Computer simulations help farmers choose biodiversity measures

A computer simulation tool developed by researcher Trine Poulsen and her colleagues could help farmers choose measures that support more plant and animal species along fields, DR reports.

The tool models different future scenarios depending on whether farmers plant flower strips, create windbreaks or leave an entire field fallow.

Different landscapes and biodiversity measures benefit different species. Wild bees, for example, thrive in old windbreaks with many bushes and trees, while skylarks need large, open fields with an unobstructed view, said Poulsen, a food systems researcher at Aarhus University’s Department of Agroecology.

The simulations highlight areas without life

The researchers release five different species into a simulated landscape, one at a time. They then assess how the species respond to different types of landscapes and land use, including whether they can find food and build nests.

The tool can show how flower strips and fallow fields affect beetles, bees, spiders, hares and skylarks in a specific area. Poulsen has used fields in the Thisted area to identify where a beneficial species such as the ground beetle has good or poor opportunities to live.

Flower strips can include sunflowers, phacelia and other plants. Windbreaks with different bushes and trees can benefit certain types of bees, while tall grass at the edge of a windbreak can provide hiding places for other animal and insect species.

Biodiversity is under pressure, while the green tripartite initiative is set to bring the largest transformation of Denmark’s landscape in 100 years, partly to create more nature and wildlife.

Although 390,000 hectares of agricultural land are expected to be converted into forest and nature, farmland and cultivated fields will still make up half of Denmark’s landscape, Poulsen said.

That makes it important to improve conditions in areas where food is grown, she said, including through smaller measures carried out by farmers.

Farmers will not receive the simulation tool themselves. Instead, the research is intended to produce concrete recommendations that make it easier for each farmer to choose the biodiversity measures best suited to their farm.