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Orchard habitat questionnaire

Survey of biodiversity measures in Val Venosta’s orchards

VIP has always focused on a natural and sustainable production

Now VIP has set another milestone by professionally surveying the measures to promote biodiversity in the Val Venosta production area

Orchards and agricultural areas are primarily used for producing healthy food, but they are important habitats for different living beings as well. Orchards are attractive habitats for pollinators and beneficial insects such as insects, small reptiles, mammals or birds due to their multiannual character and their diverse structure. Developing this ecosystem and promoting its biodiversity is completely in line with a natural and sustainable fruit production.

The targeted promotion of biodiversity by creating habitats in the orchards has been proven to increase genetic diversity and thus the system’s stability. An optimal implementation of the measures improves the living conditions of the natural antagonists and is thus an important condition for a natural production.
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Elaboration of the “Orchard habitat questionnaire“
 
Elaboration of the “Orchard habitat questionnaire“
VIP has always strived to promote biodiversity and thus a natural production in the Val Venosta production area with the help of different measures.

VIP elaborated the so-called “Orchard habitat questionnaire” in collaboration with the South Tyrolean Advisory Service for Fruit Production and Winegrowing and organic farmers in VIP’s production area during the last years. This questionnaire is a practical tool that helps the producers to gather data about the ecological measures for promoting biodiversity in their agricultural businesses. The questionnaire currently includes 53 single measures summarized in 9 categories including „Sowings and flower strips“, “Nest boxes and nesting aids“ and “Agricultural variety“.

Thanks to the data collected in 2020 Val Venosta’s producers participating in the project can get an overview of their biodiversity measures for the first time. The data collected allow a direct comparison with other agricultural businesses in Val Venosta and constitute an incentive to implement further ecological measures in the own agricultural business.
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The 9 categories of
the "orchard habitat questionnaire"

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Survey of the biodiversity measures

Thanks to the data collected in 2020 Val Venosta’s producers participating in the project can get an overview of their biodiversity measures for the first time. The data collected allow a direct comparison with other agricultural businesses in Val Venosta and constitute an incentive to implement further ecological measures in the own agricultural business.

More than 250 agricultural businesses with a total production area of almost 1,000 hectares participated in the survey. Most of them produce organic apples according to the BIOLAND and DEMETER guidelines. Data about measures of agricultural businesses producing according to the guidelines of integrated production were collected in another survey as part of the “Schneewinkel biodiversity project“. In total, the surveyed area equals almost a fifth of Val Venosta’s production area. The results of the survey prove that many surveyed agricultural businesses have already implemented various ecological measures for the promotion of biodiversity in their orchards.
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The most important measures and results from the survey:

Hedges and shrubs as species-rich habitats

Hedges, bushes and shrubs are important landscape and structural elements and are among the most species-rich habitats. They represent a retreat and a nesting place for numerous birds and insects but also for small reptiles and mammals. Besides hedges, trees also function as nesting and reproduction places for birds and facilitate guidance for bats searching for food at night. Furthermore, raptors such as common buzzards sit on the branches of the trees to keep an eye on their prey.
 
 
 
 

Perennial shrubs and isolated trees

More than 70% of the surveyed agricultural businesses in Val Venosta have hedges in their orchards. Perennial shrubs can be found in the orchards of half of the surveyed agricultural businesses, whereas 40% have standard trees/isolated trees.
 
 
 
 
 
Flower strips and sowings in the orchards
Flower strips and sowings in the lanes or at their edges increase the complexity of the ecosystem in the orchards. These undisturbed soil areas promote different species of beneficial insects and pollinators. Furthermore, flower strips and sowings also improve root penetration and soil fertility in a completely natural way. About a third of the surveyed agricultural businesses makes sowings with flowering plants or has opted for a permanent flower strip as an ecological measure in the orchards that serves as a source of food and retreat for the animals all year round.
 

Nest boxes for insects and birds

Many useful songbirds are cavity-nesting birds. Appropriate nest boxes for birds constitute an ideal place for rearing the brood. Almost two thirds of the surveyed agricultural businesses in Val Venosta have built nest boxes and nesting aides so far with an average of 4 nest boxes per ha in Val Venosta’s orchards. Flying insects can find suitable nesting aids in so-called insect hotels where wild bees such as mason bees can protect their brood and provide for it. This is a guarantee that they will permanently settle in the orchard and thus pollinate the apple flowers and other plants. Nearly half of the surveyed agricultural businesses already offer such insect hotels.
 
