Biodiversity provides the foundation for agricultural systems, with the conservation of biodiversity being critical for ensuring environmental sustainability. At the same time, agriculture is playing a hugely significant role in the biodiversity crisis by contributing to the major drivers of biodiversity loss in complex and inter-related ways. The pressures on agricultural production have never been greater and are only likely to accelerate current levels of biodiversity decline. Developing ways to reconcile the ever-changing needs of agricultural production and those of biodiversity conservation requires an approach that bridges the gap between academic theory and practical problem-solving.

WildCRU has undertaken a colossal empirical research programme that delivers precisely that, and with a two-volume book set explaining its findings (Wildlife Conservation on Farmland, Macdonald, and Feber, 2015, Oxford University Press).

Wildlife Conservation on Farmland provides a combination of selected case studies, combined with authoritative and thought-provoking editorial syntheses to demonstrate how ecological study (often long term), combined with a flexible, interdisciplinary approach, is a consistently effective strategy to tackle the most pressing challenges facing farmers, conservationists, and policy makers today.

Our Farming and Wildlife research, as reflected in the books, covers two main areas. Please click on the links below for more information.