IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/pra/mprapa/83290.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The impact of organic farming on endangered birds and butterflies: applying an ecological-economic model

Author

Listed:
  • Gerling, Charlotte
  • Sturm, Astrid
  • Wätzold, Frank

Abstract

The conservation of biodiversity is one of the aims of the EU’s organic farming subsidy programme. We applied an ecological-economic modelling procedure to analyse the impact of organically and conventionally managed meadows on endangered bird and butterfly species in Saxony, Germany. We also analysed the impact of agri-environment schemes (AES) in landscapes with conventional and organic farming. Applying a modelling procedure to assess the impact of organic farming is novel as previous research predominantly relies on field studies. We found that for the species considered the difference in the impact of conventional and organic farming is minor, and both types of farming are unable to conserve a large share of these species. This is because the species require different timings of land use for their reproduction and neither conventional nor organic farming provide this heterogeneity. We also found that in comparison with conventional farmers organic farmers face different opportunity costs when implementing AES measures and are offered different payments for such measures. This influences organic farmers’ decisions to take part in AES, which in turn has an important impact on biodiversity conservation. In order to better conserve species it may be necessary to adapt the payment structure of AES with respect to organic farming.

Suggested Citation

  • Gerling, Charlotte & Sturm, Astrid & Wätzold, Frank, 2017. "The impact of organic farming on endangered birds and butterflies: applying an ecological-economic model," MPRA Paper 83290, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:83290
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/83290/1/MPRA_paper_83290.pdf
    File Function: original version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Johst, Karin & Drechsler, Martin & Watzold, Frank, 2002. "An ecological-economic modelling procedure to design compensation payments for the efficient spatio-temporal allocation of species protection measures," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 37-49, April.
    2. Mewes, Melanie & Drechsler, Martin & Johst, Karin & Sturm, Astrid & Wätzold, Frank, 2015. "A systematic approach for assessing spatially and temporally differentiated opportunity costs of biodiversity conservation measures in grasslands," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 76-88.
    3. Frank Wätzold & Martin Drechsler & Karin Johst & Melanie Mewes & Astrid Sturm, 2016. "A Novel, Spatiotemporally Explicit Ecological-economic Modeling Procedure for the Design of Cost-effective Agri-environment Schemes to Conserve Biodiversity," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 98(2), pages 489-512.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gerling, Charlotte & Sturm, Astrid & Wätzold, Frank, 2019. "Ecological-economic modelling to compare the impact of organic and conventional farming on endangered grassland bird and butterfly species," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 424-434.
    2. Gerling, Charlotte & Drechsler, Martin & Keuler, Klaus & Sturm, Astrid & Wätzold, Frank, 2022. "Time to consider the timing of conservation measures: designing cost-effective agri-environment schemes under climate change," MPRA Paper 113877, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Gerling, Charlotte & Drechsler, Martin & Keuler, Klaus & Leins, Johannes A. & Radtke, Kai & Schulz, Björn & Sturm, Astrid & Wätzold, Frank, 2021. "Cost-effective conservation in the face of climate change: combining ecological-economic modelling and climate science for the cost-effective spatio-temporal allocation of conservation measures in agr," MPRA Paper 105608, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Gerling, Charlotte & Drechsler, Martin & Keuler, Klaus & Leins, Johannes A. & Radtke, Kai & Schulz, Björn & Sturm, Astrid & Wätzold, Frank, 2021. "Modelling the cost-effective spatio-temporal allocation of conservation measures in agricultural landscapes facing climate change," VfS Annual Conference 2021 (Virtual Conference): Climate Economics 242352, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    5. Gerling, Charlotte & Strum, Astrid & Wätzold, Frank, 2020. "The impact of climate change on the profit-maximising timing of grassland use and conservation costs," MPRA Paper 102945, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Gerling, Charlotte & Schöttker, Oliver & Hearne, John, 2022. "Irreversible and partly reversible investments in the optimal reserve design problem: the role of flexibility under climate change," MPRA Paper 112089, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Schöttker, Oliver & Wätzold, Frank, 2017. "Cost-effectiveness of buying land for conservation versus paying land-users for conservation measures – the case of preserving an oligotrophic lake in a Natura 2000 area in North Germany," MPRA Paper 80661, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Markova-Nenova, Nonka & Wätzold, Frank & Sturm, Astrid, 2020. "Distributional Impacts of Cost-effective Spatially Homogeneous and Regionalized Agri-Environment Payments. A case study of a Grassland Scheme in Saxony, Germany," MPRA Paper 104759, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Sturm, Astrid & Drechsler, Martin & Johst, Karin & Mewes, Melanie & Wätzold, Frank, 2018. "DSS-Ecopay – A decision support software for designing ecologically effective and cost-effective agri-environment schemes to conserve endangered grassland biodiversity," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 113-116.
    10. Markova-Nenova, Nonka & Engler, Jan O. & Cord, Anna F. & Wätzold, Frank, 2023. "A Cost Comparison Analysis of Bird-Monitoring Techniques for Result-Based Payments in Agriculture," MPRA Paper 116311, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Eppink, Florian V. & van den Bergh, Jeroen C.J.M., 2007. "Ecological theories and indicators in economic models of biodiversity loss and conservation: A critical review," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(2-3), pages 284-293, March.
    12. Drechsler, Martin & Watzold, Frank, 2007. "The optimal dynamic allocation of conservation funds under financial uncertainty," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(2-3), pages 255-266, March.
    13. Ohl, C. & Drechsler, M. & Johst, K. & Wätzold, F., 2008. "Compensation payments for habitat heterogeneity: Existence, efficiency, and fairness considerations," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 162-174, September.
    14. B Kelsey Jack & Carolyn Kousky & Katharine R E Sims, 2007. "Lessons Relearned: Can Previous Research on Incentive-Based Mechanisms Point the Way for Payments for Ecosystem Services?," CID Working Papers 15, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    15. You, L. & Li, Y.P. & Huang, G.H. & Zhang, J.L., 2014. "Modeling regional ecosystem development under uncertainty – A case study for New Binhai District of Tianjin," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 288(C), pages 127-142.
    16. Zeng, X.T. & Huang, G.H. & Chen, H.L. & Li, Y.P. & Kong, X.M. & Fan, Y.R., 2016. "A simulation-based water-environment management model for regional sustainability in compound wetland ecosystem under multiple uncertainties," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 334(C), pages 60-77.
    17. Kallio, A. Maarit I. & Hänninen, Riitta & Vainikainen, Nina & Luque, Sandra, 2008. "Biodiversity value and the optimal location of forest conservation sites in Southern Finland," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 232-243, September.
    18. Drechsler, Martin & Grimm, Volker & Mysiak, Jaroslav & Watzold, Frank, 2007. "Differences and similarities between ecological and economic models for biodiversity conservation," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 232-241, April.
    19. Kipling, Richard P. & Bannink, André & Bellocchi, Gianni & Dalgaard, Tommy & Fox, Naomi J. & Hutchings, Nicholas J. & Kjeldsen, Chris & Lacetera, Nicola & Sinabell, Franz & Topp, Cairistiona F.E. & va, 2016. "Modeling European ruminant production systems: Facing the challenges of climate change," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 24-37.
    20. Langhammer, Maria & Thober, Jule & Lange, Martin & Frank, Karin & Grimm, Volker, 2019. "Agricultural landscape generators for simulation models: A review of existing solutions and an outline of future directions," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 393(C), pages 135-151.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    organic farming; grassland; agri-environment schemes; biodiversity; model; DSS-Ecopay;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q1 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture
    • Q5 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:83290. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Joachim Winter (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/vfmunde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.