tanzania and Indonesia, with different challenges and solutions, sometimes playful, sometimes serious - from a biodiversity wobble tower to an exciting quiz and relaxing forest bathing.

 

How biodiversity secures our food supply

 

80 percent of all wild plants and crops are pollinated by insects and are partly dependent on certain species. For example, two species of bearded midge are responsible for pollinating a large proportion of the world's cocoa trees and are therefore the world's true suppliers of chocolate. In our latitudes, hoverflies are among the silent heroes, as it is only with their help that carrot seeds are produced. The larvae eat pests such as aphids and thus carry out natural pest control.  

 

Contrary to the perception of humans as "managers", food production is based on the interaction between plants, animals and microorganisms.

 

But there is also a lot going on beneath the earth's surface. Billions of microorganisms, such as worms and insect larvae, live in our soil. Together with microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, they decompose organic matter, build up humus and make the soil fertile. A single gram of soil already contains 100 million bacteria from up to 7,000 species. This biodiversity is a basic prerequisite for productive agriculture. Humus-rich soils also store large amounts of CO2, retain water in the landscape and are less susceptible to erosion.

 

Germany's fields are becoming increasingly poor in nature

 

Over the last few decades, politicians have driven the intensification of agriculture ever further with their regulations. The excessive use of fertilizers and synthetic chemical pesticides, heavy agricultural machinery and intensive soil cultivation have significantly increased yields - at the expense of biodiversity. The transformation of the agricultural landscape has destroyed original habitats and led to an increasing standardization of the landscape.

 

The lack of structural diversity makes it difficult for native species to find suitable habitats, retreats or food.

 

This can be seen in the dramatic decline in breeding birds, e.g. in lapwings by 81 percent and partridges by 88 percent since 1990. These practices have also had a negative impact on below-ground biodiversity: 61 percent of all soils in the EU are in a poor condition and the humus content in the soil in Germany is also decreasing every year.

 

What solutions are out there?

 

Landscape elements (e.g. hedges, flower strips and stone walls) create new habitats and are important for restoring biodiversity as a refuge and feeding ground for many species. To protect biodiversity, we must reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides and work the soil more carefully - especially in protected areas and adjacent agricultural land. Proven nature-friendly cultivation systems such as organic farming must be promoted by federal policy, as provided for in the organic strategy of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. NABU will be using studies available to visitors at the stand to show that such measures can be implemented without reducing crop yields. It is now up to politicians to set the appropriate framework conditions.

 

Looking beyond the horizon: How NGOs in Africa and Asia are reducing conflicts of interest between nature conservation and agriculture

 

While the focus in Germany is on alternatives to conventional, intensive agriculture, the situation is different in other countries around the world. The effects of the climate crisis are already exacerbating poor harvests in many African countries with heavy weather phenomena such as heavy rainfall, frost and extreme dry spells.

 

The already high levels of poverty are further exacerbated by these crop failures and the pressure on natural resources is growing.

 

Ich bin ein Alternativtext
The NABU Biodiversity Campaign sets a colorful statement © NABU

From East Africa, we turn our attention to Southeast Asia.Here, too, the destruction of nature has a direct negative impact on local people.In the coastal communities of Gorontalo on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, 60 percent of the original mangrove forests have already been destroyed to make way for aquaculture. Yet mangroves are crucial to the livelihoods of local fishing families, as they provide a refuge for juvenile fish, keep sediments and nutrients out of the sea and protect the coasts from erosion as sea levels rise. NABU is also active here with a project that brings together all relevant interest groups to reconcile mangrove protection and sustainable management.

 

Curious? The NABU experts at stand 107 are looking forward to a lively exchange on the topics of agriculture, food and biodiversity in Germany and beyond.

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