A bird’s eye view: A case study on the relationship between farm management and ‘green veins’ in the multifunctional agricultural landscape

Abstract

Agricultural land use stretches over more than half of the total Dutch land surface. Rural landscapes are shaped by human interference in interplay with biophysical processes. Embedded between and within the land cultivated for agricultural production small patches of (permanent) (semi-)natural vegetation can be found. The network of these non-cropped landscape elements are the ‘green veins’ of agricultural landscapes. A growing body of research indicates the importance of these ‘green veins’ for biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and landscape attractiveness. At the local scale, considerable variation between the relative density of semi-natural landscape elements can be observed. The farmer through his/her land use decisions is a central actor in the landscape. This study explores the relationship between farm management characteristics and the occurrence of semi-natural landscape elements.

It has been found that farm size enlargement in the past decade has a negative effect on the current density of semi-natural landscape elements on agricultural parcels. In addition, land use outcomes by mixed/small-scale farmers contribute strongly to the relative density of semi-natural landscape elements in comparison to commercial dairy farms and specialized arable farmers. This could imply a structural incompatibility of different production types to ensure the preservation of semi-natural landscape elements. Agri-environmental schemes (AES) have a positive impact on the density of semi-natural landscape elements among middle and large size farmers in the sample, whether this is attributable to an incitement of AES participants towards a more conservation-oriented thinking remains debatable. In sum, farm management decisions are important to consider to understand polarizing trends towards further degradation of the ‘green veins’ and renewed interest in the preservation/restoration of semi-natural landscape elements. Nevertheless, considerable variation remains unexplained by socio-economic and production-related farm management characteristics. This study examines the relationship between farm management and semi-natural landscape elements in a case study in Heerde.