Effects of the Swiss agri-environment scheme on biodiversity

More than a decade after the introduction of the European agri-environment schemes there are a limited number of published studies evaluating these schemes. This study evaluates a Swiss agri-environment scheme designed to maintain and increase species richness in hay meadows. The aim was to test whether meadows under the agri-environment scheme (ECA hay meadows) had higher biodiversity than control meadows, whether biodiversity was higher in the centre than at the edge of meadows, and whether these effects differed between geographic regions. Using paired sampling, a total of 42 hay meadows were selected in three regions. The species richness of two taxonomic groups; vascular plants and wild bees was assessed. Species richness of both, vascular plants and wild bees was significantly higher on ECA hay meadows than on control meadows. The results for the plants and for the wild bees were consistent across the three study sites. It was concluded that the Swiss agri-environment scheme for hay meadows is a tool to preserve the diversity of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes.