Does organic farming enhance biodiversity in Mediterranean vineyards? A case study with bats and arachnids

Published source details Froidevaux J.S.P., Louboutin B. & Jones G. (2017) Does organic farming enhance biodiversity in Mediterranean vineyards? A case study with bats and arachnids. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 249, 112-122.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

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	Use organic farming instead of conventional farming Action Link

Use organic farming instead of conventional farming

A replicated, paired sites study in 2015 at 21 pairs of organic and conventional vineyards in the south of France (Froidevaux et al 2017) found that organic farms had similar bat activity and species richness to conventional farms. Bat activity for the most abundant group of bat species (mid-range echolocating bats) did not differ significantly on organic (average 35 bat passes/site) and conventional farms (47 bat passes/site). Numbers for other groups of bat species were too low for statistical analysis. Species richness was also similar between organic and conventional farms (average 5 species/site for both). Ten bat species were recorded in total (see original paper for data for individual species). Twenty-one pairs of organic and conventional vineyards were matched according to local and landscape scale criteria, such as altitude, slope, aspect, presence of linear habitat features, vineyard area and proportion of semi-natural habitats. Conventional vineyards were assumed by the authors to have high pesticide use, although details were not reported. Each of 21 pairs of sites were sampled simultaneously with two bat detectors for one full night in August–September 2015.

(Summarised by: Anna Berthinussen)