Biodiversity Foundation Project: LIFE BioStandards

To increase knowledge about biodiversity performance in the agri-food sector, a series of publications have been produced, including a benchmark report, a recommendations report, biodiversity fact sheets, infographics, a user-friendly guide to biodiversity criteria in agri-food sector standards and labels, and more. These resources were shared with various stakeholders for wider dissemination of the results. Furthermore, based on the recommendations report, the organization offered individual advice to companies and labels on biodiversity conservation in the agri-food sector.

In terms of training, the Global Nature Foundation has finally conducted two training sessions: one in Valencia with members of Aliats per la Biodiversitat and another in Extremadura, with students and teachers from the Navalmoral Rural Environment Training Center. Although this activity was primarily aimed at technical staff and certifiers, the strong interest from farmers and farm technical advisors led to the creation of a single training module, which includes all the information generated. The material is available for free download.

The Biodiversity Performance Tool (BPT) has also been developed within the framework of the project. This tool analyzes biodiversity-related criteria on certified farms and provides recommendations to technical staff working on these farms to assess the quality of implementation of measures aimed at potentially improving biodiversity and to support monitoring. A user manual has also been developed, available in Spanish.

During the project's implementation, five pilot experiments were developed to increase biodiversity in crops. Two of them were in fruit and vegetable crops; one covering 550 hectares of processing tomatoes in Badajoz (Extremadura) and another in melon cultivation in Elche (Alicante), where work was carried out on approximately 50 hectares. In the Extremadura case, the pilot processing tomato farm benefited from the planting of groundcover with a density of 15 kilograms per hectare of brown mustard seeds (Brassica juncea variety scala). Planting this groundcover has a nematicidal effect, which is an additional benefit for tomato production. This groundcover was incorporated into the soil between March and April to enrich it. Regarding the Carrizales melon crops in Alicante, among other measures, the Global Nature Foundation advised and funded a floral cover to improve these areas and encourage pollinators.

Specifically, approximately 6.5 kilograms of a mixture specially designed for this pilot project, including 10 floral species, were planted. The three remaining pilot projects focused on permanent or woody crops. Three olive groves were selected: Al Alma del Olivo in Toledo, Viver in Castellón, and La Peraleña in Madrid.

These pilot farms have tested the recommendations offered to the sector, the proposed evaluation mechanisms, and specific measures to improve biodiversity. An example of the implementation of some of these measures was the pilot test in the Viver olive grove, where traps were used for the biological control of the olive fruit fly. Through this method, the organization was able to promote and encourage nearby farms to reduce their use of pesticides.

Finally, and in order to transfer information about the project, the entity has attended and/or organized 27 events related to this topic and has carried out different actions and progress on the initiative through its website and social networks.