LAFERIA - LAndscape FEatures Reintroduction in Intensive Agricultural land

Agricultural intensification in EU farmland led to the loss of landscape features (LF) which provide ecosystem services (ES) and support for biodiversity.

To tackle this, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 aims to increase the prevalence of LF to 10% of the agricultural area, but there are several technical, administrative, economic and social barriers to achieve this.

The overall goal of LAFERIA is to identify the key factors that can promote the reintroduction of LF in intensive agricultural areas, and develop strategies to overcome key barriers to achieving the EU objective.

Specific objectives include: (i) Quantify LF coverage and connectivity across different agricultural systems; (ii) Establish a comprehensive picture of the benefits and costs of LF for biodiversity, ES, climate change adaptation, yields, incomes, and society at large; (iii) Explore the drivers and challenges for the reintroduction of LF; (iv) Develop strategies and business models to reintroduce LF.

The research plan is organised around three major thematic blocks: A first block focuses on environmental sciences, and addresses the current prevalence of LF across distinct agricultural systems in the EU, their importance for ecological connectivity, and their potential for biodiversity and ecosystem benefits.

A second block builds on social sciences, and focuses on the key factors which may lead to the reintroduction of LF in areas of intensive agriculture, through a co-learning process with stakeholders, analysing factors of success and failure in existing initiatives, complemented with detailed research at regional (case study) level.

In a final block we will translate the results into the design and development of strategies, encompassing the identification of priority regions and agricultural systems to reintroduce LF, the maximisation of the biodiversity and ES potential from LF, and the development of policy tools, business models and market-based solutions taking advantage of LF.