The Role of Agricultural Technologies and Biodiversity Conservation ...

THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGIES ANDBIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

DRAFT PUBLICATION PRODUCED FOR THE IUCN WORLD

CONSERVATION CONGRESS,17- 25 NOVEMBER 2004, BANGKOK THAILAND

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT THE CROPLIFE WEBSITE AT

WWW.CROPLIFE.ORG OR CONTACT ANNIK DOLLACKER AT

[email protected] OR

KEITH JONES AT [email protected]

DESIGN: ANDREW ROBERTS

AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGIES & BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION 3

BBiological diversity (biodiversity)refers to the variability among livingthings and the ecosystems they inhabit.It is key to ensuring continued life onEarth and is essential for sustainableagriculture and food production.Biodiversity is necessary to sustain vi-tal ecosystem structures and processes,such as soil protection and health, wa-ter cycle and quality, and air quality. Italso provides the genetic resources forthe breeding of new, locally-adaptedcrop varieties.

Habitat destruction is one of thebiggest threats to biodiversity. The patterns of humandevelopment - urbanisation, industrialization, conver-sion of land to agriculture, etc. - imply cutting downforests and clearing the wilds, with potential signifi-cant implications for biodiversity. Currently, more than40% of the world’s surface is used for agricultural pur-poses. As the world population grows over the next 30years, agriculture will have to sustain an additional 2billion people from an increasingly fragile resource base.

Improved productivity per unit area is more thanever required to sustainably meet the food, feed and fi-bre needs of the world’s growing population. Technolo-gies and products developed by the plant science in-dustry; including crop protection products and en-hanced crop varieties; help farmers to achieve this ob-jective. Making farming more efficient and productiveon limited land area, these tools are essential to preventnew land from being transformed for agricultural pur-poses.

Keeping new land from being farmed is only oneaspect of biodiversity protection. Companies representedby CropLife International also foster a life-cycle approach

to the management or ‘stewardship’ oftheir technologies and products in or-der maximize benefits to the farmer aswell as to protect and enhancebiodiversity both on and off the farm.This approach begins during the re-search and development phase for cropprotection products and new seed vari-eties, includes use on the farm, and ex-tends through to disposal of any waste.

Environmentally-sound R & D

The R&D-driven companies repre-sented by CropLife International are

constantly working to improve seed qualities and to re-search and develop more target-specific crop protectionproducts, which also breakdown more readily in theenvironment. In the case of crop protection products,new product dose rates are now more often measured ingrams rather than kilograms per hectare. Some biotechproducts also provide solutions to more targeted deliv-ery of pest control agents. These and other measuresenable farmers to increasingly make use of environmen-tally sound farming solutions.

New crop protection products require up to tenyears of research and development before they are placedon the market. Before reaching the market, the productsare exhaustively tested to ensure that they are safe tohumans and the environment while still accomplishingtheir intended task. Safety studies for crop protectionproducts cost up to US$180 million prior to gaining regu-latory approval. Failing any of the dozens of tests maymean the whole project is abandoned.

RESEARCH ON IMPACT TO NON-TARGET SPECIES

IS A KEY COMPONENT OF PRODUCT DEVELOP-MENT AND ENSURES THE ENVIRONMENTALLY

RESPONSIBLE USE OF THE NEW PRODUCT.

Integral aspects of environmental testing includeresidue analysis and measurement and the tracking andanalysis of product decomposition pathways withindifferent crops, soil and water. It also includes researchon non-target species from all types of environments:water, soil and air. A wide-variety of species are exam-ined, including water plants such as algae; fish (coldand warm water); aquatic invertebrates such asdaphnia; terrestrial plants; soil micro- & macro-organ-

Introduction

ENVIRONMENTALLY-SOUND INCREASES IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY

THE USE OF AGRI-CULTURAL TECH-NOLOGIES IN-CREASES THE PRO-DUCTIVITY OF LAND

ALREADY CULTI-VATED AND THUS

CONTRIBUTES TO

BIODIVERSITY CON-SERVATION.

POINTS OF CONVERGENCE BETWEEN

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY INCREASE

AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

GOALS NEED TO BE FOUND. THE WAY

FORWARD IS TO IDENTIFY MUTUALLY

COMPATIBLE PRACTICES THAT INTE-GRATE BOTH GOALS.

4 CROPLIFE INTERNATIONAL

isms; terrestrial arthropods, such as spiders, mites, bee-tles, ladybirds, and bees; ducks and other birds; etc. Alltest organisms are selected based on their representa-tion of related species, their handling possibility underexperimental conditions and their ability to obtain rep-resentative test results. All trials assess the potentialimpacts of crop protection products under development.If risks can be managed, the label instructions highlightuse restrictions to ensure the product’s safe use.