 
 
 

Walls and stones as retreats

Dry stone walls and piles of stones are a perfect refuge for useful small mammals such as hedgehogs or weasels, but also reptiles and amphibians depend on these cavities between the stones for surviving. The traditional dry stone walls are an important element of South Tyrol’s cultural landscape and have to be maintained manually with great effort. They offer an ideal habitat for a variety of plants and animals.
 
 
 
 

Making good use of stones

One in four surveyed agricultural businesses owns terraced orchards, whereas clearance cairns and stone cages can be found in the orchards of one third of Val Venosta’s agricultural businesses. These mostly smaller structural elements are often built during the creation of new orchards when stones are picked up and collected on piles or in cages and thus have another benefit as well.
 
 
 
 
 
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Clear results

The survey clearly shows that the average agricultural business in Val Venosta has already implemented ecological measures in their orchards. Every additional measure creates new habitats in the orchards and thus actively promotes biodiversity in line with a sustainable production.

A few figures from the survey in Val Venosta:

Hedges
Measure implemented by 70% of agricultural businesses
40-160 m² per ha for agricultural businesses with this measure
The total area of surveyed hedges equals about 10 football grounds
 
Hedges
Measure implemented by 70% of agricultural businesses
40-160 m² per ha for agricultural businesses with this measure
The total area of surveyed hedges equals about 10 football grounds
Perennial shrubs
Measure implemented by 50% of agricultural businesses
5 perennial shrubs per ha for agricultural businesses with this measure
 
Perennial shrubs
Measure implemented by 50% of agricultural businesses
5 perennial shrubs per ha for agricultural businesses with this measure
 
Isolated trees with a diameter between 20 and 100 cm
Measure implemented by 40% of agricultural businesses
1 tree per ha with a trunk diameter between 20 and 100 cm for agricultural businesses with this measure
 
Isolated trees with a diameter between 20 and 100 cm
Measure implemented by 40% of agricultural businesses
1 tree per ha with a trunk diameter between 20 and 100 cm for agricultural businesses with this measure
Sowings in the lane
Measure implemented by 26% of agricultural businesses
Approx. 1,000 m² per ha for agricultural businesses with this measure
 
Sowings in the lane
Measure implemented by 26% of agricultural businesses
Approx. 1,000 m² per ha for agricultural businesses with this measure
Permanent flower strips in the lane
Measure implemented by 33% of agricultural businesses
Agricultural businesses with this measure mow in early summer for the first time
 
Permanent flower strips in the lane
Measure implemented by 33% of agricultural businesses
Agricultural businesses with this measure mow in early summer for the first time
 
Permanent flower strips at the edge of the orchard
Measure implemented by 30% of agricultural businesses
Agricultural businesses with this measure mow in early summer for the first time
 
Permanent flower strips at the edge of the orchard
Measure implemented by 30% of agricultural businesses
Agricultural businesses with this measure mow in early summer for the first time
Nest boxes for smaller cavity-nesting birds
Measure implemented by 67% of agricultural businesses
Approx. 4 nest boxes per ha for agricultural businesses with this measure
 
Nest boxes for smaller cavity-nesting birds
Measure implemented by 67% of agricultural businesses
Approx. 4 nest boxes per ha for agricultural businesses with this measure
Insect hotels
Measure implemented by 47% of agricultural businesses
Approx. 0.4 m² per ha for agricultural businesses with this measure
 
Insect hotels
Measure implemented by 47% of agricultural businesses
Approx. 0.4 m² per ha for agricultural businesses with this measure
 
Dry stone walls
Measure implemented by 62% of agricultural businesses
Approx. 90 m² per ha for agricultural businesses with this measure
 
Dry stone walls
Measure implemented by 62% of agricultural businesses
Approx. 90 m² per ha for agricultural businesses with this measure
Stone cages
Measure implemented by 30% of agricultural businesses
Approx. 0.6 m³ per ha for agricultural businesses with this measure
 
Stone cages
Measure implemented by 30% of agricultural businesses
Approx. 0.6 m³ per ha for agricultural businesses with this measure
 
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