Many species and habitats owe their existence to agriculture, and their continued existence is dependent upon agricultural management ensuring their protection. In Switzerland, the agricultural landscape accounts for around 36% of the land area. Farmers base their management of this land on the agricultural policy guidelines, consumer behaviour and numerous additional influencing factors.
To maintain and promote biodiversity in agriculture, in 2008 the Federal Offices for the Environment (FOEN) and Agriculture (FOAG) formulated the Agriculture-related environmental objectives concerning biodiversity. To achieve these objectives, specific agricultural policy measures were determined. In addition, Agroscope developed the ALL-EMA monitoring programme on behalf of the FOAG and FOEN. The ALL-EMA monitoring programme ensures the systematic observation and quantification of the development of biodiversity in the Swiss agricultural landscape. In this way, the outcomes of the agricultural policy measures are evaluated and potential improvements are developed.
