Working Landscapes Need At Least 20% Native Habitat

Flashcards about the importance of native habitats within working landscapes, advocating for a minimum of 20% native habitat area, and its benefits for biodiversity, food security, and quality of life.

What percentage of Earth's land area did governments worldwide set a target to conserve within protected areas by 2020?

17%

What does NWL stand for?

Native Habitats Within Working Landscapes

What percentage of global working landscape area was represented by the 82 countries reviewed in the study?

73%

What percentage of the reviewed countries set any minimum area requirement for NWL?

38%

What is the recommended worldwide restoration and retention target of native habitat area within working landscapes?

At least 20%

What target is intended to complement, not compete with, efforts to establish protected areas?

A >20% NWL target

What do initiatives like the 'Half-Earth Project' and '30% by 2030' largely focus on?

Biodiversity conservation within systems of protected areas

How can NWL enhance the effectiveness of protected areas?

By offering corridors and stepping stones interconnecting wild populations

What can NWL conservation succeed without driving?

Agricultural expansion and reductions in protected areas

How can NWL increase agricultural productivity in adjacent lands?

By reducing erosion and improving soil biological activity and nutrient availability

Name one benefit of NWL regarding crops.

Enhancing pollination services for pollinator-dependent crops

Name one way NWL helps prevent environmental hazards.

Preventing floods and regulating climate

What is the minimum percentage of land area that should be restored within working landscapes?

20%

Native habitats are those dominated by what?

Native species of plants

Where is the area that is the focus of restoration efforts?

Working landscapes (outside protected areas) with >80% of land sowed or planted for farming, ranching, and/or forestry

In what areas can restoration focus based on the passage?

Borders of roads, fences, and in the vicinity of houses; Environmentally sensitive areas; Designs that promote interpatch connectivity

What are some examples of synergistic interventions in agriculture?

Native hedgerows; Native buffer strips

Minimum mandated area of native habitats within working landscapes

Varies by country, some only legislate forest area

What is the theoretical minimum percentage point of benefit to crop productivity required for native habitat to negate losses from cultivated farm land?

Around 25%

Besides food production, what are other area uses that impede the growth of native working lands?

Cotton, Sugarcane, Soybeans, Oil Palm, and Maize use for biofuel and animal feed