Intensity of land use Habitat Diversity

Concerning the prevailing intensity of land use, extensive farming practices have been shown to have a positive impact on biodiversity. However, the relationship between local land use intensity and biodiversity follows varying gradients and is also influenced by other landscape- and land use-related factors. For instance, the positive effect of extensification on arable land is much more pronounced in less structured landscapes than in well-structured areas, which generally exhibit higher species diversity. Conversely, the relationship of biodiversity and landscape is less clear in regions dominated by grassland, due to strong effects of small-scale differences in grassland utilisation on biodiversity, compared to the effects of the surrounding landscape. Indicators of land use intensity are used to describe the local, i. e., regional, intensity of land use and its spatial distribution. It is imperative to note that reporting is conducted in a distinct manner for arable land and grassland, a practice that arises from the evident disparities in management methodologies, alongside the methodological approaches employed in the analysis of satellite data and agricultural data sets.