Conservation & Farming Flashcards
After the second world war there was a massive change in how food was produced
There was a need to produce more food, at a quicker rate
In other words farmers needed to produce a higher yield
It was then that modern farming practices began
Farms became more specialised so they grew only one crop or raised one type of livestock (monoculture)
There was a switch to growing cereal crops rather than vegetables
Fields were made bigger to accommodate machinery via the removal of hedgerows and stonewalls
More land was made arable by draining wetland and filling in ponds
The use of pesticides and fertilizers massively increased
Effects of Modern Farming on Biodiversity
Biodiversity looks at the range and variety of genes, species and habitats within a particular region
In relation to farming the biodiversity of insect, animal and plant species is often measured and studied
Some modern farming techniques have had a major negative impact on the level of biodiversity present in farming areas
Conservationists have made strong efforts to try and maintain or improve biodiversity around farmlands
They have rewilded areas by removing all human interference and reintroducing native species
Organic farming has been largely promoted and encouraged
Improving grazing land
Nutritious, fast-growing grass is essential for raising healthy livestock
A dairy cow is capable of eating almost 20kg of dry biomass in one day
A mixture of ryegrass and white clover species provides the highest quality grazing pasture. This species only grow on drained, fertilised land
Farmers deliberately fertilise and drain the land and sow the seeds of these two plant species
As a result, other plant species are
either outcompeted or the changes to the land mean it is no longer a suitable habitat for them - there is low species richness
Natural grazing land that hasn’t been interfered with has a large variety of plant species present which can support a much greater range and number of insect species and bird species
Wet grasslands have declined steeply in the last 100 years and are now regarded as biodiversity hotspots
Sowing of cereal crops
For farmland bird species the ploughing of fields and the harvesting of crops are the two points in the year when food is plentiful
Ploughing brings invertebrates to the surface
Harvesting provides spilt grain from the crops and seeds from weeds, as well as making invertebrates more accessible by removing their cover
Traditionally crops were sowed in the spring
The soil was ploughed in March
Grains were sown in late April
Harvest took place in September
The gap between harvesting and ploughing was significant - five or six months
Modern farming has switched to sowing crops in the autumn
The soil is ploughed in August
Grains are sown in September
Harvest takes place in July
The gap between harvesting and ploughing is very short - one or two weeks
The smaller gap between harvesting and ploughing means there is a very
short period of time during the year when food is plentiful for birds however there is less time where the soil is redundant for the farmer
Scientists believe that this switch from autumn to spring sowing will greatly reduce the diversity of farmland birds in the future
Organic farming
Many people favour the produce from organic farms as the food produced is free from harmful chemicals
The use of pesticides and inorganic fertilisers is highly restricted on organic farms
The reduction in the use of these chemicals is also thought to benefit
biodiveristy
The decline of the bumblebee
Bumblebee are essential pollinators that pollinate wildflowers and valued crops such as oilseed rape and peas
Almost a quarter of the European bumblebee species are threatened with extinction
There has been a very rapid decline in bumblebee numbers in recent years
Bumblebees require habitats with a large number of flowering plants to ensure a supply of pollen and nectar all year round. Examples of this are hedgerows, field margins and grasslands
It has been suggested that the/………….
has led to there decline
extensive farming of crops and the use of pesticides are contributing to this decline
The monoculture of crops reduces plant diversity for bumblebee habitats
Although they are not the target species, pesticides can have a negative effect on bumblebees
A high yield and profit are two factors that make farming economically viable
Farming practices that maintain or increase biodiversity can be expensive, labour intensive, time-intensive. They can also reduce the yield of crops and livestock
For example, if a farmer stops using pesticides on crops, the number of bumblebees will increase but the number of pest species that destroy crops will also increase which will reduce crop yield and profit
This means that the farmer will have to charge more for his produce, in what is a very competitive market
It is difficult to find the balance between conservation and farming due to these knock-on effects
Make sure you know some examples of modern farming methods like the ones described above! You may be asked to explain how they affect biodiversity.
