ALL-EMA ‘Agricultural Species and Habitats’ Monitoring Programme
Many plant and animal species in Switzerland are dependent upon habitats shaped by agriculture. In 2008, environmental objectives relating to biodiversity were defined for agriculture. These are being evaluated and optimally refined with the aid of the ALL-EMA monitoring programme.
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.
The Aims of ALL-EMA
- Monitoring agriculture-related environmental objectives concerning species and habitat diversity
Recording the state of and change in species and habitat diversity according to the Agriculture-related Environmental Objectives in the Swiss agricultural landscape. - Evaluation of biodiversity priority areas
Assessing the state of and change in species and habitat diversity in biodiversity priority areas. - Research
Analysis and provision of data for answering current and future questions concerning species and habitat diversity in the Swiss agricultural landscape.
Programme
ALL-EMA investigates plants, habitats, breeding birds and butterflies in the Swiss agricultural landscape. Relevant field data are recorded on 170 survey squares of 1km2 each. Each survey square is visited once every five years for data collection. The survey squares were selected from a larger number of survey squares used in the Biodiversity Monitoring Switzerland BDM programme.
Twenty per cent of the survey squares are mapped per year, yielding a complete survey in five years. The first five-year cycle began in 2015, and was concluded in 2019.
Since then, an initial systematic description of the state of biodiversity in Switzerland’s agricultural landscape is available. Repeated survey cycles will allow us to detect changes in species and habitat diversity.
The ALL-EMA (‘Agricultural Species and Habitats’) monitoring programme was developed in order to evaluate the extent to which the agriculture-related Environmental Objectives for biodiversity in species and habitats have been achieved. It was deliberately designed to complement the already existing national monitoring programmes.
Methodology
- Data for ALL-EMA are collected from 170 survey squares. Only the agricultural landscape is sampled within the 1km2 survey squares, e.g. forests and settlements are ignored. The balanced selection of survey squares allows us to derive representative results for the individual agricultural zones and the main regions of the agriculture-related environmental objectives. Data on butterfly occurrences on transects are recorded by Biodiversity Monitoring Switzerland BDM, whilst data on breeding territories of the breeding birds are collected by the Common Breeding Bird Survey MHB. Using aerial images, ALL-EMA stereoscopically records woody structural elements within the survey squares in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL. This produces a detailed map illustrating hedgerows and shrubs, individual trees and groups of trees as well as individual bushes and groups of bushes. Within the agricultural landscape of each survey square, a regular 50-metre grid defines the sampling points for data collection in the field, the so-called habitat survey. For each grid point, habitat type and diversity of characteristic habitat-type species are determined on a circular area of 10m2.
On an extended circular area of 200m2, neophytes on the Black List and structures of the agricultural landscape such as piles of branches, clearance cairns and small water bodies are recorded. A GPS device is used to navigate to the grid points, and data is entered directly into a smartphone. Detailed vegetation surveys (circular areas of 10m2) are conducted in each survey square on around 10% of the habitat surveys. - Using aerial images, ALL-EMA stereoscopically records woody structural elements within the survey squares in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL. This produces a detailed map illustrating hedgerows and shrubs, individual trees and groups of trees as well as individual bushes and groups of bushes.
- Within the agricultural landscape of each survey square, a regular 50-metre grid defines the sampling points for data collection in the field, the so-called habitat survey.
- For each grid point, habitat type and diversity of characteristic habitat-type species are determined on a circular area of 10m2.
On an extended circular area of 200m2, neophytes on the Black List and structures of the agricultural landscape such as piles of branches, clearance cairns and small water bodies are recorded. A GPS device is used to navigate to the grid points, and data is entered directly into a smartphone. - Detailed vegetation surveys (circular areas of 10m2) are conducted in each survey square on around 10% of the habitat surveys.
In biodiversity promotion areas (BPAs), both habitat and vegetation surveys are additionally conducted outside of the 50-metre grid. The selection process for these surveys is intended to yield sufficiently large samples for statistical evaluations of as many types of BPAs as possible.
Schedule
- 2015 - 2019 First survey
Mapping is carried out between April and August. Each year, one-fifth of the 170 survey squares spread throughout Switzerland are mapped.
- 2020 - 2021 Comprehensive assessments of the state of biodiversity
- 2020 - 2024 Second survey
- 2024 – 2025 Comprehensive assessments of the state of biodiversity between the first and the second survey
- 2025 - 2029 Third survey
Indicators
ALL-EMA is tasked with monitoring the agriculture-related environmental objectives pertaining to biodiversity. The term ‘biodiversity’ encompasses various life forms (animals, plants, fungi and bacteria) and describes their diversity on various levels (ecosystems, habitats, species, genes), as well as how they stand in relation to one another. Within this comprehensive concept, ALL-EMA focuses on habitat and species diversity in the Swiss agricultural landscape and describes it by means of indicators. Individual indicators depict specific aspects of habitat and species diversity. Mutually complementary indicators, combined in a set, allow a more comprehensive description of biodiversity in agricultural land.
ALL-EMA therefore calculates a set of main and additional indicators that are used for monitoring habitat and species diversity, as well as for evaluating biodiversity priority areas.
The first ALL-EMA survey cycle (i.e. in which all 170 survey squares were surveyed once) was concluded in 2019. The data were analysed and summarised in the Agriculture-related Environmental Objectives Status Report on Biodiversity. Hence, Swiss-wide findings on the state of biodiversity in the Swiss agricultural landscape are now available for the first time. The future survey cycles will allow us to analyse changes in this state.
More-detailed information and results from the first survey cycle for all indicators can be found in the Status Report.
Main indicators
- Habitat diversity
- Spatial heterogeneity of habitats
- Average diversity of habitat-type species
- Species diversity (γ-diversity)
- Average species diversity (α-diversity)
Besides these five main indicators, further additional indicators are consulted for a more in-depth examination of habitat and species diversity.
Additional indicators
- Sampling areas with invasive neophytes
- Species diversity of threatened species (γ-diversity)
- Average species diversity of threatened species (α-diversity)
- Dissimilarity of the plant communities (β-diversity)
- Average nutrient indicator values of the plant species
- Wooded areas
- Water bodies