Risks of chemical plant protection products for biodiversity in agricultural habitats
Although strictly regulated, chemical plant protection products are criticised for their potential impact on the environment and biodiversity. We investigate their effects on arthropod diversity outside of cultivated areas, e.g., in flower strips, and furnish principles for improving risk assessment, regulation and conservation measures.
To be approved for agricultural use, plant protection products must undergo a strict regulatory process that includes environmental risk assessments. Despite this, plant protection products are increasingly being withdrawn from the market because the risks to humans and/or the environment are deemed to be too great. The general decline in insect populations has also been ascribed in part to plant protection products.
We investigate the impact of plant protection products on biodiversity in agricultural habitats. As there is little data on the risks to arthropods outside the field, we work primarily with flower strips and other linear landscape features, which often border directly on treated fields and are therefore exposed to relatively high doses.
In addition to examining how well species communities outside the field are protected by current regulations, we also investigate the extent to which flower strips and other landscape features can serve as buffer strips against pesticide drift, thereby protecting biotopes and other sensitive areas.
Species communities outside the field can only be protected if their composition is known, however. With the help of databases, we contribute to the characterisation of these communities at local, national and European levels.
Our findings lead to a better understanding of the interaction between plant protection products and biodiversity and can thus contribute to improving risk analysis, including within the context of product authorisation.