The Nexus of Agriculture and Biodiversity: A Path Towards Sustainable Solutions

“This evening encapsulates the essence of IUCN: combining new scientific insights with constructive dialogue among stakeholders holding diverse worldviews,” said Boris Erg, Director of the IUCN European Regional Office.

As Ms. Marion (DG Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission), emphasised, it is critical to frame agriculture and nature as complementary rather than oppositional. With climate change manifesting in ever-more frequent weather events, agricultural systems face unprecedented stress. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), as the largest EU fund supporting biodiversity conservation, offers pathways for transformation through its green architecture. However, progress demands ambitious policies, for example on soil health, and the establishment of inclusive advisory bodies to guide strategic initiatives.

The “Assessing the biodiversity-agriculture nexus” report, presented by Facundo Odriozola, Agriculture Officer from the IUCN European Regional Office, underscored the importance of consistent and reliable metrics for evaluating the impact of various sustainable agriculture approaches on biodiversity. After analysing 30 assessment tools, the study identified 12 key methods, including the Agrobiodiversity Index and the IUCN STAR metric. Additionally, the report reviewed several European agricultural and biodiversity policies, along with their mechanisms for assessing biodiversity impacts.

The report concludes that significant challenges remain, such as data gaps among methodologies and the need for specific tools to assess different sustainable agriculture approaches. It emphasises that collaboration among diverse stakeholders is essential to develop frameworks that are both scientifically rigorous and practically viable for farmers.

Panel discussions after the presentation explored how enhanced biodiversity monitoring can benefit farmers. Delphine Dupeux from ELO and Laure-Lou Tremblay from IEEP stressed the need for accessible, scalable tools and technologies. The panellists underscored how remote sensing and eDNA are promising innovations, but traditional methods remain indispensable. Aligning these tools with CAP policies and leveraging initiatives like the EU Pollinator Initiative could bridge monitoring gaps and drive tangible outcomes.

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) emerged as a necessary tool for achieving environmental, social, and economic goals. Tommaso Demozzi, Multilateral Policy Officer from IUCN, presented the launch of the “Sustainable agriculture and Nature-based Solutions” report and outlined the relevance of the IUCN Global Standard for NbSTM in agricultural contexts. In the panel discussion that followed, Barbara Pia Oberc from TNC and Giulia Riedo from WWF recognised the vital role that Nature-based Solutions (NbS) play in greening our food systems. They also highlighted the need for a landscape approach, addressing financial gaps, and achieving greater policy coherence.

The final part of the event featured a fireside chat between Ariel Brunner from Birdlife and Alain-Dominque Quintart from Syngenta moderated by Alberto Arroyo Schnell, Head of Policy and Programme at the IUCN European Regional Office. He underscored the importance of maintaining an open conversation, noting that significant progress had been made - particularly through the recent Strategic Dialogue on the future of the EU agricultural structure - and stressed that it is now time to translate those recommendations into concrete actions. Birdlife expressed concern that, despite the advancements, politicians and stakeholders appeared to be reverting to business as usual. Syngenta welcomed the Dialogue initiative, highlighting that Syngenta had launched the Forum for the Future of Agriculture with partners since 2008 in the same spirit of open dialogue and noting that we have seen a sizable reduction in the number of synthetic chemical pesticides driven by the current legislative framework leading to a need for effective new solutions. Mr. Quintart identified scaling up good practices and establishing a robust regulatory framework to encourage more innovation, such as biocontrols (naturally occurring materials used to control crop diseases, pests, or weeds) and new genomic techniques (NGTs) for seeds, as key opportunities for the industry. Mr. Brunner, meanwhile, pointed to Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and nature restoration as promising solutions. Both speakers agreed on the importance of enhancing stakeholder interactions.