Einfluss von Wirtschaftsweise und Betriebstyp auf die Artenvielfalt im Grünland

Summary

For decades the loss of biodiversity in cultivated landscapes has been extremely high. Now the question arises how to combine profitable farming practices with the conservation of species-rich grassland (SRG. The aim of the study was to analyse the relation between grassland biodiversity, cultivation method (organic or conventional),
cultivation intensity (low-input or intensive), profitability and type of farms (beef or dairy
farm). For this study grassland biodiversity recordings of 12 organic and 12 conventional farms were analysed in a pairwise comparison. These results were then applied
to the economic factors of the farms. Significant differences in biodiversity were found within cultivations methods and type of farms. Organic farms had a higher proportion of SRG and also a higher proportion of biotopes, which were conserved through cultivation. Furthermore the conservation of SRG was more profitable because of the
higher prices for organic milk. Therefore the conservation of biodiversity and the profitability of the farms could be combined more easily.