The effects of crop protection products onfield fauna: not a black and white picture

Converting land to agricultural use often impliesclearing of forests, leaving open and treeless surfaces intheir place. This, along with other human developmentpressures, has resulted in the wild forest fauna beingreplaced by new fauna. Agricultural fauna is filled withvaluable biodiversity that is continually influenced byfarming practices. Although the use of crop protectionproducts to control insects, diseases and weeds are of-ten accused of contributing biodiversity loss, realityshows that despite their rather conspicuous effects, cropprotection products are less responsible for biodiversityloss than may be anticipated – provided of course theyare appropriately used and targeted.

With regard to insecticides, insects that move ex-clusively on the ground or even temporarily bore into itare less exposed to a sprayed product than those thatcling to the plant. Strongly nocturnal creatures, whichhide away during the day, are likewise less exposed.Seed treatment products, which work from the insideout of the plant, target pests that bore into the plant andleave other insects living in the crop unharmed. IT isalso important to note that only a fraction of the entirefield surface is treated with insecticides each year. Thetemporary loss of insects during this time is offset bytheir reproduction in the field or by their immigration tothe field by foot or flight.

Herbicides are applied in the largest quantity andmay have a noticeable effect on surface inhabitants be-cause they alter habitat and living conditions. The effectof herbicides on biodiversity is essentially the same aswith manual or mechanical weed removal. The removalof weeds by any means influences the microclimatewithin the field, including the incidence of light, tem-perature, and soil and air moisture. The increased freespace is good for ground walkers, while other faunalose their hiding places. Species that rely on the weedsfor food may disappear. However, elimination of weedsremains a minor intervention for agricultural fauna, es-pecially in comparison with the harvest, during whichall vegetation is radically removed.

According to experts, other factors have a more last-ing effect on the development of surface fauna from oneyear to the next. Agricultural mechanisation, crop rota-

tion or soil cultivation may cause much greater changesto field fauna than using crop protection products. Forinstance, the blade cultivator, which loosens but doesnot turn over the soil completely, has a gentler effectthan the plough, which turns soil organisms upsidedown and destroys the soil structure.

Of course, the presence of non-cultivated is essen-tial for increased biodiversity levels. Moors, heaths,copses and other moist and dry biotopes ranging fromhedges to non-cropped field margins offer shelter tonumerous fauna. The more these habitats exist, the greatertheir fauna variety.

Environmentally sound land and technologymanagement promoted

The management of sustainable, integrated farm-ing techniques is also an important priority for CropLifeInternational’s leading companies. Technology pack-ages and services are increasingly sought to addressfarmers’ needs. This ensures that products are suppliedalong with proper support adapted to local situations.

Integrated Crop Management (ICM) combines carefor a diverse and healthy environment with the economicdemands placed on agriculture. An integral componentof this farming strategy is Integrated Pest Management(IPM). IPM includes techniques for weed, pest and dis-ease prevention through, for example, crop rotation andmonitoring of pest populations against threshold lev-els. Direct control measures through biological, biotech-nological, chemical and mechanical means may also beneeded. The use of crop protection products is definedby targeted and optimized use, adapted to local envi-ronmental and economic conditions.

THE PLANT SCIENCE INDUSTRY IS COMMITTED TO

INTEGRATED CROP MANAGEMENT, ICM. ABASIC COMPONENT OF THIS IS TO ENCOURAGE

THE PROTECTION OF NATURAL WILDLIFE HABI-TATS WITHIN AND AROUND THE FARM.


CASE STUDIES

BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION - AN

IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF INTE-GRATED CROP MANAGEMENT

Within the framework of Integrated Crop Manage-ment, CropLife member companies promote the estab-lishment of temporary or permanent biodiversity con-servation areas. Land management approaches such asconservation tillage also contribute to that goal. The fol-lowing case studies highlight a few activities undertakenby CropLife members in various countries.

1. Conservation agriculture increases re-sources for wildlife

Reduced or no tillage as part of integrated cropand weed management are collectively described as con-servation technologies or conservation agriculture. Thisland management system leads to improved food re-sources for wild animals such as deer and birds, sincewaste grain is not buried by tillage. The resulting mulchalso provides an insect-intensive environment that againbenefits many bird species. Researchers have found thatquails can obtain their necessary Daily Caloric Intakein four hours per day in no-till fields, while it takes up to22 hours per day in conventionally farmed fields. Inaddition the crop mulch left through conservation till-age also provides protective cover for wildlife. Earth-worm populations have been shown to be higher undersome reduced tillage systems. Conservation tillage re-duces sedimentation of waterways caused by soil ero-sion by up to 90 percent and runoff of crop protectionproducts by up to 70 percent, both leading to improvedwater quality in lakes, rivers and streams, which in turnbenefit aquatic animal species. The demonstrable ben-efits of conservation tillage have led to widespread adop-tion of these practices in many countries, includingAustralia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Canada,and the United States. In Australia, for example, over80% of all crops sown in 2002 used conservation sys-tems.

