b'Uncropped areas such as fallow areas, set-aside, crop edges, strips and untreated areas help soil erosion avoidance, organic matter provision and water regulation. These areas also provide habitats for pollinators and other wildlife through the plants that grow on them. factor that needs to be considered: Single farm actions have to be complemented by regional actions, including to enhance connectivity of habitats and to that end the best results can beDefinition: Dually-beneficial habitats areachieved by collaborative efforts that include landscape planningsemi-natural habitats created within fields of efforts at scale, hence public and private actors alike.arable crop fields to conserve biodiversity and ES: WHY WAS IT NECESSARY TO START THISsupport crop production goals. Benefits for RESEARCH? biodiversity can be the provision of space for AD:If we want to really achieve mainstreaming of biodiversitymultiple species at local level and an improved in crop production, as called for by the UN CBD (United Nationshabitat connectivity at landscape level. Benefits Convention on Biological Diversity, in short biodiversity), morefor farming can include the maintenance and and more integrated, resilient approaches are needed to addressenhancement of agro-ecosystem services dual purposes simultaneously and over time. Mainstreaming, asdelivery, which supports productivity resilience.defined by the CBD means the integration of action serving dual purposes (biodiversity conservation and food production) at the same time, not the establishment of parallel, isolated endeavours by sectors to achieve one or the other goal. Crop production is a low hanging fruit to achieve mainstreaming of biodiversity as it depends on nature to thrive, hence is nature-based. Clever solutions have and need to be increasingly researched and devel- ES: WHICH TYPES OF HABITATS HAVE YOU oped to reach an even better, science-based systems approach.PARTICULARLY LOOKED AT IN YOUR STUDY?AD:The four types of habitats identified as dually-beneficial ES: HOW DID YOU DEFINE DUALLY-BENEFICIALwere: HABITATS? 1. uncropped fields / subfield areas (also called fallow land AD:Over 90 habitat types were identified as recommended eco- or fallow areas, or set-aside) logical enhancement measure based on the papers and reviews2. managed fields / subfield areas, including cover crops consulted. In our paper, only about 40 of these habitats, consist- 3. managed flower areas ing of four groups of habitat types qualified as dually-beneficial.4. managed margins The criteria the authors defined as qualifying as dually-beneficialAbout 20 years ago, field margins were the main measures habitat (hereafter db-habitat) were: a) broadly beneficial to mul- recommended for implementation to farmers due to ease of tiple species, not to a single species, b) potentially beneficial tomanagement (especially ease of access) and cost efficiency. Yet, agro-ecosystem services delivery in arable field crops such as forunproductive areas or areas on a slope, which are prone to soil instance soil fertility enhancement and c) ease of manageabilityerosion, equally qualify to be converted into db-habitats. Entire (i.e., easy integration of the measure within arable field cropfields such as uncropped fields can easily be integrated in crop rotation) and cost effectiveness.rotation systems, thus provide management advantages.16IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'