Biodiversity-based ecosystem services in vineyards (Vinedivers)

Essential ecosystem services in viticulture landscapes result from diverse communities of organisms and their interactions. Traditional viticulture usually was part of a multifunctional agricultural system including low-input grassland management and fruit production. Therefore, the high diversity of habitats resulted in a high functional biodiversity. However, in the last decades, land use changes, intensification and mechanisation of vineyard management caused a separation of production and conservation areas. Moreover, the fear of competition for water and nutrients between weeds and grapevines led to a low tolerance attitude against weeds in vineyards. Associated management measures like frequent tilling or intensive use of herbicides are nowadays associated with ecosystem disservices as high rates of erosion, degradation of soil structure and fertility, contamination of groundwater and high levels of agricultural inputs. Wild bees play an important role as pollinators for wild plant species and fruit trees such as cherries, apricots or almonds, which are characteristic elements of viticulture landscapes across Europe. Moreover, even though grapevines are self/wind pollinated, influences of pollinators on grapevine yield or quality are possible. Diverse plant functional types improve soil structure and the formation of stable soil aggregates, which contribute to improved water infiltration and soil erosion mitigation. These effects are important, because more extreme precipitation events are predicted related to climate change, which could increase frequency and extent of soil erosion events. Diversely structured, species-rich viticultural landscapes can reduce the need for external inputs while being a cultural heritage that provide aesthetic values for human well-being and recreation. Our project aims at analysing the implications of different management regimes (high intensity tilling regimes vs. green vineyards with cover crops or wild plants) in vineyards on vascular plant and wild bee diversity and the associated ecosystem services at plot, field (vineyard) and landscape scale. Within one typical viticulture case-study region in Austria two different, representative ecological response units will be defined based on their structural diversity. In each of these units vineyards of two different levels of management intensity will be selected. In addition, photos will be collected for a survey on landscape aesthetics and a photo exhibition (dissemination strategy). A detailed engagement and dissemination plan for stakeholder at the different governance levels will accompany scientific research and will contribute to the implementation of best-practice recommendations for policy and farmers.

Traditional viticulture was part of a multifunctional agricultural system including diverse communities of organisms. In the last decades, changes of vineyard management and increasing mechanisation led to a simplification of landscape diversity and a loss of semi- natural elements. Associated measures like frequent tilling or intensive use of herbicides are associated with a decline in biodiversity and ecosystem disservices such as high rates of erosion, degradation of soil structure and reduced pollination. The investigation of the consequences of vineyard inter-row management intensity for above- and below-ground biodiversity, ecosystem service provision, and related socio-economic factors were the main goals of VineDivers. Four viticultural regions across Europe in Austria, France, Spain and Romania, which comprised of vineyards differing in management intensity (bare soil vs. temporary and permanent vegetation cover) and surrounding landscape complexity were selected. In those viticultural ecosystems, soil biota, plants, wild bees, soil and grape parameters were investigated to analyse relations between different taxa and ecosystem services such as soil erosion mitigation, and landscape aesthetic value. Higher landscape complexity increased peoples aesthetic appreciation of viticultural landscapes, plant species richness, and compensated for low floral resource availability for certain wild bee taxa. Inter-row management also influenced aesthetic preferences of tourists, the local population and wine growers in Austria: the most intensive inter-row management resulted in the most negative scoring, whereas the vineyard with spontaneous vegetation cover and wild flowers was the best rated. Higher management intensities resulted in lower vegetation cover and biomass, which decreased earthworm species richness, soil erosion mitigation and carbon sequestration. Vegetated inter-rows with high floral resources promoted wild bees and reduced soil erosion risk by increasing percolation stability of soil aggregates. The overall positive effect of flower rich vegetation in vineyard inter-rows should be better implemented in agricultural policies which do not support biodiversity and ecosystem service provision sufficiently yet. As the economic risks due to changing economic and climatic conditions and lack of knowledge outperform the support by agri-environmental compensation payments, it is important to invest in training programmes for winegrowers.