2. The importance of keeping conservationareas on farms

A water and biodiversity conservation pilot projectwas launched in 2001 in Brazil by Bayer CropScience,the Department of Biological Sciences of the Sao Paulo

TThe plant science industry helps to conserve andenhance biodiversity by:

- Making agriculture more efficient and productive on lim-ited land area.

- Promoting land management systems such as IntegratedCrop Management (ICM) throughout the world, and thusencouraging the protection of natural wildlife habitats withinand around the farm. This is key for establishing a network ofprotected areas around the world as stipulated by the Con-vention on Biological Diversity. These areas include tempo-rary, e.g. uncut, field margins, as well as permanent conserva-tion areas.

- Researching on the impact of plant technologies on non-target species.

- Assisting with the management of invasive species, whichis critical to an ecosystem’s health.

- Maintaining seed bank collections, which help to ensurethe retention of biological diversity for future generations.

- Supporting the appropriate implementation of interna-tional treaties, such as the Convention on Biological Diversityand the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. If properly imple-mented according to sound science and risk assessment prin-ciples, these treaties will help to encourage innovation, devel-opment and capacity-building for agricultural technologiesthat are necessary for sustainable agriculture, and achievingthe goal of biodiversity protection.

The following case studies highlight some of thework done by CropLife International’s leading compa-nies in this regard.


University and a large citrus farmer. Itseeks to raise awareness among farm-ers about water body protection andbiodiversity conservation and thus theimportance of maintaining or re-estab-lishing permanent wildlife preservationareas on the farm. By the end of 2002,about 4000 native plant seedlings hadbeen planted around the water body onthe citrus farm to regenerate an area ofnatural vegetation. A number of toolshave been developed to help dissemi-nate information from this pilot projectto other farmers in the area. They in-clude a joint report by all project part-ners, a manual explaining how thefarmer can produce native seedlings anda video that documents all phases of theproject. These tools aim to not only in-crease awareness on the matter but alsoto help other farmers improve theirknowledge and adoption of appropri-ate techniques for water body andbiodiversity protection. The success ofthe pilot programme has led to the initiation of furtherprojects in other parts of the country in 2004, which willbe adapted to the local conditions and include otherpartners.

3. Protecting habitats for wildlife

Syngenta along with the Escuela De AgriculturaDe La Region (EARTH), Dole Food Company and DelMonte examined the impact of different managementpractices on the sustainability of wildlife populationsin banana plantations in Costa Rica.

The study confirmed that rich and complexpopulations of invertebrates exist within banana plan-tations even in conditions with relatively heavy pesti-cide use. Furthermore, many species of rainforest birdswere found to live and breed successfully in the forestmargins and rain forest fragments adjacent to bananaplantations. The study also suggested that better plan-ning and management of the agricultural landscapethrough replanting and connecting forest corridors, treesand shrubs along rivers and drainage canalsto protect and connect these forest fragmentssupport bird populations and thereby sustainfurther increases in biodiversity. In other stud-ies it was shown that the aquatic environment,i.e. in drain channels on-farm or in major riv-ers close to the farms, can be efficiently pro-tected from overspray or spray drift by plant-ing trees and shrubs alongside the watercourses. All of these approaches support oneof the basic principles of integrated farming systems:Replace and protect habitat for wildlife on the farm orclose by. The surveys took place between 1997 and 2000.

4. Creating wild biodiversityhabitats on the farm

Within the United Kingdom,Bayer CropScience has been engagedin initiatives to demonstrate the poten-tial for ICM systems that simultane-ously improve economic viability andbiodiversity conservation. TheBoarded Barns Farm initiative was ini-tiated in 1988. It compared the finan-cial and environmental viability ofthree arable systems: Integrated CropManagement (ICM), conventional andorganic farming. While yields per sewere not consistently enhanced in ICMrelative to ‘conventional’ systems, theimproved efficiency of the ICM systemwas reflected in profitability. Part ofthis profitability was gained throughon-farm habitat niche creation: in 1998predatory insects levels within uncutfield margin systems were high enoughto manage pests without additionalcontrol measures. To further enhance

awareness of the economic benefits derived from on-farm biodiversity conservation, a five-year BiodiversityProject was established in February 2003. A baselinesurvey of bird and plant wildlife biodiversity has beencomplemented by the creation of additional wildlife habi-tats: a beetle bank, uncut field margins and a conserva-tion area. All serve to demonstrate the valuable roleplayed by on-farm biodiversity in enhancing efficiencyand thus economic viability.

