An improved biodiversity index for FAO’s Tool of Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE)

The "Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation" (TAPE) was developed under the coordination of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) to assess the sustainability performance of agroecosystems. The assessment is mainly based on a 2-3-hour farm interview, in which a wide variety of data is collected. The environmental dimension has so far been represented in TAPE by two simple indices: A soil index, which is based on a visual analysis of the soil, and a biodiversity index, which is primarily based on the Gini-Simpson index of crops grown and animals kept. While the TAPE biodiversity index is crucial, it does not yet take into account so-called unplanned biodiversity, i.e. the impact of on-farm management practices on wild species. We have therefore expanded TAPE to include this aspect.

Direct surveys of wildlife biodiversity in the field were not possible in TAPE, as this would have far exceeded the time required for data collection. Consequently, we based the newly developed biodiversity index on the indirect European BioBio method. The new index consists of ten indicators, which can take values between 0 and 100% and be aggregated to form the overall index. Examples of these indicators are field size, nitrogen application or stocking density. The new index was developed and tested on selected Swiss farms, where the comparison with a much more comprehensive and time-consuming method showed a positive correlation (r = 0.56, p-value = 0.009).

The new index has so far been used in Switzerland (21 farms) and in Kenya (103 farms). In Switzerland, the field size and land use change indicators performed best (values > 75%), while the indicators tree habitat, nitrogen application, field operations and grazing intensity performed poorly (values > 50%). In Kenya, the field size, land use change, pesticide and field operations indicators reached values above 75%, while the tree habitat, grazing intensity and semi-natural habitat indicators had values clearly below 50%.