Arable land and habitat diversity in Natura 2000 sites in Greece (original) (raw)

2008, Journal of Biological …

Agriculture is the dominant land use in Europe, with direct consequences for biodiversity. In the European Union, the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) focuses conservation efforts on the preservation of habitats. In order to elucidate the impact of agriculture on habitat diversity, we examined the effects of agricultural area and spatial configuration on the diversity of habitats of the sites proposed to be included in the Greek Natura 2000 network. The extent and fragmentation of agricultural land in a site had a weak effect on the diversity of habitats in the surrounding landscape. This effect was more significant in the case of freshwater habitats in lake ecosystems and even then, freshwater habitat diversity was positively correlated with agricultural area. Sites with high habitat richness of grasslands and/or with huge extent of grasslands were characterized by limited agricultural area. The diversity of habitat types designated as conservation priorities was not correlated with the spatial configuration of agriculture. The effect of agriculture on habitat diversity in sites undergoing agricultural decline and abandonment was different from the one in sites with more constant agricultural land use. In our study sites, agricultural practices do not diminish the potential of a site to host a diverse array of habitats, even those of conservation priority. In sites with a historic record of agricultural practices (e.g. around lakes), agriculture is not negatively related to landscape habitat diversity and so conservation efforts should not necessarily rely on agriculture restriction.