TY - GEN A1 - Ekroos, Johan A1 - Ödman, Anja M. A1 - Andersson, Georg K. S. A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus A1 - Herbertsson, Lina A1 - Klatt, Björn B. A1 - Olsson, Ola A1 - Persson, Anna S. A1 - Prentice, Honor C. A1 - Rundlöf, Maj A1 - Smith, Henrik G. T1 - Sparing land for biodiversity at multiple spatial scales T2 - Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2015.00145 SN - 2296-701X VL - 3 SP - 145 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Rundlöf, Maj A1 - Smith, Henrik G. A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus T1 - Effects of organic farming on biodiversity T2 - eLS - Wiley Online Library N2 - Changes in farming practices over the past century have had negative influence on farmland biodiversity. Organic farming excludes most agrochemicals, such as inorganic fertilisers and synthetic pesticides, and can be an alternative to conventional farming. A recent meta‐analysis indicates that there is on average 30% higher species richness on organically managed farmland compared to conventionally managed farmland. There are, however, large variation between organism groups, with a positive influence on plants and pollinators and possibly predators and birds, but less influence on and insufficient knowledge for other groups. Using more formal experimental design, focusing on understudied organism groups and aspects of biodiversity, such as genetic and ecosystem diversity, and evaluating effects on rare species would advance our knowledge. The yield reduction under organic farming, resulting in more land needed to produce the same amount, could offset some of the biodiversity benefits of organic farming. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470015902.a0026342 SP - 1 EP - 7 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus A1 - Smith, Henrik G. A1 - Rundlöf, Maj T1 - Environmental Impacts of Organic Farming T2 - eLS - Wiley Online Library N2 - Organic agriculture is a production system that aims at sustaining healthy soils, ecosystems and people by prohibiting the application of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers in crop production and by emphasising animal welfare in livestock breeding. This article shows that organic agriculture is characterised by higher soil quality and reduced nutrient or pesticide leaching compared to nonorganic agriculture, but that positive effects on biological control services or emission of greenhouse gases are less evident. Yield gaps between organic and nonorganic agriculture are on average 20%, but vary between crops and regions. Given the environmental risks that are associated with intensive, nonorganic agriculture, farming practices should be modified to decrease risks. Organic agriculture can be a more environmentally friendly alternative, but individual farming practices need improvement to meet the demands of a growing human population. Further growth of the organic farming sector will contribute to reduce the negative environmental impact of agriculture. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470015902.a0026341 SP - 1 EP - 7 ER -