The Role of Biodiversity in Vines in a Changing Climate
In a multifunctional agricultural system, that has characterized our viticulture for centuries, biodiversity provides important ecological services that underpin vineyard health, productivity, quality and resilience. In the last decades, vineyard expansion and intensification are compromising the diversity and abundance of service-providing organisms, due to landscape homogenization, loss of key structures such as stone walls and hedgerows, high mechanization (including frequent tilling), and/or overuse of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides.
The wine industry relies on nature, so we need to enhance and preserve the Eco services that nature provides, such as carbon storage, natural control of undesirable organisms, self-regulation and reliance on the natural balance that biodiversity provides. On the other hand, and in line with the European Green Deal, the European Commission adopted a comprehensive new Biodiversity Strategy to bring nature back into our lives and a Farm to Fork Strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system. These two strategies are mutually reinforcing, bringing together nature, farmers, businesses and consumers for jointly working towards a competitively sustainable future.
