The enlargement of protected areas and carbon price incentives for reforestation alone will not stop biodiversity decline and the ongoing loss of critical ecosystem functions if it is not accompanied by measures that also target managed landscapes, according to a new study published in May 2023. 

The study led by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)/Germany shows that even in scenarios with a high demand for land it is possible to maintain biodiversity-friendly landscapes, which also provide critical services such as pollination and healthy soils. The research demonstrates that land use is not a zero-sum game but that it matters where farmland is located in order to promote landscape diversity.