Date published: 2005/08/03
The BBC says:
Organic farms are better for wildlife than those run conventionally, according to a study covering 180 farms from Cornwall to Cumbria.
The organic farms were found to contain 85% more plant species, 33% more bats, 17% more spiders and 5% more birds.
Scientists - from Oxford University, the British Trust for Ornithology, and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology - spent five years on the research.
Funded by the government, it was the largest ever survey of organic farming.
"The exclusion of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers from organic is a fundamental difference between systems," the study says.
Other key differences found on the organic farms included smaller fields, more grasslands and hedges that are taller, thicker and on average 71% longer.
Dr Lisa Norton, of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, said: "Hedges are full of native, berry-producing shrubs, which are great for insects and the birds and bats that feed on them."
Yes, the important question is what were the significant factors, and if a farm is less efficient at producing food for humans (e.g. because of bigger hedges) then it is almost bound to be better at having food (and other resources) for non-humans. Of course farms are supposed to produce food for humans, not non-humans, and although it is "common sense" (to the chattering classes) that more biodiversity must be better for humans in the long run (although it might be worse for some humans in the short run), it is not proven.
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