5. The Buzz Project: Promoting wildlife di-versity

The Buzz Project is a three-year research andknowledge transfer initiative sponsored by Syngentathat looks at techniques to manage farmland to improvebiodiversity while maintaining farm profitability. It isbeing run on six arable farms in the United Kingdom,with six different habitats being compared on each site.On the sites, farmers have been encouraged to take out

the lower yielding parts of their fields to create a net-work of permanent wildlife margins. After only one year,the project has seen wildlife return in abundance tothese newly created field margin habitats: the project

STREAMSIDE BUFFER PLANTINGS, PERMANENT

WILDLIFE MARGINS AND EFFORTS TO CONNECT

FOREST CORRIDORS ALL INCREASE WILDLIFE

HABITAT.

WITHIN THE CONTEXT

OF INTEGRATED CROP

MANAGEMENT, TEMPO-RARY – E.G. UNCUT

FIELD MARGINS - AND

PERMANENT

BIODIVERSITY CONSER-VATION AREAS ARE

FOSTERED.

THE LATTER ARE

PARTICULARLY KEY

FOR BUILDING UP ANETWORK OF PRO-TECTED AREAS.


sites have seen 13 times more butterflies, 38 times morebirds and over 3,000 bumblebees on habitat plots. Theproject is designed to provide new evidence about thevalue of creating wildlife habitats on farmland. It willalso help farmers understand the new skills and knowl-edge required by the challenge of biodiversity. (The BuzzProject web site: http://f-e-c.co.uk/Buzz/)

6. Partnership promotes streamside buffers

The Illinois Buffer Partnership in the United Statesis a collaboration of private and public agricultural andconservation organizations to promote and showcasethe voluntary efforts of farmers and landowners in theplanting, maintenance and enhancement of streamsidebuffers. The effort was initiated by the Illinois Councilon Best Management Practices and Trees Forever. Itssponsoring partners include Syngenta, Illinois’ Depart-ment of Agriculture and Environmental ProtectionAgency and the US Department of Agriculture’s Natu-ral Resources Conservation Service. One hundred dem-onstration sites are planned by 2005, primarily on farms.Farmers and landowners will learn how buffer plantingsof trees, shrubs, and grasses improve water quality, re-duce soil erosion, and increase wildlife habitat.

7. A “Reforestation Project” plants over450,000 trees

ECOAGUAS, a Syngenta led reforestation andwater conservation programme in Columbia, seeks topreserve surface water sources and biodiversity. Thisprogramme is composed of various projects. The “Projectfor Integral Management of Hydrographical Basins” iscarried out in conjunction with users of irrigation wa-ter. The reforestation part of the project establishedbiodiversity conservation corridors in areas next to ag-ricultural crops with the participation of the sugar caneindustry, as well as the state highway reforestation unit.The projects are active in 49 locations in 14 municipali-ties of the Cauca Valley, Colombia. Thanks to all theactivities developed during the last two years over 3,000volunteers have participated directly, educating andbenefiting over 300 families and 15 schools located inneighbouring areas. They are responsible for plantingover 450,000 trees in the main river basins of the coun-try, improved local understanding of water resource con-servation and management, agricultural developmentand improved quality of life for communities in the Co-lombian South-West. It has protected hundreds of hec-tares for the conservation of biodiversity in forest areasand water sources, including those that protect watersprings.

INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY ON

CULTIVATED LAND IS THE BEST

CONTRIBUTION TO BIODIVERSITY

CONSERVATION

The world’s growing demand for food and im-proved food quality puts increasing pressure on terres-trial and marine ecosystems. The following case studieshighlight a few activities undertaken by CropLife’s com-panies in various countries that increase agriculturalproductivity.

8. Seed-treatment improves yield and pro-tects beneficial insects

Whether vegetables, peanuts, cotton or other fieldcrops, young plants are often threaten by early-season,yield-robbing seedling diseases. Protection of the plantsfrom inside out through seed-treatment products is infact the first line of defence to produce a strong, uniformplant stand, which sets the stage for increased plantvigour and exhausts their full yield potential - a keygoal for all farmers. Seed-treatment delivered to the seedsearly on not only often avoids repeated whole area spray-ing, which would affect insects and fungi in the croprepeatedly. This system is also a very targeted way ofapplying crop protection products, with regard to ben-eficial insects or diseases. In fact in many vegetable cropsthis application technology is one well suited for simul-taneous use of biological control methods such as theuse of predatory insects in greenhouses. Seed treatmentproducts only control those insects or diseases that harmthe plant through sucking, biting or invasion. Whilesome have argued that this system is preventive andthus may sometimes result in unnecessary application,the benefits in terms of plant stand and protection ofbeneficials are clear.

