New biodiversity framework estimates what landscapes could support, not just what lives there
A flower strip is established along the edge of a field. A wetland is restored. More seminatural habitats are created. The expectation is simple: give nature more space, and biodiversity will increase. But reality is often not so simple.
Researchers from Aarhus University have developed a new framework to estimate the potential biodiversity capacity of landscapes, rather than just focusing on the species currently present. This concept, called Functional Trait Capacity (FTC), helps to predict the range of life strategies a landscape can support under specific environmental and management conditions.
While current biodiversity surveys provide valuable insights into what exists in a landscape, they often fail to reveal its full potential for supporting biodiversity in the future. The FTC framework addresses this limitation by estimating the number of different forms of life a landscape could potentially host, taking into account factors such as resource availability, habitat structure, disturbance patterns, and ecological interactions.
To demonstrate the concept, the researchers conducted a computational experiment using four agricultural landscapes that appeared similar when measured with conventional biodiversity metrics. However, when calculating FTC, they discovered that these landscapes had significantly different biodiversity potentials. In some cases, the same conservation measure—converting 5% of cropped land into seminatural herbaceous habitat—yielded vastly different results across the landscapes.
One landscape experienced a 14-fold increase in biodiversity opportunities, while another saw only a four-fold increase. In contrast, two landscapes experienced no increase in capacity at all. This variability highlights how landscape context influences biodiversity capacity and management outcomes. The researchers emphasize that FTC is not a replacement for existing biodiversity assessments but rather a complementary tool that can help inform more effective conservation strategies.
By understanding a landscape's hidden ecological potential, policymakers and practitioners can make more informed decisions about where to invest resources for biodiversity restoration.
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