Effectiveness of the Swiss agri-environment scheme in promoting biodiversity

摘要

1. Increasing concern over the loss of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes was one of the reasons for the introduction of agri-environment schemes in Europe. These schemes compensate farmers financially for any loss of income associated with measures aimed to benefit biodiversity. Nevertheless, more than a decade after the introduction of the schemes, only a limited number of studies evaluating their ecological effects have been published. We assessed the effect of the Swiss agri-environment scheme that was designed to maintain and increase species richness in hay meadows. In Switzerland, hay meadows under this agri-environment scheme (ECA hay meadows) are the most widely adopted environmental measure to conserve biodiversity.