9. Yield increase on land already ploughedis crucial to biodiversity conservation

In Guatemala, Bayer CropScience worked from2001-2003 in partnership with the German governmentowned corporation for international cooperation(“Deutsche Gesellschaft für TechnischeZusammenarbeit, GTZ)” and a number of localstakeholders to improve farmers’ livelihoods by increas-ing agricultural productivity on existing farm land. Lowproductivity increases the demand for new land. In theproject area, this situation resulted in high levels of tra-ditional slash and burn practices, rapid agriculturalencroachment into previously untouched forest reserves,and soil erosion and nutrient depletion, all of whichjeopardized the region’s unique biodiversity. The part-nership particularly focused on improving productiv-ity within two crops, tomatoes and peanuts, through an


integrated, participatory training approach tailored tolocal needs. The results were impressive. Measurableincreases in agricultural productivity and income gen-eration were complemented by qualitative social andenvironmental improvements. Strengthened awarenessand adoption of responsible crop management strate-gies enhanced livelihood security, including nutritionalbenefits derived from protein-rich peanut crops. Thissimultaneously reduced rates of agricultural encroach-ment into forest reserves, which benefited biodiversityconservation at a landscape level.

10. Partnership raises funds to maintain cropdiversity collections

To increase the productivity of crops and their reli-ability and nutritional quality, full use of the geneticdiversity of the world’s crop must be exhausted. There-fore practical ways of conserving this diversity are vital.The Global Crop Diversity Trust, a public-private part-nership, was launched at the World Summit for Sus-tainable Development in 2002. It seeks to establish anendowment of US$ 260 million to provide a permanentsource of funding for crop diversity collections aroundthe world, as well as to assist in the development of arational and efficient global system of crop diversityconservation. Many of the world’s crop diversity collec-tions were opened during the 70s, when scientists be-lieved that the race against genetic erosion was a raceagainst time. These efforts led to the establishment ofnearly 1500 collections of plant genetic resources aroundthe world, holding more than 6 million plant samples.However a large number of the governments and or-ganizations that established these genebanks did notmake adequate provisions for their ongoing financialsupport. The campaign to establish the Trust has in-volved a partnership between the UN Food and Agri-culture Organization (FAO) and the 15 Future HarvestCentres of the Consultative Group on International Ag-ricultural Research (CGIAR). Syngenta and Dupont eachpledged $1 million for the Trust in 2004, which will serveas an element of the funding strategy of the InternationalTreaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agri-culture.

(The Trust’s website: http://www.startwithaseed.org/items/homepage.php)

11. Enhanced and highquality crop varieties in-crease productivity perunit of land cropped

For many years new cropvarieties have been bred throughtraditional selection processes.The goal of all these endeavoursis to improve crops in terms ofyield, quality and pest resistance.Like many other agricultural tech-nologies, enhanced seeds contrib-

ute significantly to increasing productivity per unit ofland cropped. Nunhems Chile, a subsidiary of BayerCropScience is breeding new vegetables and melon va-rieties and produces their seeds, which are sold to manyfarmers worldwide. One of the competitive advantagesof Chile for seed production stems from the country’sunique geographic and climatic conditions. To the northChile is cut off by the Atacama desert and to the east bythe high Andean mountains. This has prevented somepests – like the key melon bacterial disease called fruitbludge - from spreading in the country and allows theproduction of healthy high quality seeds. Quality con-trol checks of the harvested seeds follow national andinternational standards and assure that seeds are notonly free of viruses, diseases and pests but also have an85% germination capacity. In order to reach this highlevel, bees are an important service provider. They arekept in the cauliflower seed production fields and as-sure pollination that warrants germination of the seedsin the next generation. All these features are a key pre-requisite for the subsequent production of a vigorouscrop that contributes to exhausting the crop’s produc-tion potential.

12. Traditionally bred seeds or those bredthrough plant biotechnology contribute toyield increases

Whether crops are bred through traditional tech-nologies or plant biotechnology the breeding goals inmost cases include improved plant vigour, key to ex-haust a plant’s yield potential. Hybrid seeds – the basisof the green revolution - have increased yield on averageby 20 to 30% since the 1970s. In a fitting tribute to the2004 International Year of Rice, two breeders YuanLongping of China and Monty Jones of Sierra Leone,have received the World Food Prize for their success inbreeding hybrid rice seeds that today are used in manycountries and contribute to a yield increase of about 20percent over conventional varieties. A study by the Na-tional Center for Food and Agricultural Policy (NCFAP)says that the widespread adoption of six biotechnol-ogy-driven crops in 2003 increased farmers income,boosted yields and spurred greater use of non-tillageagriculture, which as indicated in the case study aboveis an environmentally friendly and also biodiversity

