ORGANIC FARMING BOOSTS BIODIVERSITY

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think i already sent this..but..

 

ORGANIC FARMING BOOSTS BIODIVERSITY: (10/11/04): " Organic farming

increases biodiversity at every level of the food chain - all the way from

lowly bacteria to mammals. This is the conclusion of the largest review

ever done of studies from around the world comparing organic and

conventional agriculture. Previous studies have shown that organic farming

methods can benefit the wildlife around farms. But " the fact that the

message is similar all the way up the food chain is new information " , says

agricultural scientist Martin Entz of the University of Manitoba in

Winnipeg, Canada.

 

According to the researchers, organic farming aids biodiversity by using

fewer pesticides and inorganic fertilisers, and by adopting

wildlife-friendly management of habitats where there are no crops,

including strategies such as not weeding close to hedges, and by mixing

arable and livestock farming. Mixed farming particularly benefits some

bird species. Lapwings, for example, nest on spring-sown crops, but raise

their chicks on pasture. Intensive agriculture has been blamed for the 80%

decline in lapwing numbers in England and Wales since the 1960s. One of the

reviewed studies from the UK also points to benefits for bats. Foraging

activity was up 84% on organic farms and two species, the greater and

lesser horseshoe bats, were found only on organic farms. "

 

[Edited from:

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996496

 

[Journal reference: Biological Conservation (vol 122, p 113)