Beyond the Fields: Exploring On-Farm Biodiversity
By sandland on November 21, 2023
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Beyond the Fields: Exploring On-Farm Biodiversity
Dr. Matt Mitchell talks about the biodiversity project at the UBC Farm
Why monitor biodiversity? Matt Mitchell explains the purpose behind the project
See a day in the life of the project’s Work Learn students
Beyond the Fields: Exploring On-Farm Biodiversity
When we talk of climate change, biodiversity protection is usually one of the main things we hear about. But why is it so important?
While the importance of biodiversity is manifold, in the context of agriculture, biodiversity is the foundation of agricultural productivity and contributes essential ecosystem functions and services (benefits we receive from the natural environment). Pest control, pollination, and storing carbon are all examples of ecosystem services that biodiversity provides on farms.
At the UBC Farm, the diversity of life is being measured each year through the Long Term Biodiversity Monitoring project. The project helps us understand how biodiversity is changing over time and how it’s affecting important ecosystem services that aid people, help crops grow, and contribute to overall ecosystem sustainability. The learnings from this small-scale research can be applied to communicate the broader societal and ecological benefits of biodiversity, and demonstrate how land-use changes are impacting biodiversity.
Check out these short videos to learn more and meet some of the people involved with the project.
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