ON MANY OCCASIONS MEASURABLE INCREASES INAGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY AND INCOME GENERA-TION ARE COMPLIMENTED BY QUALITATIVE SOCIAL AND

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS, INCLUDING REDUCED

RATES OF AGRICULTURAL ENCROACHMENT INTO FOR-EST RESERVES, WHICH BENEFIT BIODIVERSITY CONSER-VATION AT A LANDSCAPE LEVEL.


enhancing agricultural land management system. Thesix crops are canola, corn, cotton, papaya, soybean andsquash. The breeders working for the plant science in-dustry and representing CropLife International, havecontributed to breeding hybrid seeds and seeds en-hanced through plant biotechnologies.

13. Increasing Productivity with Smart Al-ternatives (IPSA)

In many countries, agricultural land use hits wildbiodiversity rich hotspots, resulting in land conversionat the expense of rare forests and wildlife species. Inthese cases it is crucial that the integrated goals ofbiodiversity conservation and increasing agriculturalproductivity are pursued. While many of the challengesrelating to this situation go far beyond one single indus-try’s or company’s corporate responsibility, each onecan contribute in its field of expertise to improve thesituation. Malaysia is one of the biodiversity hotspotsof the world and improving agricultural productivityon land already ploughed is therefore crucial. Initiatedin 2003, a programme called “Increasing Productivitywith Smart Alternatives” (IPSA) was developed througha public-private partnership between various Malaysiannational institutes and organizations and BayerCropScience. IPSA specifically intends to boost GoodAgricultural Practices according to national and inter-national standards within the overall concept of Inte-grated Crop Management, and to enhance safety meas-ures during the application of crop protection products.During its initial 2-3 years, the nationwide campaignwill focus on the oil palm plantation sector, followingwhich it will expand its scope to include paddy vegeta-bles and the fruit sector.

INVASIVE SPECIES – A THREAT TO

WILD BIODIVERSITY

Many thousands of cases of invasive species oc-curring throughout the world place a great burden onthe non-native countries in which the species try to es-tablish themselves. They are brought in from other coun-tries and harm local ecosystems while threatening na-tive species and leading to loss of biodiversity. Statisticsindicate that imported plants and animals contribute toa worldwide annual loss of US$ 400 billion. The man-

agement of invasive plant species is key to many ecosys-tems’ health, and the use of crop protection productsmay be an important tool in this context. The followingcase studies highlight a few related activities undertakenby CropLife members in various countries.

14. Removing alien plants saves water andprotects ecosystem health

One widely known example of an invasive plant isthe water hyacinth. It was introduced from SouthAmerica in the 1950s into many countries as a pigfeedstuff. The species reproduced rapidly and spreadover many countries, competing with other plants forspace and water. In South Africa, a multi-stakeholderprogramme under the Department of Water Affairs andForestry (Working for Water, WfW) was set up in 1995to tackle the problem of invading alien plants. Over 150species of invading alien plants exist in South Africa,depleting up to 10 % of the scarce annual water supply.These plants also pose a threat to the environment bycrowding out indigenous plants, fuelling fires and en-dangering wildlife. The WfW programme has approxi-mately 300 projects throughout South Africa and clearsalien plants from 200,000 hectares per annum. To date,the bulk of efforts to manage these alien plants haveused very labour intensive clearing methods. Some bio-logical control programmes are in place, but they areinsufficient to deal with the issue exhaustively. The pro-gramme is now also using CropLife International lead-ing companies’ herbicides, which have proved to be veryuseful in dealing with some of these invasive species.An important example is the water hyacinth, a plantthat clogs natural water and irrigation systems in South-ern Africa, as well as many other countries in the trop-ics and sub-tropics.

15. The mighty thirst of the invading SaltCedar Tree

In the United States the Salt Cedar tree, which wasoriginally introduced from Euroasia to prevent soil ero-sion near rivers and lakes, now threatens native plantspecies through its ability to absorb great quantities ofwater. In fact, one mature Salt Cedar plant may absorbup to 200 gallons (over 750 litres) of water per day. Wherethese have spread, rivers and lakes have shrunk. Theproblem is exacerbated by the fact that the plant’s leafglands excrete a saline solution that increases soil andwater salinity. US Government agencies started a three-year experimental project along the Pecos River, whichruns south through New Mexico and Texas. A BASFherbicide together with a state-of-the-art applicationtechnology has cleared some 2,566 hectares and over200 kilometres of Salt Cedar, resulting in an estimatedincrease of over 60 billion litres of water flow in the riverduring the 2002-2003 season. The improvement in wa-ter quantity and quality has also protected the PecosRiver pupfish from becoming endangered, and the

THE MANAGEMENT OF INVASIVE

SPECIES IS KEY TO ECOSYSTEMS’HEALTH. CROPLIFE MEMBER

COMPANIES’ PRODUCTS OFFER

AN IMPORTANT TOOL IN THIS

CONTEXT.


cleared areas have seen a marked increase in wildbiodiversity.

