One-third of global farmland accounts for about two-thirds of agriculture-linked biodiversity

Beef and dairy drive 41% of biodiversity damage linked to global farmland A single third of the world’s agricultural land is responsible for roughly two-thirds of all farming-related biodiversity loss and the loss of natural carbon storage, according to a global study published in Nature Food.The research, led by scientists from Leiden University’s Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), together with experts from the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford and China Agricultural University, maps the environmental damage caused by food production in greater detail than previous studies. The findings show that agricultural damage is concentrated in certain regions and is strongly linked to a small number of food products, especially beef and dairy.By studying carbon storage loss and the risk of species extinction together, the researchers say governments and conservation groups can focus on these farming hotspots to make progress on both climate change and nature protection.High-impact geographic hotspotsAgriculture now covers more than 40 per cent of the Earth’s habitable land. The conversion of natural habitats into farmland has permanently removed an estimated 300 bil...