Measure and monitor to boost incomes from biodiversity

Expert View

he government’s shift towards paying farmers and land managers for environmental goods and services means understanding farm biodiversity is more important than ever — especially if businesses are to be as profitable as possible.

Biodiversity refers to all forms of animal and plant life, both farmed and wild, and ranges from different crop varieties to birds, pollinators and pests. And good biodiversity is vital to productive agricultural systems.

Having a variety of different species and organisms on farmland helps to maintain soil fertility, contributing to pest and disease control and helpsing to pollinate crops.

There are also economic gains to be achieved from working to increase biodiversity.

As part of government support through the Sustainable Farming Initiative and Countryside Stewardship schemes, selecting options that reduce artificial herbicide use in favour of natural weed control can save input costs as well as preserve the health of beneficial insects.

Meanwhile, regenerative agricultural practices, such as reduced tillage, can help cut fuel costs and prevent the loss of organisms in the soil, which can benefit future crop health, productivity, and long-term profitability.

Outside the farm gate, there are also developing markets that could offer opportunities to generate income from farm biodiversity. Similar to carbon credits, commercial and private biodiversity schemes could enable farmers to diversify their existing arable operations in future.

Understanding potential

So what is the best way for farmers and land managers to measure, monitor – and ultimately profit – from their land’s biodiversity?

The first step is to create a baseline to establish a starting point for a farm or estate business. Carrying out a natural capital assessment will help iden- tify the quality and quantity of any natural assets across a landscape and give a framework that future management decisions can be built on.

There are tools, such as Natural England’s Biodiversity Metric 4.0, that provide the basis for estimating the number of credits a parcel of land can produce but this also requires information on the habitats size, condition, connectivity and location.

There are other tools, such as Fera’s Land360, that use the latest satellite imagery to build a clear picture of the different aspects of natural capital within a farm’s boundary, including fields, margins, hedgerows, woodland and water features.

Remote sensing technology can be used to analyse the quantity and quality of the natural capital available and define habitat parcels — distinct areas of land that contain different features for plants and wildlife.

This process can be complex, so enlisting the support of remote sensing experts can be invaluable in ensuring you capture and interpret data accurately.

Ultimately, there is no one-sizefits-all solution for enhancing farm biodiversity, but by having a detailed, precise baseline, growers can consider the financial trade-offs when making decisions about their crops and land management practices.

It’s only when you fully understand the extent and quality of existing biodiversity on a farm that you can explore opportunities to improve it, and potentially reap the financial rewards associated with it.

Glyn Jones is head of plant science at Fera Science. See www.fera.co.uk first step is to create a baseline

What is Land360?

Fera’s Land360 is a tiered service that offers different approaches to measuring and monitoring natural capital.

The Mapping+ package combines the latest software, remote sensing tools and scientific expertise to set a baseline for farmers.

The comprehensive service involves producing an accurate digitisation of farmland using satellite imagery.

The Land360 Scoring+ package goes further to understand the quality of the natural capital of the landscape. Scoring+ takes the Mapping+ information and assesses the quality of this

Wildlife and biodiversity can generate economic benefits natural capital to give farmers a clearer picture of the assets they have on the farm.

Land360 uses scientific ecological and biodiversity scoring to help build a strong picture of the quality of natural capital.

The final tier, Ecosystem+, sees scientists combine the collected Land360 data with farm management records to identify bespoke opportunities for future revenue streams.

Understanding the extent and quality of environmental assets on a farm sets a benchmark and forms a vital foundation for exploring opportunities to improve natural capital.