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6B - LCIA - New Impact Categories (WE2/9) Integration of biodiversity as life cycle impact category in agriculture. Jeanneret, Philippe1, Baumgartner, Daniel*,1, Gaillard, Gérard1, 1 Federal Research Station for Agroecology and Agriculture, Zürich, Switzerland, Switzerland ABSTRACT- In the last 50 years changes in agricultural production methods and policies have led to major ecological changes at many levels. These have impacts on biodiversity and are often viewed as a serious threat for the future. Following the concern of governments and international organizations the question arises as to how to maintain biodiversity in intensive cultivated landscapes. Since biodiversity in cultivated landscapes is mainly determined by management practices and by planning of land use, management strategies must be developped which include all cultivation and production activities. It is therefore particularly important to forecast the impacts of agricultural practices on biodiversity. This can be done with the help of life cycle assessment (LCA). FAL-Reckenholz developed a method which allows the integration of organismal diversity in LCA for agricultural production. First, a list of indicator-organisms was established considering ecological and LCA (ISO-norm) criteria for selection. The indicator-organisms are flora, birds, mammals, amphibians, molluscs, lumbricids, spiders, carabids, butterflies, wild bees, and grasshoppers. Second, inventory data about agricultural practices used for other impact categories were adapted and extended and criteria defined to be relevant for biodiversity were specified. Beside typical agricultural practices like pesticide use and tillage, set aside fields and semi-natural habitat connectivity were integrated. Third, a notation system was evolved to estimate every indicator-organism reaction in regard to agricultural activities (characterization).The notation system consists of values from 0 to 5 with neutral effect at 3 and is applied on 3 components of organismal diversity, i.e. species richness, species with narrow ecological valence and the contribution to the regional biodiversity. Key words: agriculture, biodiversity, impact assessment, new impact category |
