A spatially explicit framework for the economic and ecological analysis of biodiversity conservation in agro-ecosystems

摘要

Intensification and specialisation in agriculture have caused a serious decline in biodiversity in agro-ecosystems. In order to bring this decline to a halt, farmers could be contracted to adapt their management strategies to the conservation of biodiversity with a financial compensation. Where such schemes are to be implemented is important for the financial implications of the contract, as well as the success of the nature management strategy in enhancing biodiversity. Therefore, space and location are important variables that determine the efficiency of biodiversity conservation. This paper presents a methodology for the analysis of the financial and ecological implications of biodiversity protection strategies in agro-ecosystems, taking explicitly into account the spatial aspects of these strategies. A general framework is presented, consisting of (ⅰ) an economic land use model that minimises the farmers' profits under restrictions of land endowments and obligations specified in the contract, and (ⅱ) a landscape ecological model of habitat fragmentation and wildlife dispersal. This framework can be used to analyse different scenarios of spatial structures of land use and their economic and ecological aspects.