From land acquisition to private nature management: ex ante evaluation of a change in Netherlands' nature policy - Summary: Agricultural nature conservation
The adaptation of farm operations requires trust
Calculations using models show that it should be economically possible to incorporate relatively stringent measures for agricultural nature conservation in farm operations. However this relates mainly to management for botanic diversity. Management for meadow birds, which might, for example, involve delaying the first grass harvest until the end of June, is more difficult to incorporate, according to the model, because of the relatively low financial compensation.
The relatively high-impact scheme packages are not being taken up by farmers because many farmers do not want to make the structural changes to farm operations that would be required. They will only do so if they have confidence in the continuity of the subsidy scheme. That confidence is low at present, because of frequent changes to the scheme.
Cost difference: an opportunity to raise environmental quality
Poor ecological results present the greatest problem for agricultural nature conservation under the turnabout. In view of the policy principles, more participation in the high-impact scheme packages is desired than is now the case. Nature development measures such as raising the level of groundwater are also desirable. Such policy adjustments do, of course, entail higher costs for agricultural nature conservation than at present.
In comparison to management by official nature conservation organisations, agricultural nature conservation is cheap for the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality because they save the costs of land acquisition or compensation for decrease in land values. That means that the Ministry has financial room to manoeuvre in implementing the necessary changes to improve the ecological effects of agricultural nature conservation.
It will be necessary, particularly in the case of botanic management, to guarantee the long-term continuity of management measures; however, this is not yet in place in agri-environmental schemes.
A postponed mowing date is an important condition for the conservation of meadow birds. (Photo: Mark van Veen)
