Germany lacks a standardised and coordinated farmland biodiversity monitoring framework. However, several independent and heterogeneous programmes generate datasets for farmland-related biodiversity assessments. These programmes have limitations, including limited taxonomic coverage, lack of long-term trends, and insufficient data on agricultural land use/management, affecting the early detection of declining ecosystem conditions. MonViA, launched in 2019, is a nationwide, representative, and science-based framework that addresses key gaps in farmland biodiversity monitoring, aiming to develop monitoring concepts and indicators for agri-environmental policy for Germany. MonViA complements existing monitoring programmes with its farmland focus, national-level indicators on habitat, species, and genetic diversity, and modular design. The chapter outlines key steps towards an integrated farmland biodiversity monitoring in Germany through improved survey designs, novel survey methods, and advancements in data management, access, and integration. Strengthening farmland biodiversity monitoring and integrating it into policy and practice is urgently needed for supporting effective conservation and land-management decisions.
Pasture-based veal production of dairy bull calves might be a sustainable alternative to conventional veal production, as access to pasture allows the expression of natural behaviors, and thus contributes to calf welfare. However, scientific data on growth rate, carcass characteristics and meat quality have not yet been reported. The main purpose of the study was to test whether a clover-grass sward with or without herbs results in acceptable performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality in German Holstein and Jersey bull calves. We kept 111 animals (Holstein: 80, Jersey: 31) over three years under whole-day strip grazing conditions and fed small amounts of concentrates daily. Slaughter took place at 32 ± 2 weeks of age after grazing for 75 ± 22 d. Using Bayesian linear mixed models, sward composition did not influence growth rate, carcass characteristics, or meat quality. However, weight at slaughter, longissimus muscle area and the intramuscular polyunsaturated fatty acid percentage increased (P < 0.05) with increasing time the calves spent grazing on the experimental paddock. Conversely, the monounsaturated fatty acids percentage in carcass meat decreased (P < 0.05) as grazing time increased, suggesting a positive effect of grazing on the fatty acid profile. Pasture grazing can thus be a promising approach for dairy bull calves, producing a favorable fatty acid profile in veal.
Wirtschaftszahlen: This database contains general data on the development of agricultural producer and input prices, the consumer price index and foreign trade in agricultural and food goods on a monthly basis for the previous 24 months. In addition, this database comprises important volume and price developments on national and international markets for selected product groups of agricultural products such as grain, livestock, meat, milk and dairy products as well as vegetables, fruit and sugar. This file is only available in German.
Landscape heterogeneity is widely regarded as a key driver of biodiversity, yet it remains unclear whether increasing heterogeneity is always beneficial or whether excessive heterogeneity instead leads to fragmentation. We hypothesized that mixed heterogeneity among land-cover types and within-habitat heterogeneity have distinct effects on biodiversity, potentially explaining contrasting heterogeneity–biodiversity relationships reported across studies. To test this hypothesis, we analysed breeding bird richness from 1,010 1-km² landscapes across Germany together with high-resolution spatial datasets. Mixed heterogeneity was quantified by land-cover diversity and edge density, whereas within-habitat heterogeneity was quantified by tree diversity and edge density in forests and crop diversity and edge density in croplands. We used boosted generalized additive models to assess the effects of different heterogeneity components while accounting for habitat amount and other environmental predictors, complemented by interaction analyses among key predictors. Land-cover diversity consistently increased bird species richness, whereas land-cover edge density showed predominantly hump-shaped relationships, with richness peaking at intermediate levels. The apparent positive effects of land-cover edge density in compositionally simple landscapes largely reflected its strong correlation with land-cover diversity; after accounting for this coupling, its independent effects were negligible or negative. In contrast, within-habitat configurational heterogeneity, represented by tree and crop edge density, was more important for habitat-specialist richness than within-habitat compositional heterogeneity. These positive effects generally weakened or saturated rather than becoming negative with increasing habitat amount. Our results demonstrate that the biodiversity effects of configurational heterogeneity fundamentally differ between mixed and within-habitat heterogeneity. Mixed configurational heterogeneity may ultimately act as fragmentation, whereas greater within-habitat configurational heterogeneity may enhance habitat diversity for specialist birds. Distinguishing mixed from within-habitat heterogeneity and separating compositional from configurational components provides a mechanistic basis for understanding contrasting biodiversity responses to landscape heterogeneity.
Background:Globally, dietary patterns have shifted over recent decades due to economic growth and urbanization, contributing to nutritional improvement and emerging diet related health challenges. However, few studies have compared long-term food supply trends across countries at different stages of economic development and the nutrition transition. We examined trends in energy supply (2010-2022), protein, and fat (1982 and 2022) supply in Tanzania, Ghana, South Africa, and Malaysia. Methods:Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization - Food Balance Sheets were used to assess national-level energy supply, analyzed in Stata version 18 using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and linear regression to evaluate trends in nutrient supply and their association with GDP per capita. Results:Economic growth was associated with increases in food supply across the four countries. Malaysia, with the highest GDP, reported an increase in energy (2,822.8 kcal/capita/day), protein (77.4 g/capita/day), and fat (89.6 g/capita/day) supply. Ghana, despite having the second lowest GDP, reported the highest energy supply (2,863.8 kcal/capita/day) and a 101% increase in protein supply, suggesting improvement in dietary diversity. In contrast, Tanzania, which experienced the lowest GDP growth, recorded the lowest energy (2,274.8 kcal/capita/day) and protein (55.6 g/capita/day) supply. Fat emerged as the secondary energy source in Malaysia and South Africa, both exhibited high sugar supply. Across all countries, animal protein supply increased more rapidly than plant protein supply. However, South Africa experienced an 18.5% decline in plant-based protein supply, indicating a gradual shift away from traditional dietary patterns. Correlation analysis showed a statistical significant relationship (p < 0.05) between GDP per capita and fat and protein supply, significant association between GDP per capita and both protein and fat supply (p < 0.05), with correlation coefficients ranging from r = 0.60 to 0.94 for protein supply and from r = 0.51 to 0.93 for fat supply. Conclusion:Trends in per capita energy, protein, and fat supply reveal uneven changes across the four countries, reflecting different stages of economic development and the nutrition transition. The divergent trends call for country-specific strategies to promote healthier, more sustainable diets and reduce the growing burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases.
