Oxford study outlines new blueprint to help tackle the biodiversity impacts of farming
University of Oxford
A study led by researchers at the University of Oxford, working closely with colleagues from Duurzame Zuivelketen (DZK), among others, has developed a framework to help agricultural sectors better contribute to global biodiversity targets without causing unintended harms.
Published today (11 August) in npj Biodiversity, the study is based upon data from the Dutch dairy sector in 2020, covering nearly 8,950 farms (approximately 1.6 million cows). They first established a single combined score to track biodiversity impacts against possible sectoral targets; but found that while using such a score can be helpful to track overall progress, such methods can mask important local impacts (such as nutrient pollution or habitat loss) that are currently poorly captured with existing biodiversity impact indicators.
To address this, the team developed a set of safeguards—clear, quantitative thresholds for major environmental pressures—to ensure progress in one environmental impact type does not come at the expense of other types elsewhere. If each of these safeguards were fully implemented, the researchers estimated this could take the sector most of the way towards biodiversity targets such as those outlined in the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Lead author Associate Professor Joseph Bull, from the University of Oxford’s Department of Biology, said: “Our study shows that – though they are extremely useful – relying on simplified, combined indicators to track agricultural impacts on biodiversity can mislead if used alone. By introducing scientifically grounded safeguards, we can ensure that improvements in one area don’t cause damage somewhere else.”
Measuring the biodiversity footprint of dairy farming
To understand where biodiversity losses were occurring, the team worked with a single composite index that translated environmental pressures - such as greenhouse gas emissions, land use change and ammonia emissions - into a common unit. This value reflects the proportion of species at risk of disappearing from a particular area.
The analysis revealed that, for some measures, the majority of biodiversity harm was not happening on Dutch farms directly, but overseas, particularly where land is cleared to grow livestock feed ingredients. These imported feeds were responsible for the largest share of land transformation impacts, and consequently biodiversity loss.
By contrast, nutrient pollution, while a major political and environmental issue within the Netherlands, had a relatively modest effect on global biodiversity loss. This shows the value of using multiple criteria to target the most effective interventions on biodiversity.
Developing and applying safeguards
To avoid unintended outcomes when using single metrics to track biodiversity progress, the researchers proposed a set of practical safeguards. These act as checks and balances, ensuring that improvements in one area do not mask problems in another.
The safeguards fall into two main categories:
- Impact prevention: These include thresholds for the use of imported animal feed, limits on nitrogen and ammonia emissions, and targets for maintaining permanent grassland and biodiversity-rich habitats. Together, these measures aim to reduce environmental pressures before damage occurs.
- Impact compensation: For biodiversity losses that cannot be avoided, the study outlines to what extent the sector could offset impacts by restoring similar habitats in the same regions where damage has occurred. Safeguards here include ensuring compensation happens promptly and is maintained long term.
The approach was developed in collaboration with Dutch dairy stakeholders, including industry bodies and conservation organisations, and is tailored to align with national policies and international biodiversity goals.
Pathways to nature-positive outcomes
The study outlines three feasible transition pathways for the dairy sector, from offset-heavy ‘adaptive compensation’ to a ‘deep net positive’ approach driven primarily by prevention. Each pathway presents trade-offs, particularly between production levels, land use, and restoration potential.
Co-author Dr Joseph Poore (Department of Biology, University of Oxford) added: “This study was an interesting test of whether single biodiversity impact scores, that capture many pathways causing biodiversity loss, are practical to implement and reliable. Our results generally found that these indicators serve a very useful role and the science is advancing fast. Soon we will probably know the biodiversity impacts of every product we buy in the shops and the biodiversity impacts of businesses and their choices. While not the solution to these problems in itself, this is certainly a step towards solving them.”
Notes to editors:
For media enquiries and interview requests, contact Associate Professor Joseph Bull: joseph.bull@biology.ox.ac.uk
The study ‘Towards positive net outcomes for biodiversity, and developing safeguards to accompany headline biodiversity indicators’ will be published at 10 AM BST / 5 AM ET Monday 11 August in npj Biodiversity at https://www.nature.com/articles/s44185-025-00095-5 To view a copy of the study before this under embargo, contact Joseph Bull: joseph.bull@biology.ox.ac.uk
About the University of Oxford
Oxford University has been placed number 1 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the ninth year running, and number 3 in the QS World Rankings 2024. At the heart of this success are the twin-pillars of our ground-breaking research and innovation and our distinctive educational offer.
