Biodiversity management
Biodiversity management refers to the deliberate planning and implementation of practices in viticulture and winemaking aimed at maintaining or enhancing biological diversity within and around vineyards. It forms a core component of sustainable viticulture and agroecology, seeking to balance grape production with ecosystem health, resilience, and long-term environmental stability.[1]
Concept and scope
In a viticultural context, biodiversity management encompasses the conservation and promotion of plant, animal, microbial, and soil organism diversity at multiple spatial scales, from the vineyard floor to the surrounding landscape. This includes both cultivated biodiversity (such as cover crops) and wild biodiversity (such as insects, birds, and native vegetation).[2]
The objective is not simply species richness, but the maintenance of functional ecosystems that support key processes such as soil fertility, pest regulation, water cycling, and vine health.[3]
Biodiversity in vineyards
Traditionally, vineyards were embedded within mixed agricultural landscapes that included hedgerows, woodlands, grazing land, and arable crops. Industrial intensification during the 20th century often simplified these systems, reducing biodiversity and increasing reliance on chemical inputs.[4]
Modern biodiversity management seeks to reverse this trend by reintroducing ecological complexity. Key components include:
- Permanent or seasonal cover crops
- Maintenance of natural habitats such as hedges and buffer zones
- Reduced use of herbicides and insecticides
- Encouragement of beneficial insects and predators
- Protection of soil microbial communities[5]
Ecosystem services
Biodiversity management is closely linked to the concept of ecosystem services, the benefits ecosystems provide to agricultural production and society. In vineyards, these services include:
- Natural pest and disease control
- Improved soil structure and organic matter
- Enhanced water infiltration and retention
- Reduced erosion
- Greater system resilience to climate variability[6]
Research indicates that biodiverse vineyards can exhibit improved vine balance and reduced pest pressure, although outcomes depend strongly on local climate, soil, and management intensity.[7]
Viticultural practices
Common biodiversity-oriented practices in vineyards include:
- Diverse inter-row vegetation rather than bare soil
- Mixed species cover crops tailored to climate and soil conditions
- Reduced tillage to protect soil fauna
- Integration of livestock grazing in some systems
- Preservation of non-cropped ecological corridors[8]
[[Canopy management]] also influences vineyard biodiversity by affecting light penetration, humidity, and habitat availability for insects and microorganisms.[9]
Regulation and sustainability frameworks
Biodiversity management is increasingly incorporated into national and international sustainability frameworks. The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) has published guidelines and indicators for environmental sustainability in viticulture, including biodiversity metrics.[10]
At the policy level, biodiversity objectives are embedded within broader agricultural strategies, such as the European Union’s biodiversity and farm-to-fork initiatives, which explicitly include vineyards as permanent cropping systems with significant ecological potential.[11]
Economic and social dimensions
While biodiversity management may increase short-term costs or complexity, it is increasingly linked to market differentiation, certification schemes, and consumer perceptions of environmental responsibility. Studies suggest that biodiversity-friendly practices can contribute to brand value and long-term economic resilience, particularly in premium wine segments.[12]
Consumer interest in sustainability has also reinforced the cultural importance of biodiversity as part of vineyard identity and landscape heritage.[13]
See also
References
- ↑ Jancis Robinson, Oxford Companion to Wine, Oxford University Press, 17 Sept. 2015. ISBN 9780198705383.
- ↑ Markus Keller, The Science of Grapevines: Anatomy and Physiology, Academic Press Inc, 19 Jan. 2015. ISBN 9780124199873.
- ↑ Nicholls & Altieri, Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, CRC Press, 2018, ISBN 9781138082557.
- ↑ Unwin, Wine and the Vine, Routledge, 1991, ISBN 9780415042698.
- ↑ Döring et al., “Management practices and biodiversity in vineyards”, Biological Conservation.
- ↑ Altieri et al., “Enhancing ecosystem services in vineyards”, Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment.
- ↑ PhD Jackson, Ronald S., Wine Science: Principles and Applications, Academic Press Inc, 14 April 2020. ISBN 9780128161180.
- ↑ Coombe & Dry, Viticulture Volume 2, Winetitles, 1992, ISBN 9781875130118.
- ↑ Smart & Robinson, Sunlight into Wine, Winetitles, 1991, ISBN 9781875130033.
- ↑ OIV, “Sustainable viticulture and biodiversity”, https://www.oiv.int.
- ↑ EU Commission, “Biodiversity strategy and viticulture”, https://environment.ec.europa.eu.
- ↑ Anderson & Pinilla, Wine Globalization, Cambridge University Press, 2018, ISBN 9781108445687.
- ↑ Charters, Wine and Society, Elsevier, 2006, ISBN 9780750669788.