Higher direct payments fail to curb scrub encroachment on alpine pastures

Higher direct payments do not stop scrub encroachment on alpine pastures Keystone-SDA

The encroachment of scrub vegetation on Swiss alpine pastures leads to the loss of grassland and damages the typical landscape. It is also responsible for the decline in biodiversity. Despite higher direct payments, scrub continues to spread.

This conclusion was published by the Swiss agricultural research institute (Agroscope) on Tuesday. According to the study, scrub encroachment is the result of abandoned cultivation and a change in the type and intensity of agricultural use. Green alder dominates the scrub encroachment, which also leads to a decline in biodiversity.

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To counteract this, there are various incentives in the form of direct payments for alpine farming. In 2014, the federal government increased one of them or introduced two new ones. The summer grazing contributions were increased. Direct payments for biodiversity promotion areas and quality contributions for the maintenance of typical regional landscapes are new.

For the study, Agroscope analysed the effects of subsidies on grassland and scrub encroachment for the first time using data from alpine farms in the canton of Graubünden.

According to the researchers, the study indicates that the increased direct payments led to an average 2% higher loss of grassland. This corresponds to an average of 4.7 hectares per farm within ten years. Agroscope did not analyse the impact on species richness, the diversity of structural elements in the landscape and income.

False incentives identified

For the agricultural experts at Agroscope, several factors could be causing the loss of grassland. Firstly, the distribution of livestock on the alpine pastures could have changed. In order to protect sensitive species, alpine herdsmen and women no longer drove their cattle onto the biodiversity promotion areas. As an unintended side effect, scrub encroachment increased.

On the other hand, the covering of the soil with unrotted plants, i.e. mulching, may also have decreased on the biodiversity promotion areas. According to Agroscope, mulching is the most effective and cheapest method against scrub encroachment.

However, these disincentives need to be investigated further, the competence centre wrote. Agroscope suggests, however, that direct payments should be more closely linked to specific measures for open grassland. The study was published in the Journal of Agricultural EconomicsExternal link.

Adapted from German by DeepL/ac

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