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Biodiversity is to be increased – Southwest

A competition aims to honor farms that are particularly committed to biodiversity.


FREIBURG. Kilometers of monocultures, large-scale use of pesticides and other toxins, lack of green areas – farms are often criticized. The accusation: They promoted insect and bird extinction and were more interested in short-term profit than sustainable production.

A picture that, according to Martin Armbruster from the Baden Agricultural Association (BLHV), is not so true for many farms in South Baden. “We have a lot of biodiversity here,” says Armbruster.

This is also seen in the Freiburg regional council. “We are in a very good position compared to other regions in Germany,” says Bernd-Jürgen Seitz, head of the department for nature conservation and landscape conservation at the Freiburg regional council. However, there are still many opportunities in southern Baden to promote biodiversity in the fields and green spaces.

In order to give farmers an incentive to do so, Seitz has developed a competition together with the BLHV, which should raise awareness of the issue among farms and is called “Farms for Biodiversity”. Companies in the districts of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Lörrach and Waldshut and the city district of Freiburg can still apply until May 15th. A winner will then be chosen in three categories – such as agriculture, fruit and wine growing and grassland. Overall, the competition is endowed with 10,000 euros. In the next round, farms from other counties in southern Baden can also apply.

Seitz emphasizes that you don’t have to be an organic company to have a chance of winning. There is also a lot that can be done for biodiversity in conventional agriculture. However, there is no need to apply for projects for which you already receive money – for example as part of compensatory measures. It is also not enough to simply leave an orchid meadow free. “Our goal is to find farms that do both ecological and economic work and manage to bring these areas together.” For example, when side strips of a field are not sprayed and a rich habitat for birds and insects can develop there.

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