Critical habitat thresholds for effective pollinator conservation in agricultural landscapes
Science, vol. 389, pp. 1314–1319
Abstract
Biodiversity in human-dominated landscapes is declining, but evidence-based conservation targets to guide international policies for such landscapes are lacking. We present a framework for informing habitat conservation policies based on the enhancement of habitat quantity and quality and define thresholds of habitat quantity at which it becomes effective to also prioritize habitat quality. We applied this framework to insect pollinators, an important part of agroecosystem biodiversity, by synthesizing 59 studies from 19 countries. Given low habitat quality, hoverflies had the lowest threshold at 6% semi-natural habitat cover, followed by solitary bees (16%), bumble bees (18%), and butterflies (37%). These figures represent minimum habitat thresholds in agricultural landscapes, but when habitat quantity is restricted, marked increases in quality are required to reach similar outcomes.
Authors 86
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Gabriella A. Bishop corresponding
Wageningen University & Research
Affiliation as printed
Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
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Wageningen University & Research
Affiliation as printed
Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Agroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Zurich, Switzerland
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Affiliation as printed
Estacíon Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
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Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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University of British Columbia
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Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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Ikerbasque · Basque Centre for Climate Change
Affiliation as printed
Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3), Leioa, Spain
IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
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Affiliation as printed
Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
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Affiliation as printed
Centre for Agri-Environmental Research (CAER), School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, UK
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Wageningen University & Research
Affiliation as printed
Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Affiliation as printed
Agroecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre
Affiliation as printed
Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Norwegian Institute for Nature Research
Affiliation as printed
Terrestrial biodiversity, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
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Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement · Unité de Recherche Pluridisciplinaire Prairies et Plantes Fourragères
Affiliation as printed
Unité de Recherche Pluridisciplinaire Prairies et Plantes Fourragères, INRAE, Lusignan, France
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Institute of Ecology and Botany · HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research
Affiliation as printed
Lendület Ecosystem Services Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, H-Vácrátót, Hungary
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Affiliation as printed
Centre for Agroecology and Pollination Studies, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
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Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Affiliation as printed
Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
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Affiliation as printed
Functional Agrobiodiversity & Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Technische Universität Darmstadt
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Ecological Networks Lab, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
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Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
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Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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Affiliation as printed
University of California Cooperative Extension Ventura, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, Ventura, CA, USA
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Affiliation as printed
Environment Team, Food and Foot Print, SAC Consulting, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), Ayr, Scotland
Environment Team, Food and Foot Print, SAC Consulting, Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), Ayr, Scotland
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research, Lawrence, KS, USA
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Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas · Universidad de Buenos Aires
Affiliation as printed
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
Cátedra de Botánica General, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Agricultural Sciences, Plant Production Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, HELSUS, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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Affiliation as printed
Chair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research, Lawrence, KS, USA
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Western Norway University of Applied Sciences
Affiliation as printed
Department of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Sogndal, Norway
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Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas · Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible
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Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible (CSIC), Cordoba, Spain
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Departamento de Biología, Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR), Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real, Spain
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School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
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Center for Biodiversity and Integrative Taxonomy (KomBioTa), University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Ecology of Tropical Agricultural Systems, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Functional Agrobiodiversity & Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Departamento de Biología, Instituto de Investigación Vitivinícola y Agroalimentaria, Universidad de Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain
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Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Bioncenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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Stiftung Kulturlandschaft Günztal
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Foundation Cultural Landscape Günztal, Ottobeuren, Germany
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Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
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Department of Agri-Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Castelldefels, Spain
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Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen
Affiliation as printed
Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
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Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research · Norwegian Institute for Nature Research
Affiliation as printed
Norwegian Institute for Bioeconomy Research, Ås, Norway
Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
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Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut · University of Göttingen
Affiliation as printed
Functional Agrobiodiversity & Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
Thünen Institute of Biodiversity, Braunschweig, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Chair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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Institute of Ecology and Botany · HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research
Affiliation as printed
Lendület Ecosystem Services Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, H-Vácrátót, Hungary
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Bioncenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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Kyoto University · University of Würzburg
Affiliation as printed
Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Bioncenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
Laboratory of Ecological Information, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, 606-Kyoto, Japan
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Affiliation as printed
School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Ecology Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
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Affiliation as printed
Swedish Rural Economy and Agricultural Society, Kristianstad, Sweden
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Hebrew University of Jerusalem
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Department of Entomology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
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Swiss Ornithological Institute · University of Neuchâtel
Affiliation as printed
Conservation Biology Lab, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
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Affiliation as printed
Integrated Land Management Department, Scotland’s Rural College, Ayr, Scotland
Integrated Land Management Department, Scotland's Rural College, Ayr, Scotland
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Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas · National University of Catamarca
Affiliation as printed
Centro Regional de Energía y Ambiente para el Desarrollo Sustentable (CREAS), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Catamarca, San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Argentina
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Affiliation as printed
Pollinator Partnership, San Francisco, CA, USA
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Bishop's University · Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas · Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible · Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
Affiliation as printed
Department of Agri-Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Castelldefels, Spain
Department of Environment, Agriculture, and Geography, Bishop’s University, Sherbrooke, Canada
Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible (CSIC), Cordoba, Spain
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
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Kunming Institute of Botany · University of Northampton
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Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology, University of Northampton, Waterside Campus, Northampton, UK
Kunming Institute of Botany, Kunming, China
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Affiliation as printed
The Center for Environment and Climate Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Affiliation as printed
Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
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German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research · Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg · University of Göttingen
Affiliation as printed
Department of Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
Forest Nature Conservation Group, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Botany, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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Pennsylvania State University · Michigan State University
Affiliation as printed
Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Affiliation as printed
Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lomma, Sweden
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Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences · Wageningen University & Research
Affiliation as printed
Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Agroecology Lab, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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Affiliation as printed
Centre for Agri-Environmental Research (CAER), School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, UK
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Affiliation as printed
School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Bioncenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Botany, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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Agroscope Plant-Production Systems, Conthey, Switzerland
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NL Biodiversity and Society, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, Netherlands
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Independent researcher
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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Université de Bourgogne · Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement · Agroécologie · Institut Agro Dijon
Affiliation as printed
Agroécologie, INRAE, L’Institut Agro Dijon, Université de Bourgogne, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
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Estación Biológica de Doñana · Universidad de Sevilla
Affiliation as printed
Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
Estacíon Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
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Affiliation as printed
Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
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Affiliation as printed
De Vlinderstichting / Dutch Butterfly Conservation, 6700AM Wageningen, Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Biology Department, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, USA
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Affiliation as printed
Functional Agrobiodiversity & Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Natural Environment Research Council
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Strategic Programme Generation and Delivery, Natural Environment Research Council, Swindon, UK
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Natural Environment Research Council
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Funding Operations, Natural Environment Research Council, Swindon, UK
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Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
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RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, Edinburgh, UK
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Affiliation as printed
NL Biodiversity and Society, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, Netherlands
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Thijs P. M. Fijen corresponding
Wageningen University & Research
Affiliation as printed
Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
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