Cooperative approaches to targeted implementation of Agri-Environmental Schemes and the establishment of a case study in Hesse, Germany

The increasing intensification of agricultural production and the associated simplification of landscape structure is a major threat to biodiversity. The current Agri-Environmental Scheme (AES) funding structure is lacking the incentive for farmers to participate actively in environmental management and achieve greater environmental objectives. The effectiveness of the AES is a heavily debated topic, since it is not always spatially targeted and in some cases does not consider synergies and trade-offs among the objectives. A case study design was developed to assess whether group approaches have higher degrees of achievement in the allocation of suitable priority areas for species conservation in a landscape. From existing national and international agri-environmental group oriented approaches, an agri-environmental and biodiversity concept for a region in Hesse (Germany) was derived. With a case study in Hesse (Germany), the suitability of such a concept should be controlled and it is to be considered what modifications are necessary in order to use group-oriented approaches successfully. The idea behind the case study is not only to coordinate AES bilaterally between the public sector and individual farmers, but also to look at the best way to reward the farmers for their participation. It is more about sharing knowledge on biodiversity issues with farmers, in the hope of encouraging them to cooperate, and to promote a mutual commitment in the area of regional habitat and species protection.