Insects: How Farmers Can Be Better Engaged in Species Conservation
Published:10 Jan.2022 Source:Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
While farmers have the capacity to drive species conservation worldwide, their true potential is yet to be fully realised. An international team of researchers led by the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) shows how this can change in a new study published in the scientific journal Global Ecology and Conservation. The researchers interviewed 560 farmers around the world to find out what they know about their local pollinator diversity and their engagement in the issue. The results offer important insights for politics and science.
Almost 40 % of all land around the world is used for agriculture. "This gives farmers a great deal of responsibility. The way in which they manage their land has a major impact on the environment and local biodiversity," says Julia Osterman, the MLU biologist who led the recent study. However, too little was previously known about farmers' knowledge and attitudes towards the topic.