**5. Final remarks**

The studies on the relationship between biodiversity and AI conducted so far do not always indicate a negative relationship between AI and biodiversity. Despite this, the number of studies showing this relationship is worrying. In addition, toxicological studies should be undertaken as they are unlikely to support the idea that AI should be promoted.

There is an inevitable conflict between the increasing need for higher agricultural production and the need to preserve biodiversity. Even though agroecosystems are increasingly subjected to human disturbance, they are still able to sustain some diversity and undoubtedly important for some aspects of life of certain species, like, farmland birds or predators of pests. For example, *Otis tarda* usually lives in areas traditionally cultivated using a cereal - fallow rotation.

Without any doubt, current production models seem to fail in the maintenance of biodiversity, and the more sustainable traditional systems are not so appealing, because they are less productive. However, these comparisons are mostly based only on yield and ignore the cost of agrochemicals or fuel. Producers should change their ways of thinking and realize the importance of their role in preserving diversity for future generations as a source of revenue. This change is especially important in developing countries, which are starting their "green revolution" and should learn from the mistakes of others.

Small steps are being undertaken to change intensive production models into more sustainable ones. One should not expect an immediate response of biodiversity to environmentally-friendly changes in agricultural practices, which by intensive land use over many years have systematically selected plant and animal species, even if the environmentally-friendly changes might lead eventually to an increase in biodiversity. Landscape composition also plays an important role. For example, the existence of sources of plants and animals close to agricultural fields like, boundaries, hedges and fallows, (heterogeneous landscape) are extremely important refuges, food sources and/or overwintering places. Heterogeneous landscape can also help some species to cope with the disturbances common in agricultural fields.

The enormous variation among taxa suggests that some species are more sensitive to disturbance than others. It is not surprising that insects that are *R* – selected species, with a short maturation time, breeding at a young age, short lifespan, producing many small offspring quickly, high mortality rates of young and no parental care, can more easily adapt to agroecosystem disturbances than birds and bats that are considered to be *K* – selected species, with a long maturation time, breeding relatively late in life, a long lifespan, producing relatively few large offspring, low mortality rates of young and extensive parental care. Large species tend to have long life-cycles and consequently require a degree of stability of resources over time (Blake et al., 1994).

Agroecosystems will always be linked with human activities, and in this way the future of biodiversity in these systems will always be dependent on human actions. Mankind should realize, however, that not only biodiversity suffers from the consequences of agriculture intensification but so does public health.

#### **6. Acknowledgments**

The research was supported by the grants No. LC06073 and CZ.1.05/1.1.00/02.0073 (Czechglobe) of the MSMT and grant No. GD206/08/H044 of the GA CR.

#### **7. References**

324 Ecosystems Biodiversity

The studies on the relationship between biodiversity and AI conducted so far do not always indicate a negative relationship between AI and biodiversity. Despite this, the number of studies showing this relationship is worrying. In addition, toxicological studies should be

There is an inevitable conflict between the increasing need for higher agricultural production and the need to preserve biodiversity. Even though agroecosystems are increasingly subjected to human disturbance, they are still able to sustain some diversity and undoubtedly important for some aspects of life of certain species, like, farmland birds or predators of pests. For example, *Otis tarda* usually lives in areas traditionally cultivated

Without any doubt, current production models seem to fail in the maintenance of biodiversity, and the more sustainable traditional systems are not so appealing, because they are less productive. However, these comparisons are mostly based only on yield and ignore the cost of agrochemicals or fuel. Producers should change their ways of thinking and realize the importance of their role in preserving diversity for future generations as a source of revenue. This change is especially important in developing countries, which are

Small steps are being undertaken to change intensive production models into more sustainable ones. One should not expect an immediate response of biodiversity to environmentally-friendly changes in agricultural practices, which by intensive land use over many years have systematically selected plant and animal species, even if the environmentally-friendly changes might lead eventually to an increase in biodiversity. Landscape composition also plays an important role. For example, the existence of sources of plants and animals close to agricultural fields like, boundaries, hedges and fallows, (heterogeneous landscape) are extremely important refuges, food sources and/or overwintering places. Heterogeneous landscape can also help some species to cope with the

The enormous variation among taxa suggests that some species are more sensitive to disturbance than others. It is not surprising that insects that are *R* – selected species, with a short maturation time, breeding at a young age, short lifespan, producing many small offspring quickly, high mortality rates of young and no parental care, can more easily adapt to agroecosystem disturbances than birds and bats that are considered to be *K* – selected species, with a long maturation time, breeding relatively late in life, a long lifespan, producing relatively few large offspring, low mortality rates of young and extensive parental care. Large species tend to have long life-cycles and consequently require a degree

Agroecosystems will always be linked with human activities, and in this way the future of biodiversity in these systems will always be dependent on human actions. Mankind should realize, however, that not only biodiversity suffers from the consequences of agriculture

The research was supported by the grants No. LC06073 and CZ.1.05/1.1.00/02.0073

(Czechglobe) of the MSMT and grant No. GD206/08/H044 of the GA CR.

undertaken as they are unlikely to support the idea that AI should be promoted.

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**5. Final remarks** 

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**15** 

 *Italy* 

**Environmental Evaluation and Monitoring of** 

Agroecosystems are open systems, whereby continual human intervention is needed for the maintenance of an equilibrium created by man himself with the aim of maximising the production provided by a few domesticated plant and animal species. In these systems, the equilibrium is maintained through energy input from outside that makes the operations possible, which are designed to create optimal conditions for the growth of the cultivated

The individual agricultural systems can be very different depending on the pedoclimatic characteristics of the territories, the types of cultivation practiced, and the intensive practices used, although in all cases, to maintain specific productive characteristics there is the need for human intervention. If they are abandoned to their natural evolution, these systems tend to recover their natural state, with increases in the areas occupied by spontaneous vegetation and with substantial changes in the population dynamics of the various species that make up the wild fauna, obviously at the expense of the species that benefit from the

Despite being characterised by a specific level of structural simplicity and by a decrease in their natural state that is caused by the modifications to the original environment that had the aim of obtaining animal and plant production for mainly food and energy uses, these agroecosystems cover a large part of the Community area. For this reason, the conservation of the biodiversity on a large scale needs interventions that are aimed at the preservation of

As well as having less value with respect to the areas characterised by a higher natural state, in various situations, the agricultural systems can provide great heterogeneity of the environment, and in cases in which the actions of man have not had a great impact, they can

For extensive agricultural systems, which are generally more common in the medium-high hilly and low mountain areas and are associated with agricultural systems of low impact, with good diversity of cultivation and the presence of semi-natural elements, these can provide a reasonable variety of habitats and large areas of contact between environments with different ecological characteristics (the ecotones). In these cases, the animal and plant

**1. Introduction** 

human actions.

plants and the animals raised.

the contexts that are most hard hit by human activities.

contain and maintain a considerable biodiversity patrimony.

**Agro-Ecosystems Biodiversity** 

*Università Politecnica delle Marche* 

*Via Brecce Bianche, Ancona* 

Fabio Taffetani, Michele Rismondo and Andrea Lancioni *Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali (3A)* 