16. Stopping tropical Soda Apple in Florida

Tropical soda apple (Solanum viarum) is an inva-sive weed that has spread through more than 500,000hectares of pasture in the state of Florida alone, crowd-ing out desirable native forage species. The widespreadcoverage of this weed is a result of both natural pollenmovement and dissemination by animals such as cattle,which ingest its sweet smelling golf-ball-sized, yellowfruit. Although the plant has thorns and a prickly skin,cattle will reach into the plant with their long tongueand remove the mature fruit from the plant without get-ting injured. As cattle are moved to other states for win-ter feeding or slaughter, they transport ingested seedswith them, resulting in the seeds being spread viacomposted manure, grass seed, sod, or hay. DowAgroSciences is developing a new herbicide to addressthis and other noxious weeds thatadversely affect the biodiversity ofrange and pastures. This herbicidewill effectively provide long lastingresidual control of tropical soda ap-ple, spotted knapweed, yellow starthistle and many other invasive spe-cies at use rates as low as 35 gramsper hectare.

17. Controlling Acadia inSouthern Africa

Invasion of exotic trees andshrubs in rangeland areas of SouthAfrica such as the Fynbos Biome posea severe threat to plant and animaldiversity, with negative environmen-tal consequences such as alterationof soil nutrient cycling, reduction ofrunoff, increased river bank erosion, and reduction oflight to the forest floor. One of these exotic trees is theacacia (Acacia spp.), which has dominated areas to theextent that natural vegetation has been almost lost, thusreducing the diversity and cover of indigenous plantspecies. The acacia is a tree with very deep roots thatallows the plants to reach and use much of the availablewater and reproduce to the extent that it is difficult foranimals to graze and roam the land. In South Africaand Namibia, herbicides developed by DowAgroSciences have been used with success to controlacacia such that previously unusable land has revertedback to its original use.

CORPORATE LAND USED TO BEN-EFIT BIODIVERSITY

The Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) is a group ofcorporations, conservation organizations and individu-als dedicated to protecting and enhancing wildlife habi-tat. Created in 1988 in North America, WHC helps largelandowners, particularly corporations, manage theirunused lands for the benefit of wildlife. Corporationsoften own large tracts of valuable land that can be man-aged for habitat without affecting their operations.Through WHC-assisted projects, over 800,000 hectaresin 48 states of the United States, Puerto Rico and fifteenother countries are managed for wildlife. Over 120 com-panies are WHC members, including BASF, Bayer, Dow,DuPont, Monsanto and Syngenta. Projects on these landsare corporate-driven cooperative efforts between man-

agement, employees, communitymembers, local conservation groupsand local, state and federal agen-cies. For more information on thecase studies below and additionalWildlife Habitat Council certifiedsites that CropLife International’sleading companies have developed,visit http://www.wildlifehc.org/registry_certifiedsites/index.cfm

18. Habitats improved by in-creasing vegetation and or-ganic material

BASF employees and volun-teers working to improve habitat onFighting Island in Canada havemade a conscious effort to maintainand improve the quality of the natu-

ral resources on and around the site while providingquality services to its customers.

Habitat projects on the 500 hectares island haveincluded planting over 140,000 trees and seedlings, pri-marily poplar and Norwegian pine. In 1982, 30% of thebeds were covered with vegetation; today approximately80% of the island is covered with vegetation. Site em-ployees placed thousands of bales of straw, hay andalfalfa and scattered seven years of leaves from thenearby town of LaSalle to increase the amount of or-ganic material incorporated in the soil. They also intro-duced 300 turkeys and 5,000 ring neck pheasants to theisland habitat. Recently developed projects include theconversion of existing runoff canals into marshlands,control of invasive weed species on existing man-mademarshes, habitat management for migratory bird spe-cies, and the addition of habitat components for cavity-nesting species.

THE PLANT SCIENCE

INDUSTRY SUPPORTS

COOPERATIVE EFFORTS

BETWEEN MANAGEMENT,EMPLOYEES, COMMUNITY

MEMBERS, LOCAL CON-SERVATION GROUPS AND

GOVERNMENT TO PRO-TECT AND ENHANCE

WILDLIFE HABITATS ON

CORPORATE LAND.


