TY - JOUR

T1 - Collaboration or fragmentation?

T2 - Biodiversity management through the common agricultural policy

AU - Mildorfová-Leventon, Julia

AU - Schaal, Tamara

AU - Velten, Sarah

AU - Dänhardt, Juliana

AU - Fischer, Jörn

AU - Abson, David

AU - Newig, Jens

PY - 2017/5/1

Y1 - 2017/5/1

N2 - We argue that the current system of agri-environment management in the European Common Agricultural Policy is ineffective at conserving biodiversity in part because it promotes fragmentation instead of collaboration of actors, thus hindering coordinated biodiversity management. Actor fragmentation is reinforced by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in three ways: (1) through targeting individual farmers; (2) by creating confusion around coordination roles for increasing numbers of actors; and (3) by failing to engage with barriers to collaboration among farmers. Our findings draw on empirical evidence collected through multi-stakeholder workshops in Germany and Sweden. Our argument adds a different dimension to accepted explanations for the ineffectiveness of CAP for biodiversity management. Traditionally, explanations have focussed on low levels of farmer uptake of relevant measures, or the lack of ecological knowledge informing such measures. The level of actor fragmentation identified here suggests that a fundamental rethink of farmland biodiversity management is needed. We propose a new research agenda to identify more effective governance approaches

AB - We argue that the current system of agri-environment management in the European Common Agricultural Policy is ineffective at conserving biodiversity in part because it promotes fragmentation instead of collaboration of actors, thus hindering coordinated biodiversity management. Actor fragmentation is reinforced by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in three ways: (1) through targeting individual farmers; (2) by creating confusion around coordination roles for increasing numbers of actors; and (3) by failing to engage with barriers to collaboration among farmers. Our findings draw on empirical evidence collected through multi-stakeholder workshops in Germany and Sweden. Our argument adds a different dimension to accepted explanations for the ineffectiveness of CAP for biodiversity management. Traditionally, explanations have focussed on low levels of farmer uptake of relevant measures, or the lack of ecological knowledge informing such measures. The level of actor fragmentation identified here suggests that a fundamental rethink of farmland biodiversity management is needed. We propose a new research agenda to identify more effective governance approaches

KW - Sustainability Science

KW - Agri-environment schemes

KW - Conservation

KW - Ecosystem services

KW - European Union

KW - Social network analysis

KW - Social-ecological systems

U2 - 10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.02.009

DO - 10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.02.009

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 64

SP - 1

EP - 12

JO - Land Use Policy

JF - Land Use Policy

SN - 0264-8377

ER -