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Journal
npj Biodiversity
Article Title
Towards positive net outcomes for biodiversity, and developing safeguards to accompany headline biodiversity indicators
Article Publication Date
11-Aug-2025
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework advances protection of marine biodiversity
A new study finds that the global biodiversity targets adopted in 2022 are aligned with science and represent a major advance
University of Oldenburg
image:
In order to protect biodiversity in the oceans, it is necessary to observe and monitor species numbers and genetic diversity in ecosystems such as coral reefs.
view moreCredit: Jan-Claas Dajka
In 2022, numerous countries signed the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) with the goal of halting and reversing biodiversity loss. Among other things, the framework sets out various targets to be implemented by the signatory states in their national legislation. A core component is the commitment to put at least 30 percent of the world's land and oceans areas under protection by 2030. In the area of marine biodiversity, an international team of scientists led by Dr Jan-Claas Dajka from the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) at the University of Oldenburg, Germany, and Anne Eilrich from Kiel University, Germany, concludes that these new targets represent a considerable improvement on the Aichi Targets adopted in 2010. In a study published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, the team reports that the updated targets address the inherent complexity of biodiversity well, thus reducing the risk of missing critical changes in marine biodiversity.
A major challenge in the implementation of conservation measures is that setting a key target like the 1.5-degree limit for climate protection is not possible when it comes to protecting biodiversity. "Biodiversity occurs at different levels, from genes to species to ecosystems," explains Dajka, the lead author of the study. According to experts, one of the reasons why the Aichi Targets adopted by the parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in 2010 failed was that in many cases progress in achieving them was not measurable. With the adoption of the GBF in 2022, the international community agreed on a new strategy.
In the view of the international team of researchers led by Dajka and Eilrich, the Montreal-Kunming framework establishes robust, science-based targets that address all the different levels of marine biodiversity: "Our analysis shows that global policy is catching up with science in recognising the complexity of marine biodiversity," Dajka explains. The scientists write that the framework provides national governments with a solid roadmap for implementation of the targets.
These findings are the result of a systematic review of the relevant literature, including marine biodiversity research from the period between 2010 and 2020 and various political agreements. The goal was to determine which indicators scientists and policymakers use to track changes in marine biodiversity.
According to the study, both scientific research and policy generally take six classes of variables, known among scientists as Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs), as their reference. These include spatial species distribution, genetic diversity, physical species traits and ecosystem structure. Together, the six classes provide a comprehensive overview of all facets of biodiversity. "If policymakers are guided by this framework, they can ensure that none of the biodiversity levels are overlooked," says Dajka.
The authors of the study also found that secondary classes such as ecosystem structure or ecosystem function have gained importance, both in the Kunming-Montreal framework and in other global biodiversity frameworks. However, they point out that certain variables in these classes, such as the percentage of protected area, are of limited use as indicators of a healthy ecosystem. "If, for example, a large area of a coral reef is protected, this is a good thing. But if only one coral species lives there, the ecosystem is still very fragile," Dajka explains. The scientists caution against overemphasising secondary variables at the expense of foundational ones such as the number of species or genetic diversity within a species. The latter form the basis of ecosystems and are still crucial for tracking real progress and initiating conservation measures, they stress.
The researchers also see their study as a tool to support the arguments of the political institutions tasked with implementing the framework at the national level. The scepticism expressed from various voices regarding the framework's goals is partly unjustified, Dajka explains: "The targets are good. Our recommendation to governments is to now focus on translating them into appropriate national-level indicators and on implementing science-based measures."
Journal
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
Method of Research
Literature review
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
Front Ecol Environ doi:10.1002/fee.70000© 2025 The Author(s). Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Ecological Society of America. From science to policy: evolving marine biodiversity targets
Article Publication Date
11-Aug-2025
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