19. Partnership recognized for commitmentto watershed restoration

The Three Rivers Habitat Partnership has pro-moted wildlife management on over 1,000 hectares on20 corporate sites in southwest Pennsylvania, UnitedStates by encouraging corporate environmental stew-ardship and providing the knowledge and resourcesfor individual landowners to do the same. Bayer Corpo-ration’s involvement in this Partnership has includedhosting the Three Rivers Habitat Partnership office, plac-ing and monitoring over 50 bluebird boxes (which havegiven rise to over 70 bluebirds hatched annually), elimi-nating mowing on over 8 hectares of its corporate land,expanding a bluebird trail, creating a Wellness Trailwith interpretive signs, and planting three nativewildflower gardens. In 2002, this Partnership wasawarded a prestigious Governor’s Award for WatershedStewardship, in which it was one of only 24 organiza-tions from across Pennsylvania to be recognized for itscommitment to watershed restoration and environmen-tal protection.

20. Tidal wetland management enhanceshabitat for local wildlife populations

The Dow Chemical Company’s property inPittsburg, California, United States encompasses ap-proximately 190 hectares, 100 of which are actively man-aged for local wildlife populations. Of these 100 hec-tares, 70 hectares consist of a tidal wetland named theDow Wetlands Preserve. Habitat enhancement activi-ties on the preserve are discussed, designed and imple-mented by the 30-person Wetland Environmental Teamand typically include planting native trees, shrubs andwildflowers throughout the property, improving theavailability of nesting sites for native and migratorybirds and regular wildlife monitoring. Team membersalso created a bird forage field to attract additional birdsto the preserve. Other projects include building a wild-life-viewing platform, placing additional birdhouses,road improvements, cleanup programs and enhancingeducational and recreational opportunities on-site. Thisproject was awarded WHC’s “Corporate Habitat of theYear” Award in 2000.

21. Wetland refuge for over 1,000 waterbirds restored

DuPont Company’s 350 hectares Asturias Site islocated along the banks of the Alvarez River on the At-lantic Coast of northern Spain and consists of wetlands,old fields and woodlots. The site was previously usedfor agriculture dairy production and as a eucalyptusplantation. The DuPont wildlife team, with the assist-ance of local organizations, implemented several wild-life enhancement programs aimed at improving exist-ing habitats, reintroducing extinct ones and, in general,increasing biodiversity. The pinnacle of the habitat en-hancement projects is the restoration of the “La Furta”

wetland. These 6 hectares of lake and marsh providerefuge to over 1,000 water birds, including a variety ofspecies that are considered to be extremely rare. TheDuPont Asturias Site received a special award from theAmerican Birding Association in recognition of the site’sexceptional treatment of birders who regularly visit thearea.

22. Native flora and fauna at company head-quarters increased

Monsanto’s World Headquarters site is locatednear St. Louis, Missouri, United States on approximately115 hectares. The open space consists of woodlands (ap-proximately 40 hectares), grasslands (12 hectares) andmanicured lawns (40 hectares). The mixture of woodedareas and open meadows results in a diversity of habi-tat that is reflected in the species found on-site, includ-ing coyote, wild turkey and white-tailed deer. The fourprimary goals of Monsanto’s habitat enhancement pro-gram are to increase and enhance the quality and diver-sity of native flora, to increase the diversity of nativefauna, to protect and enhance the existing hydrologicsystems and to raise employee awareness about habitatenhancement activities and environmental issues ingeneral. Specific activities include conducting control-led burns of previously established wildflower mead-ows, planting several acres of native prairie, develop-ing a peregrine falcon release programme in partner-ship with the World Bird Sanctuary, and erecting andmonitoring nest boxes for eastern bluebirds. The wild-life team also devised a Wildlife ID card, which enablesemployees to report wildlife and habitat observations.Completed cards are submitted to the site inventory da-tabase via internal company mail.

23. Wildlife habitat and environmental edu-cation opportunities enhanced

Syngenta’s 500 hectares St. Gabriel Facility in Loui-siana, United States has 240 hectares available for bothwildlife habitat enhancement and environmental edu-cation opportunities. An Employee Environmental Com-mittee focuses on enhancing and maintaining an on-site nature trail, continuing and expanding on nest moni-toring efforts, monitoring reforestation projects and add-ing additional plantings to augment natural successionof the forest and open lands on the property. The 1.5kilometres nature trail provides educational opportuni-ties for the community and local school groups. The teamadded educational signage to the trail, such as speciesidentification plaques to identify the native trees locatedalong the trail. Team members purchased and planted“Millennium Trees” from a local arboretum to celebratethe year 2000. Also, an educational brochure was cre-ated about the nature trail and was made available tosite employees at the entrance of the trail during Em-ployee Environmental Committee sponsored NatureWalks.

The Role of Agricultural Technologies and Biodiversity Conservation ...

Documents

Transcript of The Role of Agricultural Technologies and Biodiversity Conservation ...